The ULTIMATE Jewish Media and Video Sharing Community Website http://wejew.com "God On Trial" - PBS - Antony Sher, Rupert Graves, Dominic Cooper, and Stellan Skarsgard star in this harrowing drama about believers and non-believers coming to terms with a world drenched in evil and suffering. Celebrated screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce's script is based on the often told, but unconfirmed, story that a group of prisoners facing extermination at Auschwitz convened a rabbinical court to ask who is to blame for the greatest of all crimes. A tour party arrives at Auschwitz, and as the guide leads the visitors through the camp, the scene moves to life in a block house on one day during the war. A group of prisoners undergo a "selection" as a doctor chooses those who are to be sent to the gas chamber. It is not clear which way means survival or death. Among the prisoners are Mordechai, his father Kuhn and a young man MocHe. Moche declares that God should be put on trial for letting his people down. Schmidt, a rabbi, explains that challenging God is not without precedent. Schmidt sets about establishing a rabbinical court, which requires three judges. The German Baumgarten, who used to be a Professor of Law, agrees to be the Head of the Court. Schmidt, himself a scholar, takes on the role of the Father of the Court. Mordechai insists on being the Dayan, or the questioner. Proceedings start as Mordechai frames the charge: God is in breach of contract and has failed to fulfil his covenant. Kuhn defends God, arguing that Auschwitz is a test of their faith. Mordechai calls his first witness. Ezra describes how much the people of his village loved God. Yet still the Nazis came and shot the elderly and took the rest to concentration camps. Baumgarten argues that if God is indeed punishing Jews, then the punishment is not in proportion to any crime they may have committed. Schmidt steps in, claiming that God's punishments aren't always proportionate, and suggests the Holocaust could be a "purification." Mordechai calls the Block Altester, the prisoner in charge of the inmates, who explains that his concern is to survive, and that he does so by keeping the Jews in line. Mordechai asks Schmidt if God is so powerful, why does he not help his people? Schmidt retorts that God granted man free will. Idek backs him up, and this enrages Moche, who urges Lieble to tell the court about his sons and a horrific choice he was forced to make. The trial is interrupted abruptly by the arrival of a Nazi officer. The newcomers undress and are forcibly shaved and tattooed, before returning to the blockhouse and resuming the trial. Schmidt tries to sum up by announcing that the mind of God cannot be known, and all they can do is trust him. Baumgarten asks Idek to recite the psalm which records God's promise to the Jewish people. Idek struggles to recite Psalm 81. Jacques, a scientist, argues God is an illusion and is used by rulers to exercise power. He warns that the Jewish people thought they were the chosen people, but they were wrong.The judges confer and prepare to announce their verdict. As Baumgarten begins to introduce the ruling, Akiba, the mystical rabbi of Zamkevitz, who has been entirely silent throughout the trial, suddenly speaks. Akiba launches into a series of questions that explore God's actions from the escape from Egypt to the present day. Back in the present day, tourists enter the gas chambers. Returning to the blockhouse, the guards arrive and the doctor reads off the numbers of those selected for the gas chambers. http://wejew.com/media/3011/God_on_Trial_Holocaust_Shocker/ http://wejew.com/media/3011/God_on_Trial_Holocaust_Shocker/ "Three Hundredths of a Second" Trailer - Pascale, a former swimmer in the Israeli national disabled team, just wanted to make a positive documentary about her former teammates. But when they all get to the Sydney 2002 Paralympic games, things begin to get complicated. Winner of best documentary, Paralympic Film Festival, Hungary, 2006. http://wejew.com/media/2924/Three_Hundredths_Of_A_Second_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2924/Three_Hundredths_Of_A_Second_Trailer/ A Film by Rina Papish (Israel, 2005, 52 Minutes, Color, Hebrew, English subtitles) - The film follows the rise of Ladino singer, Yasmin Levy, from the moment she discovers she can sing and all the way to international success. As she gets to know herself as singer, Yasmin rediscovers her father, Yitzhak Levy, a revered Ladino singer who, in the face of the decline of the language in Israel, chose to dedicate his life to recording and documenting the old Ladino songs before they became extinct. Yasmin was one year old when her father died and she knew him only through his songs which were played in her home. She planned on being a veterinarian but destiny had it that she would become a singer, and she has taken it upon herself to immortalize and disseminate the Ladino songs that her father collected and preserved. Ladino is the ancient Spanish of the Middle Ages in which the culture of the Jews of Spain developed and thrived. http://wejew.com/media/2908/Ladino_500_Years_Young_Energy/ http://wejew.com/media/2908/Ladino_500_Years_Young_Energy/ "Left Luggage" Trailer (1998) - While escaping from Nazis during the WWII, a Jewish man dug suitcases full of things dear to his heart in the ground. The war deprived him of his family, and afterwards he endlessly turns over the soil of Antwerp to find the suitcases, which makes him look obsessed. He keeps checking old maps and keeps digging, trying to find, in fact, those he lost. His daughter Chaya is a beautiful modern girl looking for a part-time job. She finds a place as a nanny in the strictly observant Chassidic family with many children, although her secular manners clearly fly in the face of many commandments. One of the reasons she is accepted is that mother of the family is absolutely overburdened by the household, so she stays despite the resistance of the father, normally - an indisputable authority in the family. She develops a special bond with the youngest of the boys, four-year old Simcha, so far incapable of speaking. She teaches him while walking in the park, and it seems that during the upcoming Passover Seder, Simcha will be able to chant parts of the Haggadah. The old repulsive superintendent of the building is a constant wet blanket for the entire family and now for Chaya. However, as opposed to the observant Jews, she cannot be a victim and is not going to put up with his anti-Semitic tricks, so she fights him, thus exciting the children's admiration and family head's wrath. Unfortunately, walks with Simcha end in a tragedy: after sneaking to the park, he drowns in the pond, and some Chassids hold Chaya responsible. A beautiful, warm picture filled with compassion and humanism, making understandable even the behavior of the superintendent - a mean pathetic anti-Semite: he is so terribly lonely that has only his dog to talk to. Cast includes Isabella Rossellini. http://wejew.com/media/2900/The_Left_Luggage_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2900/The_Left_Luggage_Movie_Trailer/ "Souvenirs" Trailer - Shahar is an unemployed filmmaker. His father, Sleiman, a strict 82 year old Yemenite, is unhappy with Shahar's life style. The golden age of Sleiman's life was his service in the Jewish Brigade of the British Army during WWII, of which he constantly bragged to his sons. As an incentive for his sons professional future, Sleiman suggests that Shahar makes a film about the Jewish Brigade. Shahar is not enthusiastic. However, when he realizes that his father may have left some "souvenirs", by impregnating two Dutch women, he decides to go ahead with the film, hoping to find some long-lost siblings to maybe share the burden of his father's criticism. They set out together in the wake of the Jewish Brigade, beginning at the Sorek Brook in Israel, through Italy, Germany and finally Holland. They unfold the story of the Jewish Brigade while Shahar continues to conduct his secret investigation to locate his lost siblings until the search ends with a surprising discovery. The film exposes with humor and compassion the complex father-son relationship Sleiman and Shahar share, and raises universal questions and thoughts about the tension between myths of bravery and reality and between memory and historical truth. http://wejew.com/media/2894/Souvenirs_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2894/Souvenirs_Movie_Trailer/ The Cemetery Club Trailer - Saturday, 10am, a group of elderly women and men carry plastic lawn chairs across the Mount Herzl National Cemetery in Jerusalem. In the shade of an old pine tree, they sit down, in a circle and discuss matters sublime and elevated. For over two decades, the "Mt. Herzl Academy" has held its weekly meeting at this cemetery. Seated between the graves of the nation's dignitaries, they debate the history of modern philosophy, read poetry, eat lunch and determine the fate of the Jewish nation. Director Tali Shemesh has been following the "Academy" for the last 5 years, focusing on two members: Minia, the director's grandmother, and Lena, her great aunt. The film unravels the jagged, intense, almost impossible relationship between these two extremely different women, who - each bereaved of the man she loved - remain bound together by history and fate. As death decimates the group that has given meaning to their lives, the film explores the conflicts between Lena and Minia, and the family secrets that haunt them. The result is a poignant, intimate, sometimes hilarious portrait of the Holocaust generation, as never seen before. Director: Tali Shemesh, Israel, 90 min. (Hebrew with English subtitles) http://wejew.com/media/2891/The_Cemetery_Club_Life_Film_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2891/The_Cemetery_Club_Life_Film_Trailer/ Documentary that traces the history of Jewish Basketball players from settlement houses, community centers, and colleges, to Israel, the Olympics, and the NBA. Opening Oct 29 @ Village East Cinema (NYC), Nov 14 @ Laemmle's Music Hall (LA). Check out our website for more info and clips: www.thefirstbasket.com http://wejew.com/media/2858/The_First_Basket/ http://wejew.com/media/2858/The_First_Basket/ The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a fictional story that offers a unique perspective on how prejudice, hatred and violence affect innocent people, particularly children, during wartime. Through the lens of an eight-year-old boy largely shielded from the reality of World War II, we witness a forbidden friendship that forms between Bruno, the son of Nazi commandant, and Schmuel, a Jewish boy held captive in a concentration camp. Though the two are separated physically by a barbed wire fence, their lives become inescapably intertwined. The imagined story of Bruno and Shmuel sheds light on the brutality, senselessness and devastating consequences of war from an unusual point of view. Together, their tragic journey helps recall the millions of innocent victims of the Holocaust. Genre: Drama, Director: Mark Herman, Cast: Vera Farmiga, David Thewlis. Another Summary: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a fictional story that offers a unique perspective on how prejudice, hatred and violence affect innocent people, particularly children, during wartime. Through the lens of an eight-year-old boy largely shielded from the reality of World War II, we witness a forbidden friendship that forms between Bruno, the son of Nazi commandant, and Shmuel, a Jewish boy held captive in a concentration camp. Though the two are separated physically by a barbed wire fence, their lives become inescapably intertwined. The imagined story of Bruno and Shmuel sheds light on the brutality, senselessness and devastating consequences of war from an unusual point of view. Together, their tragic journey helps recall the millions of innocent victims of the Holocaust. http://wejew.com/media/2656/Boy_in_the_Striped_Pajamas_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2656/Boy_in_the_Striped_Pajamas_Trailer/ "A Secret" follows