2009 Archives

This film is based on a novel by renowned Israeli author Yoram Kaniuk. It is the early 1960s in an Israeli mental hospital where all the patients are emotionally scarred Holocaust survivors.

English

A dramatic and nail-biting re-enactment of the sinking of the freighter “Altalena” in June 1948, a month after Israel’s Declaration of Independence.

Hebrew, French, Yiddish w/subtitles

There’s fun and laughs when a Jewish kindergarten teacher in Chicago who is dating a non-Jew decides to make her mother happy.

English

Idan Raichel is an Israeli musician/composer/producer known for  specializing in the fusion of  musical traditions of many nations. Called “the Idan Raichel Project”, it has captured the imagination, and following, of people around the world.

English, Hebrew and Amharic w/subtitles

Shown With the Short Movie

West Bank Story

2006 Academy Award Winner for Best Short Film English

Special Event: Yuval Ron, who composed the music for West Bank Story, will present a special screening of this hilarious film and, with two other musicians, present a live concert.

This docudrama is the definitive story of the life and legacy of Hannah Senesh, a hero of Israel.Meet and ask questions of Roberta Grossman, director/producer of Blessed is the Match.

English; Hebrew and Hungarian w/subtitles

It’s non-stop laughter when standup comedian Yisrael Campbell—born Chris Campbell—tells of his conversion to Judaism from Catholicism. You can’t help but laugh as he relates how he had three circumcisions (it’s true!)

Following the film: A well-known South Bay comedian Jeff Applebaum will keep the laughs flowing.

English

A spellbinding story of a young Arab who volunteers for a suicide bombing mission in an effort to redeem his family’s honor.  When the switch fails to detonate, he finds himself stranded in a Tel Aviv neighborhood over a weekend. 

Hebrew and Arabic w/subtitles

Curzio Malaparte is sent to in 1941 as a war correspondent for ’s leading newspaper.  He is in desperate need of medical help and he was given the name of a doctor  who could solve his medical problem.

Following the film:
Meet Radu Gabrea, director and co-writer of the film. 

German, Romanian, Italian w/subtitles

This sensitively directed film depicts a young woman in love who must make life choices after learning of an unexpected pregnancy.

Spanish w/subtitles 

Opening Night Event: A short talk by Monique Balbuena who is an expert on the Latin Jewish experience, including Jewish contributions to literature and to the Tango Dance. A tango demonstration included! 

Shown with Short:
Second Guessing Grandma!

This is a film about growing up, relationships, and the special difficulties of Israeli life, circa 1980.

Hebrew w/subtitles

Two Jewish brothers from a small German town are separated during the war while living at a French orphanage. 

English, German and Hebrew w/subtitles

Shown With the Short Movie 

Toyland 

Following the film on Sunday:
Meet and ask questions of Fred Raymes, one of the two brothers featured in the movie.

Traditionally, women have not been allowed to engage in certain public religious practices. 

Shown With the Short Movie 

GoKosher

Following the films:
Rabbi Melanie Aron will moderate a panel discussion about the controversy. 

English, Hebrew w/subtitles

Always charismatic, controversial, and outspoken, Ariel Sharon was either loved or despised like no other figure in Israeli life.

English, Hebrew w/subtitles

A young Israeli man meets a young woman during a chance encounter in Europe.  Although neither knows much about the other, their paths cross once again in Paris, when she seeks his help during a moment of desperation.

English, Hebrew, French, Arabic and German w/subtitles

“S’rugim” are the knitted kipot worn by the hip and religious. You will love the nine episodes of the smash-hit Israeli television series that depicts the lives of 30-something highly educated, and modern religious professionals in Jerusalem.

Episodes 1-4, Episodes 5-9

Hebrew w/subtitles

Two young women, the Muslim Nour and the Jewish Myriam, are neighbors and best friends in Tunisia, North Africa, in 1942.  Their world is torn asunder when the Nazis, who occupy the country, impose harsh anti-Semitic policies, which imperil the safety of Myriam and her widowed mother.

French, Arabic, Hebrew, German w/subtitles

A satiric sitcom written by Israeli-Arab Author Sayed Kashua, broadcast on prime time Israel television. The show is about a young Arab couple, Amjad and Bushra, and their young daughter, who live in an Arab village on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Amjad is a journalist working for a Hebrew newspaper who desperately seeks to assimilate into the prevailing Israeli Jewish cultural milieu with mixed and hilarious results.

Israel, 2008,
4 episodes (120 minutes total),
Color, Hebrew with English subtitles

The resolution on the partition of Palestine was adopted by the UN on November 29th, 1947. While all Israelis were dancing and celebrating, David Ben Gurion, the leader of the new Jewish entity remained ambivalent - after 2000 years in the Diaspora the statehood is in reach, yet the threat of Arab armies invading the Jewish lands in Palestine was very real. This dramatic re-enactment starring Yossi Kantz as David Ben Gurion depicts, step by step, the crucial and dramatic six months before the state of Israel was inaugurated. Several important historical figures including Ben Gurion, Golda Meir, Moshe Sertok, General Geoger Marshall and King Abdullah of Jordan are feature characters in this riveting historical film.

In this emotional rollercoaster, acclaimed Israeli actress Ronit Elkabetz (The Band’s Visit) teams up with her brother, Shlomi Elkabetz, to direct a fascinating portrait of a Moroccan family as they gather to mourn the sudden death of their brother. It is 1991 in the midst of the first Gulf War and Israel is under daily missile attacks. The family gathers for the traditional seven days of mourning (shiva) in which they are not allowed to leave the house. The intensity of this situation is a catalyst for more than just emotional support and communal grief. This film Boasts an impressive cast of some of Israel's best actors including Elkabetz herself, Keren Mor, Yael Abecassis, Hana Azoulay-Safrari, Hanna Laszlo, Moshe Ivgy and Alon Abutbul.

Israel, 2008, 103 Minutes, Color,
Hebrew / French / Moroccan, English subtitles