The Braid’s ‘Do The Right Thing’ IS the Right Thing for Right Now

The Braid Jewish theater company is meeting this moment in time with its first salon show of their 2026 season. A curated collection of true stories of Jewish ethics under pressure, “Do The Right Thing” premieres Jan. 20 in Santa Monica. “In these times, with much confusion about what is right and what is wrong, with the lines never being more blurred, or more treacherous, I wanted to use The Braid’s platform to explore a Jewish take on what it means to do the right thing,” producer Ronda Spinak, The Braid’s founder and artistic director, told The Journal.

Even more importantly: What happens when doing the right thing comes at a cost? “There are moral choices we all have to make,” said Spinak, who curated and adapted the stories for the show. “And having a moment to reflect when it’s someone else’s story can be validating and inspirational.”

Anchored in Jewish ethics and identity, topics in “Do The Right Thing” include aviation whistleblowing and Vietnam War-era wartime journalism, along with deeply personal stories of family and aging. “Staying true to our values with self, family, community and the world at large can help us thrive,” Spinak said. “Experiencing more art can also take us out of our everyday lives, our fears, our worries and not only give us a respite from everything, but make us think and feel in new ways.“

“Do The Right Thing” brings together stories from Honey Kessler Amado, Elana Arian, Susan Baskin, Vanessa Bloom, Shelley Fisher Fishkin, Lauren John, Jennifer Roth Krieger, Walter Lipsman, Robert Masello, Alan Duncan Ross, Libby Schwartz and Edward Wolfman.

Jennifer Roth Krieger, who served as LA Deputy Mayor as well as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer to the LA City Attorney, has a story about her efforts over the last year to deliver six letters, nearly 90 years after they came into her grandfather’s possession. The letters were authored in Sambor, Poland, in the year 1938 and were addressed to loved ones who had emigrated to the United States. “As I have unraveled the mystery of these letters, I have learned so much about the immigrant experience at the time and about my own family, many of whom were lost in the Shoah,” she told The Journal. “Sharing the story is a way to honor the memory of my grandfather and all those who were impacted by this story and have long since passed away.” She added, “In Jewish tradition, they say a person dies twice: the first when the heart stops beating and the second when the name of the dead is uttered for the last time. I’m grateful to keep my grandfather’s name alive.”

Screenwriter and producer Alan Duncan Ross penned the aforementioned aviation whistleblower story.

“I was on a flight that was still at the gate when I thought I saw a spark come from the engine,” Ross told The Journal. “I alerted the flight attendant who assured me I was mistaken; passengers turned against me as I insisted that my concerns be addressed.”

Frustrated, the flight attendant brought the captain out to reprimand him. “He said I was causing a delay, upsetting passengers, assuring me there was no danger related to the engine; that’s when a flame coming from the engine caught his eye,” Ross said. “He aborted the flight, and angry passengers who vilified me became my new best friends.”

Ross hopes the story will inspire people to stand up and be heard, especially when pressured to do the opposite. “Just because a majority of people oppose you, does not mean they are right,” he said. “It isn’t easy to maintain a position when people have doubts or don’t believe you … and worse, being vilified for bucking the status quo. None of those reasons should deter you from doing the right thing – standing your ground especially when truth is on your side.”

A powerful mix of acclaimed and new Jewish voices also featured in the show:

• Celebrated author Shelley Fisher Fishkin recounts how as a rookie journalist during the Vietnam War, she made the hard decision to sit on a piece of explosive news in order to save lives.

• Susan Baskin, LA Times essayist and writer of the Academy Award-winning film “Violet,” explores how these times of virulent antisemitism may call on her people to be “bad Jews,” acting in ways that are uncommon for most American Jews.

• Tales by acclaimed writer Robert Masello, noted attorney and Times of Israel writer Honey Kessler Amado and more.

The stories are brought to life by veteran Braid actors Jasmine Curry (“I Loved Jew, I Loved Jew Not”), Jeanette Horn (“The New Colossus,” “The Art of Forgiveness”), Ethan Remez-Cott (“Bat Boy: The Musical,” “As You Like It”), Rick Zieff (“Yiddle with a Fiddle,” “Stories from the Violins of Hope”) and Braid newcomer Ilana Zackon (“Riverdale”). “Do The Right Thing” is directed by The Braid’s producing director Susan Morgenstern.

“This show offers an insight into how we all struggle as we weigh, ‘What is the right thing to do in any given situation,” Horn, an Abby Freeman Artist-in-Residence at The Braid, told The Journal. “When I was growing up my parents constantly said, ‘Remember, try to do the right thing,’ and that right thing meant being kind, thoughtful, respecting others and standing up for fairness and justice particularly for people who don’t have a voice.”

A lifelong actor, Zieff said he has often gravitated to Jewish-themed plays. The first show he did for The Braid was called “The Art of Forgiveness.”

“The reason I did that show and the many since … is simple: The Braid curates material that makes us think, that makes us remember, that makes us laugh and that hopefully makes us try to improve ourselves,” Zieff, also an Abby Freeman Artist-in-Residence, told The Journal. “Even being on the performance side of the equation, Braid shows have motivated me to deal with things from my past, connect with people with a hand of forgiveness that I might not otherwise have done and even work through some of life’s difficulties … talk about chicken soup for the soul!”

“Do The Right Thing” runs January Jan. 20-February Feb. 22 in person in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, as well as live on Zoom (February Feb. 12 and 15). For tickets and more information, go to the-braid.org/right