By Mark D. Zimmerman
Norman Lear died last week at the age of 101. Lear was a writer and producer who created dozens of television sitcoms, including All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Maude, The Jeffersons, and One Day at a Time, among others. He received numerous awards for his work, including 6 Emmys, 2 Peabodys, the National Medal of Arts, and the Kennedy Center Honors. Lear was also very involved in progressive politics, most notably as a founder of People for the American Way, whose mission is to fight for equality, pluralism, freedom of thought, and compassion for others. Lear was born to Jewish parents in New Haven, CT, and though he was not religious, he described himself “as culturally Jewish as I could be and proud to be Jewish.” He noted that listening to the antisemitic Father Coughlin on the radio influenced his thinking and led him toward social activism. In 1974, Lear founded a production company whose name was influenced by his Judaism. What was the company called?
A. TAT Communications, from the phrase Tukhes Afn Tish, meaning “Buttocks on the table.”
B. Ken Men Productions, from the phrase Az me muz, ken men, which translates to “If you have to, you can.”
C. MTGL Productions, from the phrase, Mensch Tracht un Got Lacht, which means “Man plans and God laughs.”
D. CvC Communications, from the phrase Chas v’Chalila, meaning “God Forbid.”
E. FleyshKop Enterprises, Yiddish for “Meat Head.”
Link to answer: http://rrrjewishtrivia.com/answers-2023/norman-lear-z-l-answer.html
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Mark Zimmerman is the author of a series of Jewish trivia books, under the title RASHI, RAMBAM and RAMALAMADINGDONG: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts & Fun.