the saga of a Jewish family in post-World War II Paris. Francois, a solitary, imaginative child, invents for himself a brother as well as the story of his parents' past. But on his fifteenth birthday, he discovers a dark family secret that ties his family's history to the Holocaust and shatters his illusions forever. Adapted from Philippe Grimbert's celebrated truth-inspired novel, "Memory". Winner of the Grand Prix of the Americas Prize at the Montreal World Film Festival 2007. Genre: Foreign, Drama - Director: Claude Miller - Cast: Cecile De France, Patrick Bruel, Ludivine Sagnier, Julie Depardieu, Mathieu Amalric. http://wejew.com/media/2646/A_Secret__-_French_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2646/A_Secret__-_French_Movie_Trailer/ OUT OF FAITH, a feature-length documentary (82:00), follows three generations of a family torn apart by conflicts over interfaith marriage. The family's matriarch, Leah Welbel, and her husband Eliezer, both survived nearly three years in Auschwitz; however, in their minds, their grandchildren marrying non-Jews represents a posthumous victory for Hitler. OUT OF FAITH examines these issues by capturing the intimate details of one family's attempt to persevere in the face of a heart wrenching intrafamilial conflict; a conflict that impacts countless families in multicultural societies. Anyone who has ever struggled to remain loyal to a cultural identity in the face of great societal pressure to assimilate will undoubtedly relate. http://wejew.com/media/2588/Out_of_Faith_Assimilation_Film/ http://wejew.com/media/2588/Out_of_Faith_Assimilation_Film/ Gentleman's Agreement Trailer - The best of the few Hollywood treatments of anti-Semitism. Gregory Peck gives the right gravity to his role of a magazine reporter who comes to understand in a personal way the barriers imposed by prejudice when, to add depth to his magazine feature, he takes on a Jewish identity. Hart wrote the script, based on the novel by Laura Z. Hobson. Release Year: 1948. This book turned movie was one of the great hits of its time - the book topped the best-seller list for 10 months and the movie was awarded Best Picture of the Year by the Academy Awards. Note that it was released a mere three years after the Holocaust and at nearly the same time as the creation of the modern state of Israel. A longer synopsis: Philip Green is a highly respected writer who is recruited by a national magazine to write a series of articles on anti-Semitism in America. He's not too keen on the series, mostly because he's not sure how to tackle the subject. Then it dawns on him: if he was to pretend to all and sundry that he was Jewish, he could then experience the degree of racism and prejudice that exists and write his story from that perspective. It takes little time for him to experience bigotry. He soon learns the liberal-minded firm he works for doesn't hire Jews and that his own secretary changed her name and kept the fact that she is Jewish a secret from everyone. Green soon finds that he won't be invited to certain parties, that he cannot stay in so-called 'restricted' hotels and that his own son is called names in the street. His anger at the way he is treated also affects his relationship with Kathy Lacy, his publisher's niece and the person who suggested the series in the first place. http://wejew.com/media/2567/The_Gentlemans_Agreement_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2567/The_Gentlemans_Agreement_Trailer/ Documentary profiling Debbie Friedman, leading contemporary singer/songwriter of Jewish Music, will premiere on Hallmark Channel. "A Journey of Spirit", which won the best film award from the National Council for Jewish Women, and the Detroit Jewish Film Festival award for best new Jewish film, among others, chronicles the inspirational story of Ms. Friedman and how she has affected contemporary Jewish music and countless lives in the process. http://wejew.com/media/2545/Debbie_Friedman_Journey_of_Spirit/ http://wejew.com/media/2545/Debbie_Friedman_Journey_of_Spirit/ What is a Jew? It's an age-old question with some very enlightening answers. From the black Jews of Ethiopia, to the Polish Jews of Eastern Europe, to the Jews of Iraq and Israel, this is a promo for a 30 minute video you can buy at: Torahwisdom.com http://wejew.com/media/2541/What_is_a_Jew_Answers_Promo/ http://wejew.com/media/2541/What_is_a_Jew_Answers_Promo/ US Trailer for the film Sixty Six - an infectious comedy about a boy named Bernie who believes his Bar Mitzvah can end his underdog status, if planned to perfection. However, his big day is threatened when England makes it to the 1966 World Cup Finals, set for the very same day! Starts in NY Aug 1 Starts in LA, Miami Aug 6 For other cities and dates go to 66thefilm.com http://wejew.com/media/2486/Sixty_Six_Movie_Trailer_-_US/ http://wejew.com/media/2486/Sixty_Six_Movie_Trailer_-_US/ "The Lilliput" - trailer of a feature film, which was financed by an American producer. Story placed in present time and WWII. Tells a story about a WWII Jewish survivor. Message from the Director: Inspired by a true story and produced by Sharon Levy, THE LILLIPUT will illuminate the Holocaust survival story of Abraham Kerber, a Jewish dwarf, from the Polish town of Gombin. This little person hid for years in garbage cans at a Polish railway station used for the deportation of Jews during World War II. Kerber was a friend of my beloved late father, Michael Zielonka, and my dearly departed mother, Sonia Gershonovitch, who were also survivors of the Shoah. The town of Gombin was a bucolic place, a Polish suburb several miles west of Warsaw. It was a place, where, before WWII, people took summer vacations in bungalows by the lakes and along the Vistula River, enjoying the aroma of the ancient pine forests that surround the town. It is within those unheated bungalows that the Nazis forced the Jews, multiple families to each room, to survive the cold winters in the ghetto in Gombin, before they liquidated the entire Jewish community - to nearby Chelmno, the first extermination camp in the occupied Poland. Before WWII, Poland contained the largest population of Jews in Western Europe. For centuries, the Jewish people developed in Poland, furthering their religious and intellectual identity; in the arts, film, theater, music, literature, poetry, sociology, the sciences, medicine, business, religion, and virtually every area of expertise. In turn, the Jewish people gave their all and helped to build the nation that is today, Poland, serving the nation as righteous and law abiding citizens. Much of this has been forgotten, because the Jews did not survive in Poland, or in much of Europe, for that matter. The few survivors who did make it back to their cities, towns and villages, did not experience a very nice welcome by their Polish neighbors. Many returned to Lodz, which was previous to WWII a very Jewish city and contained the second largest Jewish population after Warsaw. In 1945, it was Lodz, where I am based as an American Fulbright, that my father, along with my mother and the Jewish dwarf, Abraham Kerber, and many of the remaining survivors of the Shoah, returned, in their attempts to rebuild their lives in Poland. Ultimately, most of the Jewish people who survived the war in Poland left the country in later purges by the Communists in the late 1960's and 1980's. My parents went to Germany as did Abraham Kerber, and lived in displaced persons camps for years before they could emigrate to the U.S. and Israel, which is where Abraham Kerber lived and worked as a photographer until 1978, when he died. http://wejew.com/media/2463/Trailer_The_Lilliput_Feature_Film/ http://wejew.com/media/2463/Trailer_The_Lilliput_Feature_Film/ The Believer Do I Look Jewish to You? - After he gives an articulate, anti-Semitic monologue, an Aryan youth is confronted with evidence of his own Jewish ancestry. A young Jew, feeling disenfranchised and full of self-loathing, turns to neo-fascism to exorcise his demons. He's articulate, intelligent and motivated, shepherding others into the neo-Nazi flock. As his reputation builds, his desperate grip on a world of his own devising begins to unravel. http://wejew.com/media/2455/The_Believer_-_Do_I_Look_Jewish_To_You/ http://wejew.com/media/2455/The_Believer_-_Do_I_Look_Jewish_To_You/ The Merchant of Venice Theatrical Trailer - A dark, faithful adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play. Al Pacino stars as Shylock (a Jewish stereotype of that time); Joseph Fiennes and Jeremy Irons co-star. http://wejew.com/media/2441/Merchant_of_Venice_Theatrical_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2441/Merchant_of_Venice_Theatrical_Trailer/ Home for Purim! 'For Your Consideration' Trailer - Christopher Guest's movie revolves around an indie film called HOME FOR PURIM. This hilarious films centers around three actors (played by O'Hara, Posey, and Shearer) who learn that their performances in the film 'Home for Purim', a drama set in the mid-1940s American South, are generating award-season buzz. "For Your Consideration" is a feature film being directed (and co-written) by the prolific "mockumentarian" Christopher Guest. While still largely improvised by the actors, it is not in the mockumentary style. The film received its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2006. Guest's familiar cast of actors will return from Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind, including Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Fred Willard, Bob Balaban, Jennifer Coolidge, Rachael Harris, Jane Lynch, Jim Piddock, and Parker Posey. Ricky Gervais, the creator of the British television series The Office, also appears and Sandra Oh makes a brief cameo. http://wejew.com/media/2381/Home_For_Purim_Spoof_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2381/Home_For_Purim_Spoof_Trailer/ New York's Orthodox Jewish community experiences a deep seated "Singles Crisis." Here is the trailer for this short documentary by J.J. Adler - featuring advice from the great Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis. This is no joke - there are 10s of thousands of wanting-to-be-married and unattached single Jewish men and women in NYC of all ages. http://wejew.com/media/2380/Unattached_in_NYC_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2380/Unattached_in_NYC_Trailer/ THE TOLLBOOTH - WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY DEBRA KIRSCHNER - STARRING MARLA SOKOLOFF, TOVAH FELDSHUH, RONALD GUTTMAN, LIZ STAUBER, ROB MCEHENNEY, JAYCE BARTOK AND IDINA MENZEL. The Tollbooth comically explores a Jewish family from Brooklyn through the eyes of Sarabeth Cohen (Sokoloff) – a struggling painter in her first year out of art school. Sarabeth and her older sisters Becky (Stauber) and Raquel (Menzel) come of age and question the values of their traditional parents. Sarabeth's first revolutionary act is scoring a job as a waitress and moving across the river to Manhattan. Even though she is less than ten miles from her parents, and her bedroom is her sister’s walk-in closet, she feels like a pioneer – ready to take on the New York art community, and maybe even the world. Though she would like to rebel, she is forced instead to learn from her family; Ruthie (Feldshuh)--her well-meaning but traditional-and-loud-about-it mother, Isaac (Guttman)--her holocaust-obsessed philosopher-quoting father, Becky (Stauber)--her lesbian medical-student sister, Raquel (Menzel)--her nurturing self-sacrificing sister and Howie (Bartok)--Raquel's sweet but always misguided husband. She also learns some tough lessons from Simon (McElhenney)--her boyfriend from art school, who graduates and chooses the suburbs, a good job and an entertainment center over a life filled with uncertainty in New York City. All the characters have a variety of difficult choices to make. The question is never whether or not to compromise, but how much -- before one loses the very essence of one's self. Isaac quotes Tevye by warning his family that "if you bend me too far, I might break;" as Ruthie administers the advice that when making decisions, "the choice that makes