Rehoboth Jewish Film Festival events set March 16, 22-26
The Rehoboth Beach Film Society and the Seaside Jewish Community are partnering to present the second annual Rehoboth Beach Jewish Film Festival. The mission is to deepen awareness of Jewish cultures and experiences, and to explore community differences and commonalities through the art of film.
Ten films will be presented over a period of five days, Wednesday, March 22, to Sunday, March 26, at the Cinema Art Theater. This year's films offer insights into historical events, perspectives on gender issues, and stories of love, courage and bravery. To respect the Jewish Sabbath, Seaside Jewish Community is not hosting the films Friday night or Saturday afternoon.
"Focus," a pre-festival event, is set for 7 p.m., Thursday, March 16. Lawrence Newman is a meek, ordinary Presbyterian who can trace his ancestry back to the 18th century. He hasn't experienced a day of trouble in his cautious life until he gets a new pair of glasses and suddenly everyone - including his own mother - decides he "looks Jewish." When he and his new wife become the focus of his neighbors' prejudice, Newman is faced with a choice - go down as a coward or take a chance at becoming the unlikeliest of heroes. Set in a stylized Brooklyn during the waning months of World War II, "Focus" is based on the 1945 novel by playwright Arthur Miller. This film is being hosted by the Hank Smith family and is dedicated to all those who've experienced anti-Semitism or prejudice of any kind and to those who refuse to allow an anti-Semitic or racist remark to go unchallenged.
A post-film discussion will be led by professor Eric Zakim, director of the Film Studies Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. He holds other core faculty appointments there as well, most notably in the Graduate Field Committee in Middle East Studies and in the Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies. His research and teaching focus primarily on modern Hebrew literature and Israeli culture.
"In Search of Israeli Cuisine" will screen at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 22. In this gastronomical expedition through the most dynamic food scene in the world, celebrity restaurateur Michael Solomonov returns to his homeland to put a face on the food culture of Israel. From street markets and family kitchens to some of the most elite eateries in Tel Aviv, the filmmaker follows Solomonov as he discusses traditions, ingredients, and the origins and future of Israeli cuisine. Featuring interviews with chefs, home cooks, cheese makers, and vintners from the more than 100 cultures that make up Israeli society today, Solomonov is the perfect guide on this culinary adventure. This film is being hosted by Fran and Mike Saltzman.
"Fever at Dawn" is set for 4 p.m., Thursday, March 23. When 25-year-old Mikos, recently released from a concentration camp, is told he has six months to live, he refuses to accept his prognosis. Instead, he starts a letter-writing campaign to Hungarian girls living in the Swedish rehabilitation camps, looking for a wife. Lili, bedridden and bored, receives one of his letters and begins a formal communication. Based on the original love notes written by the filmmaker's parents, "Fever at Dawn" is a life-affirming film about a young couple overcoming obstacles to get on with the business of living. This film is being hosted by Roberta H. Bass in memory of her dearly departed husband, Michael S. Bass.
"The People vs. Fritz Bauer" is set at 12:30 p.m., Friday, March 24. The film opens in 1957 Frankfurt. Attorney General Fritz Bauer receives crucial evidence on the whereabouts of SS Lt. Col. Adolf Eichmann, who is allegedly hiding in Buenos Aires. The information is persuasive, but if Bauer takes it to Interpol or the German authorities, it is likely Eichmann will be warned and will flee. Instead, Bauer contacts the Israeli secret service Mossad, and by doing so, commits treason. This film is being hosted by Kathy Jackson and Jacob Lapides in memory of all the Jews who lost their lives in the Holocaust.
