AFRICAN Jewry

Beautifully filmed drama (based on the true story by Stephanie Zweig) about a Jewish family who flee Nazi Germany in 1937 for safety on a farm in Kenya, Africa. Walter Redlich, a Jewish lawyer in Nazi Germany, sees the growing threat of the Nazis and seeks a safe haven for his family and friends. He procures a job as a cattle farmer in Kenya, Africa – one of the few places that will accept Jewish refugees. He sends for his wife, Jettel, and his 5-year-old daughter, Regina – but the rest of his family and acquaintances opt to stay in Germany, feeling that the Nazis are simply a passing phase. Life in Kenya is difficult and quite different from their privileged style of living in Germany. Marital conflicts erupt, and Jettel longs for the comfort and culture of home. Their daughter, Regina, adapts well to her new home and grows especially close to the family’s black cook, Owuor. Over a ten-year period, these characters and their relationships evolve – as does their relationship with the land that became their haven. By the end of the film, the Redlichs must face some very difficult decisions as to which direction their futures will lead. Note: Rated R (includes some brief nudity and sexual situations). A fascinating film showing Jewish survival in an unusual environment.

In German, English and Swahili.  2 hrs. 22 min.  AGE:  17 to Adult