you less sick to your stomach is usually the right one." This honest and funny story follows the characters through one poignant and pivotal year as the family learns, rebels, fights and finally embraces their differences in this highly entertaining ensemble film. http://wejew.com/media/2371/The_Toolbooth_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2371/The_Toolbooth_Movie_Trailer/ "Embracing Judaism: Reaching In, Reaching Out, Reaching Up" - the acclaimed documentary explores the real life journeys of many Jews to understand and affirm their Jewish heritage. From the couple next door to the cowgirl from the south, to the Russian looking for meaning, and the musician who fled Zen Buddhism and came back, rejoice in the personal stories of very special people, yet very typical people. The search for our Jewish roots has many paths that all lead to the same palace, yet allow for incredible uniqueness in expression. http://wejew.com/media/2345/Embracing_Judaism_Film_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2345/Embracing_Judaism_Film_Trailer/ Legacy of our Ancestors - This documentary explores the foundations of Jewish America and brings to light the story of the first wave of Jewish immigration that occurred more than 200 years before Ellis Island opened its doors to the world. The period between 1654 and 1820 was a fertile time in Jewish history. Freedom of religious expression was allowed to take root in a land of budding economic opportunity, allowing a relatively small number of Jews to establish a remarkable presence along the Eastern Coast. From Savannah to Newport, with New Amsterdam (later to be renamed New York City) as the original point of entry, these tiny Jewish communities flourished in the new world while holding true to their religious beliefs and practices. This program tells the story of the early American Jews, illuminating the triumphs and struggles they faced in balancing a religious and secular life, challenges that echo for American Jews today. The program features a mixture of expert commentary from leading Jewish historians in the field with personal and family stories from some of the direct descendants of the original colonists, lending some powerfully touching moments to the program. http://wejew.com/media/2336/Legacy_Of_Our_Ancestors_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2336/Legacy_Of_Our_Ancestors_Trailer/ Masada - Peter O'Toole and Peter Strauss star in the Emmy Award-winning mini-series about the Romans' siege of the Jewish fortress at Masada. In first century A.D., Flavius Silva (Peter O'Toole), commander in Roman Palestine, leads his forces in combat against the remaining Jewish Zealots who have taken refuge in the seemingly impregnable fortress of Masada. There, the engineering and military might of Rome faces the passion and ingenuity of Eleazar Ben Yair (Peter Strauss) and his people. Based on the novel "The Antagonists" by Ernest K. Gann, this 4-part mini-series was shot on location in Israel. http://wejew.com/media/2301/Masada_the_Series_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2301/Masada_the_Series_Trailer/ "Hundred and Two Mature: The Art of Harry Lieberman" Trailer - Harry Lieberman, at age 102, shares with wit and wisdom his art, which celebrates Talmudic lore and Jewish life in long-ago Eastern Europe, in this documentary which describes his transformation from retired businessman to artist who, in his old age, is "living on the top of the world." The film shows the connections between Lieberman's art and his life-"memories from 80, 90, 94 years back"-and tells his original stories as background to the paintings. We see him painting, sculpting, and meeting with other senior citizens at the Golden Age Club in Great Neck, New York-where he started painting at the age of 80-and surrounded by young students when working as an "artist in residence" at the Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. A quote from the film: "I am a hundred and two. I know that I'm not young but I don't call myself old either. I call myself a hundred and two mature because the maturity is coming with the age." http://wejew.com/media/2296/Art_and_Wisdom_of_Harry_at_102/ http://wejew.com/media/2296/Art_and_Wisdom_of_Harry_at_102/ Formerly called, "Judaism and Race", 400 MILES TO FREEDOM is the story of co-director Avishai Mekonen's search to remember and reconcile what happened to him at age 10 in 1984, when he was kidnapped by slave traffickers in Sudan. Throughout his life-long journey from Ethiopia to Sudan, Israel, and finally America, his fundamental identity is challenged: "What does it mean when others insist that you can't be who you know you are?" His search for answers leads him to other African, Asian and Latino Jews, and together they discover what it takes to heal a broken past and to overcome the invisibility and the questioning of one's identity. http://wejew.com/media/2253/400_Miles_to_Freedom_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2253/400_Miles_to_Freedom_Trailer/ SHADOWS Trailer - "Shadows" is a powerful story set in a Nazi extermination camp during World War II. It is about surviving in a world where survival seems impossible and what happens when one chooses evil and turns against one's own. And it is a film about growing up in the most horrendous conditions and the effect that has on love, family and survival. The film has screened and was the recipient of many awards around the world. Starring Andrew Reynolds, Martin Ferrero and Joel Polis. Written by Arthur Lorenz, Produced by Sally M. Yeh, Cinematography by Christopher Popp, Production Design by Hans Pfleiderer, Editing by Matt Kergor, Music by Penka Kouneva, Supervising Sound Editor, Dave McMoyler, Directed by Mitch Levine. http://wejew.com/media/2252/Shadows_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2252/Shadows_Movie_Trailer/ Filmmaker Stephen Walker's funny, poignant Rockumentary celebrates a senior citizen's chorus that covers classic rock songs by everyone from The Clash to Coldplay. This trailer will both rock you, shock you, and bring you to tears during the prison performance. http://wejew.com/media/2250/Young_At_Heart_Rockumentary/ http://wejew.com/media/2250/Young_At_Heart_Rockumentary/ "No Safe Place" examines six families whose lives were torn apart by terrorism. Narrated by Emmy Award winning actor Kelsey Grammer, this gripping documentary tells the powerful story of men, women and children who happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. In Israel, it's not a matter of if, but when another terror strike will happen. This is the reality that Israelis face everyday as they go to work, send their children to school on buses or sit in a cafe and wonder if they are safe, if their life is in danger. This award-winning documentary from JTN Productions provides a powerful look beyond the headlines into how terrorism impacts and rips apart individuals and their families. http://wejew.com/media/2241/No_Safe_Place_Film_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2241/No_Safe_Place_Film_Trailer/ Movie trailer for the 1974 biographical film "Lenny" starring Dustin Hoffman (Jewish actor) and Valerie Perrine. Directed by Bob Fosse. A reporter interviews those who knew Lenny Bruce (Dustin Hoffman), a Jewish comedian who hit the big time in the late 1950s with his outrageous, anti-Establishment, profanity-filled humor. At first, we follow the rising trajectory of the standup comic, from his days as a second-rate entertainer telling lousy jokes to half-asleep audiences to his unexpected success as a representative of the 1960s counterculture via his trademark mix of mordant social commentary and hair-raising expletives. In his private life, Lenny is as outrageous as his standup routines. Lenny's career hits a snag when government authorities actively persecute him for his "obscene" humor. Initially, Lenny fights back, but as the pressure mounts the increasingly neurotic and self-destructive entertainer lets himself fall ever further into his own private hell. Synopsis: Interview-style biography of controversial and pioneering stand-up comedian Lenny Bruce. The film traces Bruce from his beginnings as a Catskills comic to his later underground popularity based on his anti-establishment politics and his scatological humor. http://wejew.com/media/2236/Lenny_Bruce_Movie_Trailer_1974/ http://wejew.com/media/2236/Lenny_Bruce_Movie_Trailer_1974/ Israeli filmmaker Eran Kolirin's debut feature, THE BAND'S VISIT, is a subtle, heartfelt, and humane cinematic work that made Ronit Elkabetz an international movie icon for Israel. In a sort of cosmic joke, an Egyptian police band has arrived in Petach Tikva, its eight members uniformed in powder blue and utterly at sea. They're supposed to be in Petach Tikva to play at the opening of a new Arab Cultural Center but they got on the wrong bus. There's no cultural center in the town - there's no culture or center, either. There's only an apartment high-rise, a cafe, a public phone, and locals who've long since given up trying. The appearance of Arabs bearing tubas is a welcome dash of the surreal. Leading the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra is Lieutenant Colonel Tewfiq Zakaria, a prime aesthete who's happiest when everything is running according to schedule; actor Sasson Gabai gives him a stiff back and unfathomably sad eyes. Here's an irony for you, then: Because over 50 percent of "The Band's Visit" is in English, the film - an Israeli smash hit and multiple award winner - was deemed ineligible for this year's foreign language Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It has also been banned from film festivals in Cairo and Abu Dhabi. http://wejew.com/media/2235/The_Bands_Visit_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2235/The_Bands_Visit_Trailer/ THE JEWISH AMERICANS, a three-part documentary series written and directed by the Emmy Award-winning filmmaker David Grubin, examines the struggle of a tiny minority to make its way into the American mainstream. While the story of Jewish life in America is emblematic of the American immigrant story, it is also a unique story of ongoing discrimination and stereotyping coupled with some of the most remarkable accomplishments in American history, the arts, commerce, science and academia. This landmark, epic 6-hour documentary follows 350 Years of Jewish American History, from the first settlement in the 17th Century to the present, and explores the experience of immigration and assimilation. Beginning with the first Jews to arrive in New Amsterdam in the 17th century, the film offers a revealing portrait of a people who epitomize the immigrant experience. Even as they have faced bigotry and rejection, Jews have embraced American culture while keeping alive their traditions and heritage. http://wejew.com/media/2198/The_Jewish_Americans_Series/ http://wejew.com/media/2198/The_Jewish_Americans_Series/ In this classic scene from the 'Indiana Jones' action films by Steven Spielberg, we see the ultimate test of faith taken - risking one's life on a 'leap of faith'. http://wejew.com/media/2193/Indiana_Jones_and_Leap_of_Faith/ http://wejew.com/media/2193/Indiana_Jones_and_Leap_of_Faith/ "UNSETTLED" Trailer - During the Gaza withdrawal, three young Israelis will be forced from their homes, two soldiers will be sent to evict them, and one activist will try to help her country avoid a war. UNSETTLED is the story of a generation on the front lines of a nation's battle against itself. When the Israeli government announces that it will withdraw from the Gaza Strip, it means lifeguards Lior, 21, and Meir, 27, will be forced to leave their home, Gaza's "Palm Beach" forever. They and their surf posse could be characters on MTV's The Real World, but in the blink of an eye it becomes obvious that the danger is all too real. For Neta, 20, a religious filmmaker, the pullout plan sets off a desperate struggle to convince Israelis and the world that the withdrawal is a crime against G-d. Soldiers Yuval, 21, and Tamar, 20, must prepare for a mission against other Israelis, putting aside their own emotions to