"Sabena Hijacking: My Version" will be screened at 3:30 p.m., Friday, March 24, and 4 p.m, Saturday, March 25. Striking re-enactments and harrowing testimonies combine in this political thriller about a terrorist siege that forever shaped the Jewish state. On May 8, 1972, four hijackers from the Palestinian organization Black September took control of Belgian Sabena Flight 571 from Brussels to Tel Aviv. The hijacking marked the beginning of 30 terrifying hours of human, military and political drama inside and outside the plane. Weaved with genuine archival material, events are recalled firsthand by passengers, newly discovered recordings by the pilot and an interview with the sole remaining hijacker. Also included are interviews with Benjamin Netanyahu, Simon Peres and Ehud Barak, future Israeli leaders who were involved with ending the crisis. The Friday screening is being hosted by Bud and Carol Simon. The Saturday screening is being hosted by Elsa Goldstein MD.
"Moos" is set for 7 p.m., Friday, March 24. Twenty-something Moos has always dreamed of going to acting school but instead stayed in her hometown to take care of her grieving father. Her life consists of cooking, cleaning and helping out in the family's fabric shop. But when her childhood friend Sam arrives unexpectedly, Moos gets the nudge she needs to re-examine her life and the choices she's made. She soon realizes she needs to follow her own dreams before it's too late. This charming and contemporary comedy is an inspiring tale of a young girl's search to find her voice and, in the process, herself. This film is being hosted by Rochelle Cohen.
"Every Face Has a Name" is set for 1 p.m., Saturday, March 25. Hundreds of survivors from German concentration camps arrive to the harbor of Malmö, Sweden, April 28, 1945. Their faces are captured on film as they take their first steps toward freedom. But who are they and what are their stories? Documentary filmmaker Magnus Gertten tracks down several of those survivors who watch this footage and re-experience their emotions from that day. Bernard Kempler was 9 years old when he came to Malmö. He survived the war by dressing as a girl. Elsie Ragusin, an American from New York City, was visiting her grandparents in Italy when she was accused of being a spy. She was put in a boxcar and sent to Auschwitz. These and many other stories are revealed. The film creates a visual parallel with refugees disembarking in Europe today, some 70 years later, and asks the question, will they too remain nameless faces? This film is being hosted by Laura Glenn and Marilyn Kates.
A post-film discussion will be led by retired Judge Joan Churchill, U.S. Immigration Court. Churchill served as immigration judge for the United States Immigration Court from 1980 to 2005, during which she adjudicated thousands of cases involving refugee status. Her tenure included five terms as a temporary member of the Board of Immigration Appeals. Before joining the bench, Churchill practiced immigration law and served on the staff of the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy. She is a member of Seaside Jewish Community and is past president of the National Association of Women Judges.
"Keep Quiet" us set for 12 p.m., Sunday, March 26. Fanatical in his anti-Semitic rhetoric and Holocaust denials, Csanad Szegedi rises to vice president of Jobbik, Hungary's far-right extremist party. Then at the peak of his political career, Szegedi discovers his family has kept a secret for decades - his maternal grandparents are Jewish and his beloved grandmother a survivor of Auschwitz. Life as Szegedi knows it is over. Rejected by his party and unable to uphold the pillars of his previous life, he sets out on a personal journey to embrace his newfound faith. But is the charismatic Szegedi's transformation evidence of genuine atonement and spiritual awakening, or simply the action of a desperate man who has nowhere else to turn? This film is hosted by Roberta H. Bass in memory of her Halle and Eisenstein family members who perished in German death camps at the hands of the Nazis.
A post-film discussion will be moderated by Tom Ledbetter, a pastoral psychotherapist at Brandywine Pastoral Institute in Lewes where he is in private practice with his wife Donna. He will speak on the religious, psychological and political complexities of the film.
Rosenfeld's Roadside Jewish Deli food truck will be in the Cinema Art Theater parking lot from 11 am. to 3 p.m., Sunday, March 26, serving traditional Jewish delicacies including sandwiches, soups and desserts. The food truck accepts both cash and credit/debit cards.
Doors open 30 minutes prior to the start of each screening. Admission prices are $10 per screening (except “Focus,” which is $5 per screening). To purchase tickets, go to www.rehobothfilm.com or call 302-645-9095, Ext. 1, or visit the film society office, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. Tickets are nonrefundable. For more information, go to www.rehobothfilm.com or call 302-645-9095.
