1998 Archives

Starring Joan Plowright and Armin Mueller-Stahl Canada, 106 min. 1997, Color, English Set during the Great Depression, this is a story of hope and redemption. Following his reluctant participation in the robbery of an elderly Jewish grocer, a young Gentile, Frank Alpine, returns to work for the grocer out of a sense of guilt and remorse. As his relationship with the grocer's family grows, and his love for their daughter deepens, Frank is faced with a crisis that threatens to destroy his hope for the future.

1947 USA, 60 min., 1996, Color, English 

This is the real story of the Exodus 1947, the most famous ship that tried to run the British blockade of Palestine after World War II. Interviews with eyewitnesses are incorporated with newsreel footage, photographs and formerly classified information. The film explores the role of Americans in supplying dollars and manpower for the illegal immigration to Palestine, which ran contrary to U. S. government policy.

USA, 84 minutes, 1996, Color, English and Hebrew with subtitles 

This is the poignant, inspiring, and sometimes funny story of the Jewish Brigade. Starting as a World War II combat unit with the British Army in Italy, Brigade members continued operating in Europe after the war to rescue Jewish survivors and smuggle them into Palestine. With courage and ingenuity they "acquired" vehicles and weapons to aid in the battle to create Israel and helped make the phrase "Next Year in Jerusalem" a reality.

USA, 60 minutes, 1997, Color, English 

Is there a return to tradition among young Jews that portends a strong and vital American Jewish future? Featuring scenes of a Yiddish cabaret, jazz club, seder, and gatherings of intermarrieds and converts, the film explores the American Jewish landscape. With insight, humor, and attention to the role of artists, this provocative documentary asks if this renaissance is compatible with Jewish tradition and if it will endure.

Academy Award Best Documentary For 1997 

USA, 120 min. 1997, BW, English 

This powerful film chronicles the long journey of Holocaust survivors to the Jewish Homeland. Combining archival film and stills with new interviews, the film interweaves personal stories, historical narrative, and the recollections of Jewish displaced persons. Their stories bring to light many previously unknown events during the critical 1945-1948 post war period when the world was indifferent to their plight.

Starring Jessica Lange and Armin Meuller-Stahl 

Director Costa-Gavras USA, 123 min. 1990, Color, English 

A loving father and doting grandfather, Chicago resident Mike Laszlo finds himself the target of official investigations into his youthful past in his native Hungary. His daughter Ann, a lawyer, is determined to defend her father in court against allegations of his willing complicity in crimes against Jewish citizens during the Nazi occupation of Budapest. In pursuit of the truth about her father, Ann uncovers a heartbreaking secret that changes her family's life forever.

Written by Gila Almagor 

Israel, 102 min. 1994, Color, Hebrew with subtitles 

Several stories intertwine in this drama to tell the powerful tale of a group of displaced orphaned teens coming of age in post World War II Israel. As seen through the eyes of Aviya, the only Israeli girl among them, the story unfolds during the public debate about accepting German reparations for WW II atrocities. Polish-born Jurek tries to win Aviya's heart, but his inability to reveal his secrets threatens to tear their young love apart.