face angry protestors and the prospect of attacks. Ye'ela, 21, joins a cross-country tour in support of the withdrawal, even as she mourns a sister killed by Palestinian terrorists. For young Israelis, the summer of 2005 will change the meaning, and for some the very location, of home. UNSETTLED is a story about religion and democracy, soldiers and civilians, and the kids on the front lines of a battle where there is no enemy. http://wejew.com/media/2141/Unsettled_Gush_Katif_Docu-Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2141/Unsettled_Gush_Katif_Docu-Trailer/ "Salonika City of Silence" Trailer - The object of this documentary is to expose the disappearance, the obliteration, and the omission of a culture. The disappearance of an equilibrium during the Ottoman Empire and the willful erasing of the non conformist history of a city which did not adhere to the nationalistic ideology that turned the Balkans upside down and continues to do so. Who still remembers Salonika, a multicultural city with a Jewish majority, for half a century? The ancient Jerusalem of the Balkans has become a forgotten city, a “judenfrei” city. The film is organized around a stroll of the actual city, highlighted by word of some survivors of the extermination camps of 1943 and by the director, born in Salonika, who is putting together the bits of memories and nostalgia, to witness the exceptional past of the city and to refuse the elimination and the silence which are like a second death, more definitive than the first. http://wejew.com/media/2140/Salonika_City_of_Silence_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2140/Salonika_City_of_Silence_Trailer/ "Eyewitness - 60 Years Trailer" - Israel, as envisioned through the lens of the internationally acclaimed photographer David Rubinger, the laureate of the Israeli Award for Photography. Rubinger began his career in 1947 and has since documented famous leaders and exciting characters, witnessing the dramatic events that occurred in Israel over the past 60 years. In the film, Rubinger travels back to the places and people he photographed over the years, providing viewers with a deeper knowledge of contemporary Israeli reality. Rubinger’s pictures reflect his own biography, professional views and experiences. Above all his iconographic images mark milestones of Israeli history expressing the joys, sorrows, dreams and visions of Israel. (HEBREW with English subtitles) http://wejew.com/media/2135/Eyewitness_-_60_Years_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2135/Eyewitness_-_60_Years_Trailer/ "Paying for Justice" Trailer - Shot in Germany, The Netherlands, USA and Israel, this documentary deals with the situation of the Holocaust survivors in Israel and around the world. The Filmmakers follow the billions of dollars transferred from the German governments and other European governments as compensation for those who managed to live through the Nazi Terror. Their journey begins with the payment agreement signed in 1953 and ends with the exposure of enormous monetary sources such as real estate and bank accounts of Jewish victims. All of those are accumulated at many Israeli companies, who drag their answers in order to avoid giving the property back to its rightful owners. When the Filmmakers began their Journey, 280,000 Holocaust survivors lived in Israel. Nowadays there are only 270,000, 25% of which suffer from poverty and distress. In an attempt to end their life with dignity, some of them migrate back to Germany, where they can receive financial support and formal recognition as Holocaust survivors. "Paying for justice", is not an ordinary film about the Holocaust, rather it is an active documentary asking you to spare a minute before the last of living witnesses disappears; asking you to scream for justice http://wejew.com/media/2134/Paying_For_Justice_Survivors_Film/ http://wejew.com/media/2134/Paying_For_Justice_Survivors_Film/ "Children of the Sun" Trailer - The story of the children of the first kibbutzim in Israel were born in the early 20th century to youthful parents, full of hope. They have been called "Children of the Sun", because they considered them children of the "Sun of Nations" Revolution in Israel. They were born into a utopia and were destined to become the "New Man". They were educated in a ideological society that aspired to replace the traditional family with the collective one, to subjugate the will of the individual in favor of the common good and a life of equality. "Children of the Sun" tells the story of the journey in search of a society's memory and the concepts that have passed from the world. The film is a collage comprised of over eighty amateur films. Rare footage that was shot at the kibbutzim between 1930 and 1970, rare recordings and conversations with family and friends. The tapestry of rare materials from which the film is compiled creates both a very personal and very public story, a form of super story about one of the most fascinating myths of the Zionist movement in the Land of Israel. http://wejew.com/media/2133/Children_Of_The_Sun_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2133/Children_Of_The_Sun_Trailer/ "The Beetle" Trailer - Yishai Orian, The film director, is married to Eliraz, and is in love with his old VW beetle. Eliraz is about to give birth to their first child. She is anxious to get rid of the jalopy which she feels is unsuitable for a baby. As the argument about the car heats up, Yishai goes on a journey that starts with the previous owners of the beetle, and ends with an attempt to save his old love. The Beetle received an Audience Top Ten Laurel at this year's Hot Docs, the Canadian International Documentary Festival. (HEBREW with English subtitles) http://wejew.com/media/2132/The_Beetle_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2132/The_Beetle_Movie_Trailer/ "In Satmar Custody" (2007) - A Jewish Yemenite family faces tragedy after being convinced to move to the U.S. with the false promise of food, shelter, and religious study by the anti-Zionist Satmar community. In Satmar Custody reveals the story of the Jaradi's, a Jewish Yemenite family, one of many that were brought from Yemen to the US (Monroe, NY) by the Ultra orthodox Satmar Community which operates a propaganda machine against the immigration to Israel. The story exposes a deep cultural gap between the Yemenite families and the Yiddish Satmar Community that became distractive and tragic to families who have traveled thousands of miles to an entirely different planet of their own, with strange rules, norms, morals and lifestyles. Still in Yemen, Yemenite Jewish families are brainwashed by skillful missionaries, unable to defend themselves in the eye of this intricate and deceptive operation. The film follows the life of Yahia and Lauza Jaradi who were brought from Yemen into the Satmar Community. It starts on the day that the Jaradi couple received an urgent phone call notifying that their two and a half year old daughter, Hadia, died in a hospital in Paterson, N.J. Through their search for their daughter's body, they are getting closer and closer to what seems as the very painful truth about her faith. http://wejew.com/media/2129/In_Satmar_Custody_Expose_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2129/In_Satmar_Custody_Expose_Trailer/ (FLASH HD - broadband required) A riveting documentary, IMAGINARY WITNESS, tells the provocative, 60-year relationship between Hollywood and the atrocities of Nazi Germany. The centerpiece of dozens of panels and conferences at theaters, universities, and museums from Warsaw to Washington, D.C., with scenes from over forty films, rare newsreels, and interviews with leading scholars, filmmakers, and witnesses to the events portrayed, IMAGINARY WITNESS takes the viewer on a 60-year journey from the American ambivalence and denial during the heyday of Nazism, through the silence of the post-war years, and into the end of the 20th century. Utilizing carefully selected excerpts from extraordinary and in some cases rarely-seen films, and told through the first-hand accounts of the directors, actors, writers, and producers, the film covers some of Hollywood's most important movies, including "The Mortal Storm," "The Great Dictator," "The Search," "The Diary of Anne Frank," "The Pawnbroker," "Judgment at Nuremberg," "Sophie's Choice," and "Schindler's List." The film explores not only the question of how an industry that sells fantasy has dealt with one of the most horrifying episodes in modern world history, but also how the movies themselves reflect America's ever-evolving relationship to the events of that era. At the core of the film is an ethical and moral debate about portrayal. Is it even possible to imagine on screen the unimaginable? Should the movie industry even undertake such an endeavor? Ultimately, the film asks hard questions. http://wejew.com/media/2077/Imaginary_Witness_Shoah_Hollywood/ http://wejew.com/media/2077/Imaginary_Witness_Shoah_Hollywood/ "The Claims" Trailer - This controversial documentary shines a spotlight on the Jewish Claims Conference, and its decisions regarding the distribution of money to survivors of the Holocaust, and their descendants. http://wejew.com/media/2068/The_Claims_Expose_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2068/The_Claims_Expose_Trailer/ American Filmmaker: 'Not All Jews are White' - An Jewish-American filmmaker has set out to explain to the world that one does not have to be white to be Jewish. Lacey Schwartz, a black Jewess born to white parents, states in the trailer for her new film, "Outside the Box" that there are close to 400,000 black Jews today in the US. Schwartz began her own odyssey of self-discovery at the age of 18 when she had to answer questions of ethnicity on a college application form. Her film is expected to debut within a year. The young filmmaker will be arriving in Israel next week for a conference sponsored by the Vancouver-based Center for Leadership Initiatives, funded by the Schusterman Family Foundation. A Work-in-Progress Documentary by Lacey A. Schwartz.(see more at goldglassproductions.com) http://wejew.com/media/2047/Outside_the_Box_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2047/Outside_the_Box_Trailer/ "WEIZENBAUM. REBEL AT WORK" Trailer in English (2007) The 80-minute film portraits Joseph Weizenbaum, the legendary M.I.T. professor of computer science that has become a cult figure in Germany and Central Europe. The Jewish Weizenbaum family left Germany and their family furrier business in 1936, and started all over in Detroit, Michigan, when Joseph was 13. At a time when the German capital, Berlin, was struggling with famine after World War II, Joseph Weizenbaum was soldering and programming the world's first computers. He created the first banking computer in the world, was perhaps one of the first computer nerds ever and pursued an unprecedented career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the "mighty" MIT in Cambridge, where he invented the first virtual persona, ELIZA/DOCTOR, a program that engaged humans in conversation with a computer. The film spans 8 decades of Joseph Weizenbaum's life. It provides a stage for his humorous narrative depicting a World of Yesterday while reflecting on the dawn of the computer age. It follows 84-year-old Weizenbaum on some of his numerous public lessons, effortlessly entertaining overcrowded lecture halls. The old man is an up-to-date chronicler, a chief witness against militarism and the myths of technological progress, but he remains a modest, funny and most reflective story teller. http://wejew.com/media/2036/Weizenbaum_Rebel_At_Work_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2036/Weizenbaum_Rebel_At_Work_Trailer/ "The Island on Bird Street" Movie Trailer - One of the most powerful films and based on a truth story - a forerunner to "The Pianist," this story of survival and the triumph of the human spirit is epitomized in the experiences of a Jewish boy in a Polish ghetto, ravaged by WWII. Ordered his father, who is captured by the Nazis, to “stay put,” 11-year old Alex makes a home for himself in a ramshackle