We always wanted to live in Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood. What kid (or adult) didn’t? With unparalleled empathy, Mr. Rogers taught generations of children about all sorts of things, from divorce to racism to sexism to breastfeeding.
Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood is celebrating a major anniversary this year — it ran on PBS from 1968 to 2001 — and, in honor of its 50th birthday, a documentary is coming out about Fred Rogers himself.
Though Rogers wasn’t Jewish, both the man and his program exemplified many Jewish values, like tikkun olam and kindness.
Rogers, who died at 74 of cancer in 2003, famously said, “Children have deep feelings just the way everybody does.” That was the foundation for the show: How can we better serve our children?
The film — described by director Morgan Neville as “therapy for adults” — is out June 8. It’s aptly titled Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Because, especially in these divisive times, shouldn’t we all be asking that of each other?
Watch the preview below and see if your eyes remain dry:
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