''The Eternal Light'' was an American radio and television program on the NBC Radio Network, produced in conjunction with the Jewish Theological Seminary, that was broadcast between 1944 and 1989. Featuring interviews, commentary, and award-winning dramas from the perspective of

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

, it began on radio in 1944 and continued as a weekly radio program through 1989. A 1946 program, for example, dramatized humanitarian

Lillian Wald Lillian D. Wald (March 10, 1867 – September 1, 1940) was an American nurse, humanitarian and author. She was known for contributions to human rights and was the founder of American community nursing. She founded the Henry Street Settlement in N ...

's founding of New York City's

Henry Street Settlement The Henry Street Settlement is a not-for-profit social service agency in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City that provides social services, arts programs and health care services to New Yorkers of all ages. It was founde ...

in 1895. The May 31, 1959 program featured a tour of the Holy Land narrated by

Ralph Bellamy Ralph Rexford Bellamy (June 17, 1904 – November 29, 1991) was an American actor whose career spanned 65 years on stage, film, and television. During his career, he played leading roles as well as supporting roles, garnering acclaim and ...

. Beginning in 1952, ''The Eternal Light'' was also televised by

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

as part of its Sunday morning religious programming, along with ''Frontiers of Faith'' (produced in conjunction with the

National Council of Churches The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, usually identified as the National Council of Churches (NCC), is the largest ecumenical body in the United States. NCC is an ecumenical partnership of 38 Christian faith groups in the Un ...

) and '' The Catholic Hour''. By the mid-1950s, the program had an audience of more than six million weekly on radio and television. Milton E. Krents (1912–2000) was executive producer of ''The Eternal Light'' radio program for 44 years. NBC television's director for ''The Eternal Light'', along with its other Sunday morning televised religious programs, was Martin Hoade (1916–2006). The program's editor was Moshe Davis of the Jewish Theological Seminary, who explained its purpose to a ''New York Times'' interviewer: "The common man is always the hero in our show. We try to put a contemporary subject in a concept of eternity." NBC donated the air time and the Jewish Theological Seminary budgeted the show's production expenses. Spurning potential sponsorship offers, Davis told one persistent business executive, "My good man, God needs no sponsor". Among the notables appearing on the series were

Alan Arkin Alan Wolf Arkin (born March 26, 1934) is an American actor, director and screenwriter known for his performances on stage and screen. Throughout his career spanning over six decades, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award ...

Joseph Cotten Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr. (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American film, stage, radio and television actor. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of '' The Philadelphia Story'' and '' Sab ...

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was si ...

Mel Ferrer Melchor Gastón Ferrer (August 25, 1917 – June 2, 2008) was an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He achieved prominence on Broadway before scoring notable film hits with ''Scaramouche'', '' Lili'' and ''Knights of the Roun ...

Sam Levene Sam Levene (born Scholem Lewin; August 28, 1905 – December 28, 1980) was a Russian Empire-born American Broadway, film, radio, and television actor and director. In a career spanning over five decades, he appeared in over 50 comedy and dr ...

E. G. Marshall E. G. Marshall (born Everett Eugene Grunz;Everett Eugene Grunz in Minnesota, U.S., Birth Index, 1900-1934, Ancestry.comEverett Eugene Grunz in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, accessed via Ancestry.com June 18, ...

, Raymond Massey, Alexander Scourby,

Maureen Stapleton Lois Maureen Stapleton (June 21, 1925 – March 13, 2006) was an American actress. She received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, in addition to ...

, Elie Wiesel, and

Gene Wilder Jerome Silberman (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), known professionally as Gene Wilder, was an American actor, comedian, writer and filmmaker. He is known mainly for his comedic roles, but also for his portrayal of Willy Wonka in ''Willy Won ...

. The program won numerous awards, including two Emmy Awards and many Emmy nominations and Peabody Awards in 1962, 1967, and 1973. Krents received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the

National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) is an American professional service organization founded in 1955 for "the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, edu ...

for his production of ''The Eternal Light''. In 2007, a documentary about the series done by Diva Communications, ''The Eternal Light—A Historical Retrospective'', won a New York Emmy Award.

References

External links

''The Eternal Light''—A Historical Retrospective

The Jewish Museum on ''The Eternal Light''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eternal Light 1940s American radio programs 1950s American radio programs 1960s American radio programs 1970s American radio programs 1980s American radio programs 1950s American television series 1960s American television series 1970s American television series 1980s American television series Jewish Theological Seminary of America NBC original programming Peabody Award-winning radio programs Jewish radio Television series about Jews and Judaism NBC radio programs