hut perched on roof beams in the ghetto ruins with a pet mouse to keep him company. Driven by need, he ventures outside, and makes friends with Stasya, a Polish girl. At one point, his home serves as shelter for a wounded resistance fighter, and he is forced to defend his hideout and fight back against the Nazis. As the season’s change, Alex keeps watch and vigil, refusing to give up hope of his fathers return. http://wejew.com/media/2034/The_Island_on_Bird_Street_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2034/The_Island_on_Bird_Street_Trailer/ A fast-paced, well-produced and extended trailer for the expose documentary, "In The Face of Terror", by Ilana Gabriael. The film includes extensive footage and shocking interviews with reformed terrorist Walid Shoebat, who has now pledged his life to defending Israel by exposing the violent intolerance in Islamic societies in the Middle East. http://wejew.com/media/2029/In_The_Face_of_Terror_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2029/In_The_Face_of_Terror_Trailer/ In the tradition of "Sunshine," "A Miracle in Cracow" tells the story of Peter, a young Jewish-Hungarian who grew up with his grandmother in Budapest, and her secret. The family owned a valuable book collection, which was confiscated by the Nazis, among them a book of magic his grandmother talked about every day until she died. Peter, now a bookseller, becomes obsessed with finding the book. When he locates a young girl who has the book, he is faced with a new dilemma. In the process of stealing the book, he has fallen in love. (foreign language film) http://wejew.com/media/2020/Miracle_of_Cracow_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2020/Miracle_of_Cracow_Trailer/ "RASHI: A LIGHT AFTER THE DARK AGES" is a charming, one-hour animated historical drama, set in 11th century France. It is about Rashi, a Medieval Rabbi and scholar who lived just before the Crusades reign of terror. Produced by Rabbi Berel Wein, Rashi's Voice: Leonard Nimoy, Besides being history's most-published Torah commentator, Rashi is a gentle man of exemplary character whose decisions of law and personal counsel have enormous impact on the people around him, the generations that follow him, and the Jewish world. The city of Troyes, where Rashi lives almost all his life, is situated at the bustling intersection of two important trade routes leading to Italy and the Near East. Colourful fairs pass through Troyes every year and Rashi's exposure to commerce and personalities from around the world allow him to emerge as one of the true cosmopolitan figures of his time. A winemaker by trade, a teacher, a scribe, an author, and a dedicated family man, like many people, Rashi is more than the sum of his parts. In an age of illiteracy he teaches his daughters to read and write both Hebrew and French. He rules the local Jewish court with an elegant blend of mercy and jurisprudence, debates politics and theology with his non-Jewish neighbours, and leads his community with an integrity respected by all. In his last years, Rashi goes head to head with the legendary Crusader, Duke Godfrey of Boullion. Despite disappointment with the violent turn of history, Rashi manages to defend his people's right to freedom and spiritual choice. In so doing, he helps them maintain their self-respect and enables them to continue their centuries-long tradition. http://wejew.com/media/2015/RASHI_Animated_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/2015/RASHI_Animated_Movie_Trailer/ "KEDMA" Trailer - (directed by Amos Gitai - HEBREW with french captions) Set seven days before the creation of the state of Israel in May 1948, a small rusted ship, with a group of concentration camp survivors from Shoah, is received at the new territory with open hostility. They are met by British troops, who are shooting at them, and are trying to forbid them from disembarking. As well, the survivors are met with guns blasts being shot by the Jewish secret army, who has come to help them. Only a small group actually succeeds in landing on the small beach, where they are able to experience their first hours in "Palestine". Tired and hungry, the hopeful emigrants have then to follow the Jewish forces to immediately take up arms against the Arabs. Unspoken truths from both sides explode in the violent and tragic conflict. Kedma offers only a glimpse into the struggles of survivors building the Jewish State. But the questions it raises about history, memory and religion speak to the global and eternal quandaries of the Jewish people and the Jewish State, and the effort of continually redefining the meaning of identity, loyalty and faith. Kedma was nominated at the Cannes Film Festival and won an award from the Israeli Film Academy. http://wejew.com/media/1997/Kedma_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1997/Kedma_Movie_Trailer/ "CARAVAN 841 TRAILER" - A wondrous coming-of-age story that relates the hope of a young boy amid the tragedy of Ethiopian Jews’ struggle in leaving their war-torn country, Caravan 841 weaves a tale of a young orphan looking to find his place and his self in his new home of Israel. Moshe, a little boy who immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia as a refugee with so many others in the 1990s, anxiously awaits his mother’s arrival – and endeavors to find his way without her. “I’ve gotta run like a fugitive to live the life I live,” one of Moshe’s few friends serenades him with Bob Marley’s lyrics, singing, as he dances about, “I’m going to be iron, like a lion in Zion.” With big innocent eyes and long skinny legs, Moshe appears vulnerable, but the repeated tests of his inner strength of character prove that the little boy has a lion’s spirit. CARAVAN 841 is the story of a boy who’s forced to realize all too soon that the world is cruel and unfair. Life gives Moshe one disappointment after another, but he works through them when he befriends a pair of role models who couldn’t be more different: a strict Orthodox Rabbi and an easy-going saxophone player who owns a night club. The compassionate strangers take a sincere interest in Moshe, but guide him in different directions: while the Rabbi encourages him to pray, study, and live dutifully, his musician friend, Walter, gives him opportunities to laugh, dance and make music — leaving Moshe to choose between them and find his own path. http://wejew.com/media/1996/Caravan_841_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1996/Caravan_841_Trailer/ "Adio Kerida" - Produced and Directed by Ruth Behar - Adio Kerida is a personal documentary about the search for identity and history among Sephardic Jews with roots in Cuba. The title is borrowed from a Sephardic love song in order to highlight the themes of expulsion, departure, and exile that are at the crux of the Sephardic legacy. At the same time, the title invokes the creative energy that is injected into a culture when it crosses racial, ethnic, and national lines. It also has a personal dimension and references the desire for reconciliation between the filmmaker and her Sephardic father. Intimate interviews with Sephardic Jews in Cuba and Cuban Miami, as well as family stories, are meshed with probing footage of dilapidated Jewish cemeteries and new Judaic rituals in Cuba to create a filmic memoir that offers a uniquely poetic and humanistic anthropological vision. Adio Kerida begins with the Cuban-born filmmaker's own search for memory in Cuba. Having left as a child, she cannot remember Cuba. So she returns over and over to the island to see what she can learn about herself and "her people" in the Cuba of today. Learn more at: www.ruthbehar.com http://wejew.com/media/1905/Adio_Kerida_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1905/Adio_Kerida_Trailer/ EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED (Movie Trailer) - A young Jewish American flies to the Ukraine in search of his grandfather's past. He has a photograph and the name of a village. He hires the Odessa Heritage Tours, made up of a gruff old man and his English-speaking grandson. The three, plus grandfather's deranged dog, travel in an old car from Odessa into Ukraine's heart. Jonathan, the American, is a collector, putting things he finds into small plastic bags, so he will remember. Alex, the interpreter, is an archetypal wild and crazy guy. Alex asks the old man, "Was there anti-Semitism in the Ukraine before the war?" Will they find the village? The past illuminates everything... http://wejew.com/media/1857/Everything_Is_Illuminated/ http://wejew.com/media/1857/Everything_Is_Illuminated/ When Do We Eat? by Jewlarious.com Staff - Does your Passover seder look like this? http://wejew.com/media/1827/When_Do_We_Eat_Seder/ http://wejew.com/media/1827/When_Do_We_Eat_Seder/ Time of Favor. Winner of six Israeli Academy Awards including Best Picture, Oscar-nominated director Joseph Cedar’s first feature film, which the New York Times calls an “art house thriller.” http://wejew.com/media/1806/Time_of_Favor_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1806/Time_of_Favor_Trailer/ AMEN Trailer (2002) - Oscar-winner Costa-Gavras' story of a renegade Nazi chemist who took on the Catholic Church. A little background: In 1942 Kurt Gerstein was an SS-Untersturmfuhrer in charge of Heinrich Himmler's Technical Disinfection Department of the Waffen-SS. In June of 1942, Gerstein was ordered by SS-Sturmbannfuhrer Rolf Gunther of the Reich Security Main Office to deliver 220 pounds of Zyklon-B to an unknown destination. On August 19, 1942, Gerstein arrived at Belzec concentration camp in Poland where he witnessed the gassing of 6,700 Jews. As a Protestant, Gerstein was shocked by what he had witnessed at the three camps he eventually inspected (Majdanek, Belzec, and Treblinka). It is said that after witnessing these gassings at Belzec, Gerstein buried the Zyklon-B canisters that he was detailed to deliver to the extermination camps. Gerstein later met Swedish diplomat Baron Goran von Otter and told all. Von Otter made a detailed report of his conversation with the SS officer and sent it to his superiors. They did nothing. Gerstein later attempted to contact the Legation of the Holy See but was denied access as he was a soldier. Gerstein continued to inform religious and diplomatic officials about the details and magnitude of the atrocities taking place in Poland. Very few listened. "Amen" is a French film about Kurt Gerstein's attempt to expose the Holocaust to the world through Pope Pius XII and the Vatican. In July 1945, Gerstein was found hanging in his French prison cell from a makeshift noose. It is commonly thought that Gerstein died by suicide, but it is very possible that he was murdered by fellow SS officers in an attempt to cover up their crimes. I have posted this trailer as I am sick of the anti-Jewish remarks made by neo-Nazis and Holocaust 'revisionists', who deny the greatest known mass murder of all time on pathetic racist and anti-Semitic grounds. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke http://wejew.com/media/1801/AMEN_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1801/AMEN_Movie_Trailer/ Rosenstrasse Jewish Prison Trailer - Lena Fischer (Katja Reimann) goes to the Jewish prison in Berlin trying to find her Jewish husband. In an attempt to find out if her husband really is in the prison, she lies to a guard, telling him that her husband has their ration book. In 1943, Jewish husbands of Aryan wives in Berlin were finally rounded up by the Nazis who intended for them to suffer the same fate as other Jews. The men were gathered at a detention center on Rosenstrasse to await their fate. The women gathered day after day, demanding that their husbands be set free. A dramatic and tense situation told in reflection. Director: Margarethe Von Trotta (German with English subtitles) http://wejew.com/media/1794/The_Jewish_Prison_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1794/The_Jewish_Prison_Trailer/ "When Do We Eat?" is the story of the "world's fastest Seder" gone horribly awry. It's about an old school dad (Michael Lerner) who's as tough on his sons as his father (Jack Klugman) is on him. On this night, however, one of the boys (Ben Feldman) slips Dad a dose of special, psychedelic Ecstasy in order "to give him a new perspective." http://wejew.com/media/1756/When_Do_We_Eat_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1756/When_Do_We_Eat_Trailer/ FORGIVING DR. MENGELE is a highly-controversial true story of a shocking act of forgiveness by Auschwitz survivor Eva Mozes Kor, who along with her twin sister, Miriam, were victims of Nazi doctor Josef Mengele’s cruel genetic experiments—an experience that would haunt them their entire lives. Eva’s metamorphosis from embittered survivor to tireless advocate for reconciliation is sparked when she, in an attempt to get information about the experiments, meets with another former Auschwitz doctor. Her ideas about justice, revenge and the possibility of healing through forgiveness—as well as extremely and understandably passionate opposition from other survivoring Mengele victims—become a window to a larger discussion of the many ways people define forgiveness. http://wejew.com/media/1706/Forgiving_Dr._Mendele/ http://wejew.com/media/1706/Forgiving_Dr._Mendele/
