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November 12, 2004
A tribe member speaks
Jewish values helped winner outlast his competitors.
KEVIN ROSEN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Winnipeg
A large group of local diehard Survivor fans opted to miss
their favorite reality-TV series on Oct. 28. Instead, they could
be found at Winnipeg's Berney Theatre at the Asper Jewish Community
Campus to catch a live appearance by Ethan Zohn.
The million-dollar winner of Survivor: Africa was in town
to promote Grassroots Soccer, a charity he co-founded to raise AIDS
awareness in Zimbabwe. His talk at the campus was sponsored by the
Rady Centre and the Young Adult Division (YAD) of the Winnipeg Jewish
Federation/ Combined Jewish Appeal.
Speaking to a mostly female audience, the former pro-soccer player
recounted his experience of "being placed in a sociological
experiment that aired on national TV," joked about his fame
("I've officially changed my name to Ethan Fromsurvivor")
and explained how a Jewish upbringing played a role in his well-known
victory.
Casually attired in an untucked dress shirt and slacks, Zohn came
on stage to the familiar strains of Survivor's catchy theme
song. He quickly connected with the all-ages, mostly Jewish crowd
by noting a shared history that goes back 5,000 years – not
just five TV seasons.
The Lexington, Mass.-born heart throb joked that fasting once a
year, eating gross foods such as borsht and enduring Hebrew school
prepared him for the game of Survivor. Kidding aside, Zohn credited
the embodiment of several core Jewish values for his success on
the show.
"Being selfless in a selfish game was an important trait,"
said Zohn, citing an example in which he helped a teammate (Lex)
win a crucial immunity challenge.
Zohn also spoke about the significance of teaching others, leading
by example and being proud of who you are. He referred to the episode
in which he turned down a plate of ham – much to the amusement
and delight of his teammate Big Tom, a West Virginian goat farmer
who'd never met a Jew before Ethan – as an example of being
true to yourself.
"Without normal comforts, your real colors come through; growing
up Jewish made a difference in my values," he said.
After discussing his success on Survivor, Zohn focused his
talk on the plight of African children suffering from AIDS and the
importance of making a difference by giving of one's money and/or
time. Quoting his late father, Zohn said: "They who give have
all things; they who withhold have nothing." He finished by
challenging everyone in the room to go home and come up with two
things they can do to help others.
Following his talk, Zohn was joined on stage by girlfriend –
and Survivor: Amazon winner – Jenna Morasca. Together,
the pair fielded questions from the audience on a variety of topics
ranging from friendships to food and philanthropy.
For the record, Zohn remains in touch with Lex. ("He's lucky
to have a friend like you," noted Morasca.) The foods he missed
most while starving in Africa were buffalo wings and Rice Krispies
squares. And no, he's no longer a vegetarian.
Prior to the speaking engagement, Zohn and Morasca attended a private
cocktail reception to launch the newly formed Winnipeg chapter of
the Ben-Gurion Society, a group of young adults who give a minimum
$1,000 gift to the CJA campaign.
Zohn was introduced to attendees by Melanie Levcovich, chair of
the newly formed BGS chapter. She spoke briefly about the importance
of young people taking responsibility for community leadership.
Zohn echoed her sentiments and commended the group, while making
a few informal remarks about the importance of giving in the here
and now.
"My mom always said it's a shame to die rich," said Zohn,
adding, "I have a unique opportunity to give back; to use my
fame to give back. I feel it's important to support the community
and spread the word."
The (member of the) tribe has spoken.
Kevin Rosen is a Winnipeg-based freelance writer. He can
be reached at [email protected].
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