David N. Weiss says he has “always loved putting on a show.” Mainly, he said, because “if you are getting attention, you know you’re really here.”
Growing up in Ventura, Calif., “there wasn’t a lot going on Jewishly,” he said. As a child and young adult, Weiss frequently found himself asking questions about what would happen to him after death and what was the meaning of life.
For a long time, he said he was able to “bounce back and forth” between high school stage performances and deal with “what would happen after the show,” when reality brought the questions flooding back.
Guest speaker at the third annual Ohr HaTorah Leadership and Learning lecture and awards presentation, held at Brynwood Country Club on Tuesday, Aug. 30, Weiss spoke to a group of some 130 about his relationship with Judaism during a talk titled, “The Wild Spiritual Ride of a Hollywood Screenwriter.”
Weiss wrote the screenplay for the “The Rugrats Movie” and co-wrote “Rugrats in Paris,” two of the most successful animated features of all time. He also co-wrote the Academy Award winning feature, “Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius,” and “Shrek 2.”
Though born Jewish, Weiss said that during his high school and early college years, all his friends were Christian.
But, “they didn’t try to convert me. They were just nice,” he said. Weiss found himself debating with Christians about the difference between their beliefs and Judaism.
But during one discussion with a youth minister, Weiss said he found what seemed like his “ticket to eternal life,” rather than a “ticket to eternal disintegration.”
Weiss subsequently became very involved in the church and even became a Christian youth worker. He continued to participate in small performances with his church youth groups, before applying to film school in California. He describes his first screenplay there as a sort of “Christian action thriller adventure.”
While working in a studio in Dublin, Ireland, Weiss continued his spiritual seeking. Though he maintained church involvement, he also formed a connection with a young Orthodox man.
“I went to his apartment for Shabbat,” Weiss said, and though they had “the most delightful conversation, I went away troubled — he did not need Jesus.”
Weiss said his new doubts about Christianity made him “depressed” and added to his “anxiety ridden life. If I walked away from Jesus, where would I go? ”
Back in Southern California, Weiss joined a new church, but he started to sit “further back.” It was there that he met a Presbyterian woman who also thought “the whole Jesus thing was weird,” he said.
The two began attending both synagogue and church, and were soon married “in a Presbyterian church under a chuppah,” Weiss said. “Everyone was really confused.”
At a low point — the couple had trouble conceiving a baby and Weiss couldn’t find work — Weiss went to visit a 28 year-old rabbi at the synagogue.
“You’re unemployed, your mornings are free — come to minyan!” the young rabbi said. That was one of the first small steps Weiss took on his path back to Judaism. He also began to teach English studies at a local yeshiva.
Weiss said his outlook began to improve and, in turn, so did everything else. Weiss and his wife began to deepen their involvement with their synagogue. They began keeping kosher and observing Shabbat.
Eventually, the couple was able to adopt two children. Weiss also began writing for the “Rugrats” television show. In fact, the first thing that Weiss worked on after he left the church was the “Rugrats Chanukah Special,” which his kids now watch every year.
“We choose the life we have,” Weiss said. “To take that one step every day … it makes all the difference.”
Awards were also presented at the event, including the 2005 Torah Devotion Award, which was given to Chana and Doug Ugent, and the 2005 Torah Service Award, to Joshua Richman. A special dedication was held in memory of Irv Siegel.
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