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Esther Kahn is the intriguing tale of a young Jewish girl (Summer Phoenix) who rises to be a leading actress of her day, playing the title role in the London premiere of Ibsen's classic play Hedda Gabler. Esther's childhood is captured in strangely fragmented scenes that coalesce into a vivid portrait of life in a Jewish slum. As Esther takes to the stage, the movie's focus sharpens, particularly as she undergoes training at the hands of an older actor (Ian Holm, always magnetic). In childhood, Esther kept her feelings deeply submerged to protect herself from her family's mockery. Now, to expand her talent, she sets out to experience love--with consequences that may lead to disaster. http://wejew.com/media/1685/Esther_Kahn_Film_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1685/Esther_Kahn_Film_Trailer/ "The Free Zone Trailer" (with Jewish Natalie Portman who was born in Jerusalem playing the role of Rebecca). Synopsis: Sitting in a chauffeured car parked just outside of Jerusalem's Wailing Wall, Rebecca struggles to compose herself. It isn't clear who or what has just upset her, but the driver of the car she's sitting in is losing patience. Hanna's running late for an appointment that she absolutely must keep and Rebecca is holding her up. A strong-willed, charismatic Israeli woman, Hanna is on her way to Jordan, to an ungoverned economic free zone of shady business transactions that is bordered by Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Looking for a quick "escape", Rebecca heedlessly convinces a reluctant Hanna to take her along for the ride. Their trip to Free Zone allows Rebecca a moment to reflect on what led her--some months ago--to leave the United States or Israel, and on her breakdown in Hanna's cab earlier in the day. The road-trip also reveals the urgency behind Hanna's quest, which is being made on behalf of her husband, Moshe. Recently wounded in a terrorist attack, Moshe needs Hanna to collect a debt owed to him by a business partner of his that operates an armored car dealership within the Free Zone. But when Hanna and Rebecca and reach "the American's" office, they are confronted by Leila, a palestinian that works for "the American" and who tells Hanna that "the American" and Hanna's money are missing. Determined not to leave the Free Zone without her husband's debt paid, Hanna forces Lelia to join her, and with Rebecca tagging along, the three women begin a search of the Free Zone for "the American" and Moshe's money. Soon the relationship between the three women changes and what began as a kind of pragmatic mutual need between them, quickly turns into an emotional solidarity that will affect each of their lives forever. http://wejew.com/media/1684/The_Free_Zone_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1684/The_Free_Zone_Trailer/ DEAR MR. WALDMAN (MICHTAVIM L'AMERICA) Trailer -In the early sixties, Hilik, a charming ten-year-old boy growing up in Tel Aviv, undertakes the burden of making his parents happy and compensating for the grief and loss they suffered in the Holocaust. Moishe, Hilik’s father, chooses to believe that his lost son from his first marriage didn’t die in Auschwitz and somehow escaped to America to become President Kennedy’s assistant. Unable to accept the fact that he is the only survivor from his family, Moishe sinks back into his past. Torn between fear that his father might abandon him and the desire to make him happy, Hilik chooses to test his father’s love while accepting the risk of losing him. DIRECTOR: Hanan Peled RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes / In Hebrew with English subtitles http://wejew.com/media/1681/Dear_Mr_Waldman_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1681/Dear_Mr_Waldman_Trailer/ One of the first children’s films made in Israel. In this magical journey, four children - a boy trying to cope with his father’s death, a Russian girl with telepathic abilities, her mentally - challenged brother and a boy who is an outsider in the closed-knit society of a kibbutz, embark on a courageous expedition to rescue two injured teenagers in the arid desert in the south of Israel. During the course of numerous trials and tribulations, the four try to bond together, bridge the gaps between them and learn to face their fears. Gradually and unexpectedly, they form a heroic team. But will they do it in time to save the injured couple? DIRECTOR: Itai Lev RUNNING TIME: 76 minutes / In Hebrew and Russian with English subtitles http://wejew.com/media/1680/Little_Heroes_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1680/Little_Heroes_Trailer/ Anne Frank: The Whole Story delivers exactly what it promises: the incredibly moving complete story of Anne Frank, going beyond what the Jewish teenage girl wrote in her widely read diary. Anne, along with her family and friends of her family, hid in a secret annex behind her father's office in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation of Holland. Ben Kingsley, Brenda Blethyn, and Hannah Taylor Gordon star in the stirring tale of one of the most influential young women of the 20th century. Based on Melissa Muller's critically acclaimed book, ANNE FRANK goes beyond the story you already know and paints the true portrait of Anne both before and after she went into hiding. Get to know the high-spirited and popular girl before the war, and experience the challenges of the brave people who risked their lives trying to keep her safe. ANNE FRANK also explores the enduring mystery of who betrayed the Frank family and reveals what happened next. Actors: Ben Kingsley, Brenda Blethyn, Hannah Taylor-Gordon, Tatjana Blacher, Joachim Krol - Directors: Robert Dornhelm http://wejew.com/media/1671/Anne_Frank_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1671/Anne_Frank_Movie_Trailer/ "Munich" Trailer - A political, historical thriller directed by Steven Spielberg (2005). Nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Starring Eric Bana, Daniel Craig and Geoffrey Rush. In the aftermath of Black September's assassination of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich games, Prime Minister Golda Meir okays a black-box operation to hunt down and kill all involved. A team of five gathers in Switzerland led by Avner, a low-level Mossad techie whose father was a war hero and whose wife is pregnant. It's an expendable team, but relying on paid informants, they track and kill several in Europe and Lebanon. They must constantly look over their shoulders for the CIA, KGB, PLO, and their own sources. As the body count mounts -- with retribution following retribution -- so do questions, doubts, and sleepless nights. http://wejew.com/media/1664/Spielberg_Munich_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1664/Spielberg_Munich_Trailer/ "Disengaging Democracy" Film: Disengaging Democracy, from award winning documentary filmmaker Igal Hecht, takes a rare and provocative look at what happened to Israeli democracy before, during, and after the historical Gaza Disengagement of 2005. In October 2004, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon took an historic step to pull Israeli forces and citizens out of the Gaza Strip. A year later in the community of Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip, over 40,000 police officers and soldiers began uprooting inhabitants from their homes. Though the decree for disengagement had passed legally in the Israeli Knesset, this issue was not considered legal or enforceable by many of the 8,000 Israeli citizens living in Gush Katif. Many former residents of the area have claimed that in the months leading up to the pullout, the Israeli government disengaged many of the basic democratic rights of its citizens. Filming began three months prior to the Disengagement and followed the lives of Gush Katif residents and their supporters as they attempted to block the pullout. Demonstrations, the illegal actions taken by both parties, and the misuse of power are all showcased in the film through compelling never before seen footage. (source: Chutzpah Productions) http://wejew.com/media/1607/Disengaging_Democracy/ http://wejew.com/media/1607/Disengaging_Democracy/ Winner of the audience award at the Jewish Film Festival in Berlin, this astonishingly moving film depicts a group of elderly kibbutz inhabitants who wake up one morning to find that everyone else has abandoned them. It seems their beloved kibbutz is broke, and with it their old-fashioned dreams for a meaningful, cooperative future end. Rapacious Yuppie developers are salivating over the land, which they want to transform into a disco-gambling complex a la Las Vegas. The 12 self-styled “Eskimos,” taking their name from the supposed Eskimo custom of leaving their elderly to die alone, are shocked from drowsy complacency into action. They unite in their goal of defending their home in ways they never did as members of the kibbutz. The filmmakers’ love for their subject is evident: writer Joshua Sobol, the great Israeli playwright, lived on a kibbutz for eight years, and co-author/director Jonathan Paz dedicates his story to his parents, founders of the kibbutz movement. Their finely-wrought film, featuring marvelous performances by all the “Eskimos,” is full to bursting with yearning for the past, but also of hope for the future. (In Hebrew with English subtitles) http://wejew.com/media/1597/The_Galilee_Eskimos_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1597/The_Galilee_Eskimos_Trailer/ Beaufort, a 2007 film, is a fictional story based on actual events focusing on the dilemma of Israeli soldiers posted to the Beaufort Crusader stronghold during their withdrawal from Lebanon. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film of 2007. http://wejew.com/media/1595/Beaufort_HD_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1595/Beaufort_HD_Movie_Trailer/ Parted Trailer - "Parted" is a 20 minute documentary that relates the story of two brothers, one living in Canada and the other in Israel. The younger brother Alon, is joining the Israeli army, while the older brother Moshe must come to grips with that decision and the fact that he choose to stay and live in Canada rather then join the Israeli Defense Forces. Source: Chutzpah Productions. http://wejew.com/media/1589/Parted_Documentary_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1589/Parted_Documentary_Trailer/ "One Night with the King" Trailer - (Adaptation) At the height of ancient Persia, lovely Hadassah grows up in Susa, capitol of the empire, sheltered under the watchful eye of her Uncle Mordechai, a scribe in the royal palace. Orphaned by the murder of her parents at a young age, she spends her days reading to the local children and dreaming of returning to Israel, the homeland of her people. Unbeknownst to Hadassah and Mordechai, Haman the Agagite, descendant of the Jews mortal enemy and the man responsible for the slaughter of her parents, capitalizes on a palace culture beset by treachery and intrigue, setting in motion a series of events that will bring about a centuries old blood quest to destroy the Jews. Using the ruthless plotting of the princess to his advantage, Haman baits them into trapping King Xerxes into banishing the Queen for her stance against a looming war with Greece. http://wejew.com/media/1580/One_Night_with_the_King/ http://wejew.com/media/1580/One_Night_with_the_King/ Shield of Solomon trailer - Thousands of men, women and children from Southern Sudan and the region of Darfur have been killed in what's described as the first genocide of the 21st Century. Shield of Solomon, a new documentary by Igal Hecht and Chutzpa Productions brings the story of four refugees from Darfur who have found sanctuary in the most unlikely place, the Jewish state of Israel. http://wejew.com/media/1574/Shield_of_Solomon_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1574/Shield_of_Solomon_Trailer/ FREEDOM WRITERS - What universal lessons do you think the Holocaust teaches? Watch this very intense classroom scene in the inner city where the issue of racial slur is taught by a white woman to an group of disenchanted colored students. A must-watch! http://wejew.com/media/1570/Freedom_Writers_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1570/Freedom_Writers_Trailer/ YID Trailer - Y.I.D. – Yehudeem (Jewish People) in the Diaspora covers the animosity between Diaspora Jewry and Israeli's living in Toronto and how the two communities have related to the state of Israel during the last two year of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Many Israeli’s are leaving Israel due to the on-going war. They immigrate to Toronto in search for a better and safer life. However, when they reach Toronto, the most unlikely group meets them with harsh resentment. This group is the Jewish Diaspora. (source: Chutzpah Productions) http://wejew.com/media/1564/The_YID_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1564/The_YID_Movie_Trailer/ The Unit Trailer - The Unit is a candid look at an IDF squad of reservists. High quality video and remarkable interviews (source: Chutzpah Productions) http://wejew.com/media/1554/The_Unit_Film_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1554/The_Unit_Film_Trailer/ HD movie trailer to the highly-controversial environmental movie put out by Al Gore - you either hate this or love it - but the video is intense and amazingly well-produced. Eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore’s personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change. A longtime advocate for the environment, Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way. The film is not a story of despair but rather a rallying cry. http://wejew.com/media/1538/Inconvenient_Truth_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1538/Inconvenient_Truth_Trailer/ Divan follows the filmmaker's effort to retrieve a turn-of-the-century family heir loom - a couch. The filmmaker journeys from her birthplace, Brooklyn's Hasidic community, to its origins in Hungary and back. The couch - considered holy because certain Hasidic rabbis had slept on it - survived WWII and is in the filmmaker's great grandfather's house in Rohod, a northeast Hungarian town. In the tradition of storytelling, the filmmaker creates a visual parable about the Hasidic community that she left as a teenager. She trails the couch through a quirky landscape populated by Hasidim in Brooklyn, Holocaust survivors and ex-communists in Hungary, and, finally, the next generation of formerly-Hasidic Jews on the margins of their communities in New York and Israel. Synopsis: As a teenager, filmmaker Pearl Gluck left her Orthodox Jewish clan in Brooklyn for secular life in Manhattan. Many years later, Pearl's father has one wish: that she marry and return to the community. Pearl, however, takes a more creative approach to mend the breach. She travels to Hungary to retrieve a turn-of-the-century family heirloom: a couch upon which esteemed rabbis once slept. En route for the ancestral divan, Pearl encounters a colorful cast of characters who provide guidance and inspiration, including a couch exporter, her ex-communist cousin in Budapest, a pair of Hungarian-American matchmakers and a renegade group of formerly ultra-Orthodox Jews. Nimbly clever and intensely illuminating, DIVAN is a visual parable that offers the possibility of personal reinvention and cultural re-upholstery. http://wejew.com/media/1523/Divan_Film_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1523/Divan_Film_Trailer/ "Don't Mess with Zohan" trailer - An Israeli Mossad secret service agent (played by the very funny Adam Sandler) fakes his death so he can re-emerge in New York City as a hair stylist! Now that is a plot line... http://wejew.com/media/1514/Dont_Mess_With_Zohan/ http://wejew.com/media/1514/Dont_Mess_With_Zohan/ Trailer for Dzigan and Shumacher in: "Without a Home" - Yiddish language with English Subtitles. http://wejew.com/media/1480/Yiddish_Without_a_Home_/ http://wejew.com/media/1480/Yiddish_Without_a_Home_/ With All You Soul: The Story of Roi Klein - Major Roi Klein was killed in the battle at Bint Jbeil in the Second Lebanon War. He died sacrificing himself to save his soldiers, as he leaped onto a hand grenade and cried out the "Shma Yisrael" prayer. DVD documentary of his last days and his legacy available at http://www.israel-catalog.com/ http://wejew.com/media/1475/The_Roi_Klein_Story/ http://wejew.com/media/1475/The_Roi_Klein_Story/ STEAL A PENCIL FOR ME is a compelling documentary feature film by Academy Award nominee Michele Ohayon about the power of love and the ability of humankind to rise above unimaginable suffering. 1943: Holland is under total Nazi occupation. In Amsterdam, Jack, an unassuming accountant, first meets Ina at a birthday party – a 20-year-old beauty from a wealthy diamond manufacturing family who instantly steals his heart. But Jack’s pursuit of love will be complicated; he is poor and married to Manja, a flirtatious and mercurial spouse. When the Jews are being deported, the husband, the wife and the lover find themselves at the same concentration camp; actually living in the same barracks. When Jack's wife objects to the relationship in spite of their unhappy marriage, Jack and Ina resort to writing secret love letters, which sustain them throughout the horrible circumstances of the war. Jack: “I’m a very special Holocaust survivor. I was in the camps with my wife and my girlfriend; and believe me, it wasn’t easy.” http://wejew.com/media/1469/Steal_a_Pencil_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1469/Steal_a_Pencil_Trailer/ A boy edging into his teens has to deal with his unstable mother and a commune full of eccentrics along with the typical dilemmas of growing up in this satirical comedy drama from Israel. In 1974, Dvir (Tomer Steinhof) is soon to turn 13 and lives with his mom Miri (Ronit Yudkevitch) at the Bet Gvurot Kibbutz, a progressive collective populated by people who take pride in their open-minded attitudes. However, they're not so easygoing when it comes to Miri; she's been sent to a mental hospital more than once, and her instability is more than most of the residents want to deal with, leaving Dvir to look after his mother with the help of his older brother Eyal (Pini Tabger). Miri persuades her Swiss boyfriend Stephan (Henri Garcin) to join her at the kibbutz, even though he isn't Jewish, but he isn't welcomed by the other residents, and an unpleasant incident involving a neighbor's dog turns the couple into outcasts. In the midst of all this, Dvir is trying to prepare for his bar mitzvah, which at the kibbutz is combined with a severe regimen of survival training; he also gets a crash course in his ongoing maturity when he develops a crush on Maya (Danielle Kitzis), a cute girl his age. Sweet Mud (aka Adama Meshuga'at) received its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. http://wejew.com/media/1468/The_Sweet_Mud_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1468/The_Sweet_Mud_Trailer/ One-minute fim trailer for San Jose Jewish Film Festival film "Someone To Run With" playing November 4th and 7th. for more information go to www.sjjff.org http://wejew.com/media/1460/Someone_To_Run_With/ http://wejew.com/media/1460/Someone_To_Run_With/ This is the trailer to an upcoming documentary entitled: "CUT" - a film to "slice through the myths about circumcision", and deals with the Jewish ritual to circumcise (Bris/Brit Milah) at the age of eight days! Check this out... http://wejew.com/media/1434/Cut_Circumcision_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1434/Cut_Circumcision_Trailer/ Making Trouble, the new documentary about legendary funny Jewish women who broke barriers and shook the social order to make us laugh, had its world premiere at the 2007 SILVERDOCS/AFI Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. "Making Trouble" profiles six Jewish women who struggled and sacrificed for their fame, and who turned the old "death is easy, comedy is hard" joke completely on its head. Molly Picon, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, Joan Rivers, Gilda Radner, and Wendy Wasserstein proved that comedy is easy, being a Jewish woman in comedy is hard. MAKING TROUBLE tells the story of six of the greatest female comic performers of the last century — Molly Picon, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, Joan Rivers, Gilda Radner, and Wendy Wasserstein. Hosted by four of today’s funniest women — Judy Gold, Jackie Hoffman, Cory Kahaney, and Jessica Kirson — it's the true saga of what it means to be Jewish, female and funny. Visit the Making Trouble website at http://www.makingtrouble.com http://wejew.com/media/1419/Making_Trouble_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1419/Making_Trouble_Trailer/ MY FATHER MY LORD (Hofshat Kaits) - Director: David Volach, Country: Israel released 2007 - Duration: 73 min. Language: Hebrew w/ English subtitles. One of 19 children raised in a Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, family in Jerusalem, David Volach draws upon his upbringing to create his first feature film. Full of quiet, intense moments, the film offers a contemporary version of the biblical story of the binding of Isaac. The incomparable Assi Dayan gives a breathtaking performance as a Haredi rabbi confronting the irreconcilable demands of faith and family. Winner of the top prize at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. (Hebrew with English Captions!) http://wejew.com/media/1418/My_Father_My_Lord_Scenes/ http://wejew.com/media/1418/My_Father_My_Lord_Scenes/ "SIXTY SIX" Movie Review: 94 minutes, UK (2006). It's the summer of 1966, but for 12-year-old Bernie, football is the last thing on his mind. The biggest day of his life is approaching, but it coincides with England's appearance in the World Cup final. Will anyone bother to come to his bar mitzvah? He may never hear his parents actually say "Not now, Bernard," but then young Bernie (Sulkin) isn't normally lucky enough to get any sort of a response from them. His mother (Bonham Carter) is concerned with correcting his wayward older brother; his father (Marsan) with countering the threat to their grocery business from a supermarket opening down the street. Bernie thinks the only way out of this transparent existence is to present himself to the world by organising the best bar mitzvah 1960s London has ever seen. Unfortunately, London's attention has been taken by England's dramatic progress in the 1966 World Cup, which seems to be uniting all of the city's creeds, colours and communities. As Bernie's bar mitzvah coincides with the day of the final, his entry into adulthood will go completely unheralded. Bernie is carefully monitoring England's progress, and he's the only Englishman who fervently prays that Bobby Moore and the boys will blow it. Sixty Six arrived a little late to catch the public's imagination. Not by 40 years but six months. Universal would have cleaned up had the film been released a few weeks before Germany 2006. As it is, it's all a bit after the fact. Sixty Six is a sweet little film with an excellent debut performance by young Gregg Sulkin. (The actor is actually an apprentice at West Ham.) Sulkin appears in virtually every scene and manages to distinguish himself among a supporting cast that includes Helena Bonham Carter and Geraldine Somerville. http://wejew.com/media/1416/Sixty_Six_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1416/Sixty_Six_Movie_Trailer/ During the WWII battle of Stalingrad, two snipers, a Russian (Law), and a German (Harris), are locked in a battle of wills and marksmenship, while the Russian is boosted to the status of hero by a political official (Fiennes). In the winter of 1942, the German and Russian Armies meet in the great Battle of the Stalingrad, one of the most vicious engagements of the Second World War. Enter into this horror a young Russian soldier, formerly a peasant boy with an extraordinary ability to sharpshoot a rifle from far distances. The Russian sniper soon gains fame after killing a record number of German officers causing the Germans to bring in their own sniper expert: a war weathered Major who always accomplishes his mission no matter what the cost. With the Battle of Stalingrad raging around them, these two men must now fight each other. http://wejew.com/media/1415/Enemy_at_the_Gates_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1415/Enemy_at_the_Gates_Trailer/ PRAYING WITH LIOR (2007) - Director: Ilana Trachtman - Soon to be a bar mitzvah Lior Liebling davens (prays) and sings with utterly infectious joy and abandon. A spiritual savant, “the little rebbe,” as some call him, has Down’s syndrome. This intimate, irresistible documentary is an exploration on the subject of disability and a high-five celebration of family, community, and the human spirit. An engrossing, wrenching and tender documentary film, PRAYING WITH LIOR introduces Lior Liebling, also called "the little rebbe." Lior has Down syndrome, and has spent his entire life praying with utter abandon. Is he a "spiritual genius" as many around him say? Or simply the vessel that contains everyone’s unfulfilled wishes and expectations? Lior – whose name means "my light" — lost his mother at age six, and her words and spirit hover over the film. While everyone agrees Lior is closer to God, he’s also a burden, a best friend, an inspiration, and an embarrassment, depending on which family member is speaking. As Lior approaches Bar Mitzvah, the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony different characters provides a window into life spent "praying with Lior." The movie poses difficult questions such as what is "disability" and who really talks to God? Told with intimacy and humor, PRAYING WITH LIOR is a family story, a triumph story, a grief story, a divinely-inspired story. http://wejew.com/media/1412/Praying_with_Lior_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1412/Praying_with_Lior_Trailer/ ORTHODOX STANCE: The son of Ukrainian emigres to Brooklyn, Dmitriy Salita, 24, is an oxymoron: a champion boxer and an uncompromising Orthodox Jew. Dmitriy, in the words of his trainer Jimmy O'Pharrow, "Looks Russian, prays Jewish, and fights Black." Director Jason Hutt treats viewers to ringside seats and fabulously colorful characters as Dmitriy, a truly one-of-a-kind guy, demonstrates comfort in his own skin. Dmitriy Salita is a Russian immigrant, professional boxer and a religious Jew. ORTHODOX STANCE portrays Dmitriy's maturation in each of these disparate communities, and the seemingly incompatible cultures and characters working together to support his rare and remarkable devotion to both Orthodox Judaism and the pursuit of a professional boxing title. In the end the film is about more than just boxing and religion, but about a young man's search for meaning in life. http://wejew.com/media/1410/Orthodox_Stance_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1410/Orthodox_Stance_Trailer/ THE NATIVE NEW YORKER FILM: Filmed with a 1924 hand-crank Cine-Kodak camera, Shaman Trail Scout 'Coyote' takes a journey which transcends time, from Inwood Park (where the island was traded for beads and booze), down a native trail (now 'Broadway'), into lower Manhattan (sacred burial ground, now including the newest natives of this island empire).'Native New Yorker' took several years of filming, with a present running length of 13 minutes. This is a film by Steve Bilich with an original score composed by William Susman. Steven Garfinkel (film stock angel and expert on these old cameras) of Kodak NYC, was kind enough to donate 10 thousand feet of film, which I began shooting in 1999. Film Producer's Notes: "The hard costs and emotional costs of this film are very difficult to calculate... most of the financial expenses were in post, but to be quite honest, Marv Soloway (another film angel, now retired), and Joe Monge, both at Duarte at the time, threw me several bones. I had a lot of angels, including Jack Hazzard (an Austinite/New Yorker, like myself) who did an initial edit on his dime, back in 2001, when I was detained working at 'ground zero'...and financially spent! It is so hard to put a price on something, especially now with Bill Susman’s hauntingly beautiful music. This film took several years to make and was produced for pennies on the dollar and a prayer; with a lot of help from those loving caring New Yorkers that you hear nothing about in the movies. The financial cost was minimal, but the human costs were insurmountable. This film is dedicated to all native New Yorkers!" -- Steve Bilich Director, writer, editor, cinematographer and producer http://wejew.com/media/1409/Native_New_Yorker_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1409/Native_New_Yorker_Trailer/ Defiance Trailer - Directed by Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond, Glory, The Last Samurai), Defiance stars Daniel Craig, Jamie Bell and Liev Schreiber as three Jewish brothers who flee Nazi-occupied Poland and build a makeshift village alongside Russian resistance fighters. http://wejew.com/media/1367/Defiance_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1367/Defiance_Movie_Trailer/ The Jewish Americans Trailer - This landmark, epic 6-hour documentary follows 350 Years of Jewish American History, from the first settlement in the 17th Century to the present, and explores the experience of immigration and assimilation. http://wejew.com/media/1355/Jewish_Americans_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1355/Jewish_Americans_Trailer/ O Jerusalem meticulously re-creates the historic struggle surrounding the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. At the center of these events are two young, American friends - one Jewish, the other Arab. The film is told from the alternating viewpoints of the Jews, Arabs and Brits, all of whom collide in their fight for the control of Jerusalem while bringing to the forefront themes of courage, terrorism, deprivation, politics and a strong sense of morality. Their involvement takes them from the streets of New York to The Holy Land, where they risk their lives - making incredible sacrifices along the way - to fight for what they believe in, as the city of their dreams teeters on the brink of destruction. The film, based on historical accounts from the best-selling novel O Jerusalem, written by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, offers a rich background to an explosive conflict that echoes the situation in the Middle East today. http://wejew.com/media/1331/O_Jerusalem_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1331/O_Jerusalem_Movie_Trailer/ Star in the Ring - Trailer for upcoming documentary about Jews and the sport of boxing! This is really unknown aspect of Jewish sports history. http://wejew.com/media/1322/Jewish_Stars_In_The_Ring/ http://wejew.com/media/1322/Jewish_Stars_In_The_Ring/ Ladies in Lavender Trailer - Two aging spinster sisters take in a young gifted Polish violinist, Andrea. The old ladies find out that Andrea is Jewish, and hopes to find his way to America. But the villagers are full of suspicions, especially when Andrea develops a friendship with a beautiful Russian woman vacationing nearby. http://wejew.com/media/1311/Ladies_in_Lavender_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1311/Ladies_in_Lavender_Trailer/ The Beaufort Movie Trailer. Winner of Best Director for Joseph Cedar at this year's Berlinale, Beaufort derives its name from the Israeli military base in Lebanon, occupied from the war in 1982 to 2000. Based on the novel by Ron Leshem and featuring an impressive score by Ishai Adar. http://wejew.com/media/1310/The_Beaufort_Movie_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1310/The_Beaufort_Movie_Trailer/ Destination: Zion Trailer - A "faux trailer" in the style of the upcoming documentary "Destination: Zion" which will follow 6 North American Jews as they make Aliyah to Israel. http://wejew.com/media/1270/Destination_Zion_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1270/Destination_Zion_Trailer/ This is the first theatrical trailer for Narrow Bridge, a new film by IzzyComm Motion Pictures. Visit the Narrow Bridge website at www.narrowbridgefilm.com http://wejew.com/media/1269/Narrow_Bridge_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1269/Narrow_Bridge_Trailer/ Filmmaker Paul Verhoeven returned to the Netherlands after more than twenty years of success in Hollywood to direct this epic-scale war drama based on a true story. Rachel Steinn (Carice van Houten) is a beautiful Jewish woman living in Holland during the early days of World War II. When Axis forces take control of Holland, Rachel's family are killed in a bombing raid while most of the city's Jews are rounded up and sent to Nazi death camps. Rachel manages to narrowly avoid capture, and joins the local resistance movement. With her hair dyed blonde, Rachel can easily pass for a gentile, and when the leader of the Dutch resistance movement learns his son has been captured by Axis forces, Rachel is asked to use her feminine charms to persuade a German commander to arrange for the boy's release. Rachel soon finds herself caught up in a dangerous double life as she becomes a sexual plaything for the Nazis while attempting to bring down their evil empire as a spy. http://wejew.com/media/1268/Black_Book_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1268/Black_Book_Trailer/ Masada "Retribution" - winning mini-series about the Romans' siege of the Jewish fortress at Masada. In first century A.D., Flavius Silva (Peter O'Toole), commander in Roman Palestine, leads his forces in combat against the remaining Jewish Zealots who have taken refuge in the seemingly impregnable fortress of Masada. There, the engineering and military might of Rome faces the passion and ingenuity of Eleazar Ben Yair (Peter Strauss) and his people. Based on the novel "The Antagonists" by Ernest K. Gann, this 4-part mini-series was shot on location in Israel. Watch this two-minute clip. http://wejew.com/media/1266/Masada_Retribution_Clip/ http://wejew.com/media/1266/Masada_Retribution_Clip/ The Last Fanatic, a production of the Israeli Initiative, was featured last night on Israeli Channel 2 News. It is the first time that this type of "Hollywood" trailer is being used to promote an Israeli diplomatic plan and ideology. In fact, the Channel 2 News reporter chose to open his story about the trailer by stating that: "Never before has a political initiative in Israel been promoted this way." The Last Fanatic is creating a lot of "buzz" on the web and in the news. (www.israeliniative.com) http://wejew.com/media/1259/The_Last_Fanatic_Trailer/ http://wejew.com/media/1259/The_Last_Fanatic_Trailer/ An amazing, funny, shocking and wonderfully-made and acted Jewish morality tale set in modern times, ADVICE AND DISSENT is a 21-minute, 35mm film starring Eli Wallach (as the Rabbi!!), Rebecca Pidgeon and John Pankow. The plot line is totally different - check this trailer out! Written and directed by Leibel Cohen - more info: http://agent-emes.com/ http://wejew.com/media/1225/Advice_and_Dissent_Story/ http://wejew.com/media/1225/Advice_and_Dissent_Story/