Paul Muni received an Oscar nomination for his role in this film as Sam Abelman, an elderly, idealistic Jewish doctor. Abelman has dedicated his professional career to treating the poor in his clinic in the Brooklyn slums for 45 years. While his colleagues moved into financial success, Abelman worked where he felt he was needed and could do the most good. When Sam’s journalist nephew decides to produce a documentary based on his uncle’s life, Sam reluctantly agrees – but only so he can voice some of his views on injustices in the medical system. Abelman’s latest concern is a black street thug (played by Billy Dee Williams) with a brain tumor. When the demands of the TV production (in which Abelman has no interest) and the needs of his patients collide, Sam’s true integrity is revealed. Note: This was one of the first films to highlight a strong and positive Jewish male character. In black and white.

1 hr. 40 min.  AGE:  12 to Adult

F

A LETTER TO MOTHER (A Brivele der Mamen)  (1938)

Let

One of the last Yiddish films to come out of Poland before the Nazi invasion, this drama shows the disintegration of a Jewish family due to poverty, stress and World War I. Its central character, Dobrish (played by Lucy Gehrman), is a strong Jewish mother who works hard to keep her unemployed husband and three children close—and close to tradition. The film is set both in the Ukraine and in New York—as part of the family has already immigrated to America. Although the film takes place during World War I, its themes of loss and deterioration of the family structure mirror difficulties facing European Jews in 1939. Directed by Joseph Green.

In Yiddish with subtitles. 1 hr. 40 min.  AGE: 13 to Adult

F

LIBERTY HEIGHTS (1999)

Barry Levinson’s semi-autobiographical drama focusing on a Jewish middle class family in 1954 Baltimore – his fourth Baltimore film (joins Diner, Tin Men and Avalon). The film focuses on the two sons in the family as they explore the world around them. Academy Award winner Adrian Brody plays Van, the oldest of the boys, and a college student. Van attends a gentile party with his friends and falls for an attractive and aristocratic blonde. The younger brother, Ben, befriends a beautiful and intelligent African-American girl who enters his school during the time of early desegregation. Neither family approves of this alliance – especially hers (her father is a doctor). The film has many humorous moments (although viewers will either find it humorous or distasteful to see a Jewish boy who wants to be Hitler for Halloween). Many issues are tackled, including racism, anti-Semitism, Jewish identity and the mixing of people from different cultures and classes. Note: Some viewers may feel that the portrayals of the older Jews in the film are somewhat stereotyped. The father and his buddies run a burlesque show, which is a cover for a numbers racket. The mother continually warns her kids to be careful of “the other kind.” Levinson actually attempted to break Jewish stereotypes with this film. He portrays middle class Jews who are similar to the Jews he grew up with, and who are just beginning to explore beyond the Jewish world. Rated R.

2 hrs. 8 min.  AGE:  17 to Adult

296.833

A LIFE APART: HASIDISM IN AMERICA  (1997)

Lif

Well received documentary presenting an in-depth portrait of Hasidic life in America. The film includes an archival clip of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s 1929 visit to New York, and shows how the post-war remnants of Hasidism in Europe came to America and rebuilt their lives and communities. Interviewed here are members of various Hasidic sects in Brooklyn including the Bobovers, the Belzers, the Gerers, the Skvers, the Satmars and the Lubavitchers—as well as their black and Latino neighbors. The filmmakers take us into Hasidic homes, showing portraits of family and communal life. An insightful film, presenting a positive portrait of Hasidism. Narrated by Leonard Nimoy and Sarah Jessica Parker and directed by Oren Rudausky and Menachem Daum.

1 hr. 30 min.  AGE: 12 to Adult

Hank Greenberg was baseball’s first Jewish star. This appealing documentary looks at this extraordinary athlete who was able to transcend religious prejudice during the Depression and World War II to become an American hero. Greenberg rose to fame as Hitler invaded Europe, raising the hopes of Jews everywhere. Includes excerpts of interviews with Hank Greenberg, his family members and friends, and others who talk about how he inspired them. The film alternates between clips of the interviews, clips of the time period and scenes from Greenberg’s life. Walter Matthau and Alan Dershowitz are among those interviewed, as are Greenberg’s baseball contemporaries and Greenberg’s brother and son. Rated PG for mild language.

1 hr. 35 min.  AGE:  12 to Adult

296

LIGHT UNTO THE NATIONS  (Alef...Bet...Blast-Off!  Episode 7)  (1998)

Ale

Part of a children’s video series in which puppets and real people illustrate how traditional Jewish values apply to modern life. This episode focuses on two main themes: immigration and sharing with those less fortunate than you. David and Rachel are both dismayed to learn that their mother has volunteered their home to host a famous Soviet dissident writer and champion of free speech. They are unwilling to share their rooms until Mitzvah Mouse takes them back in time to the 1880’s to meet Emma Lazarus at Ellis Island and learn about the importance of freedom.

30 min.  AGE: 4 to 8

F

A MAJORITY OF ONE  (1961)

Maj

Rosalind Russell plays Mrs. Jacoby, a Jewish Brooklyn widow who moves to Japan with her daughter and son-in-law (who is sent there on business). She comes to Japan with a strong prejudice against the Japanese, as her son was killed by Japanese in World War II. Mrs. Jacoby’s prejudices begin to break down as she falls in love with a Japanese businessman, played by Alec Guinness. A touching comedy based on the Broadway play by Mervyn LeRoy. Note: May not be appropriate for all audiences as the subject matter deals with a Jewish woman becoming romantically involved with a non-Jewish man.

2 hrs. 29 min.  AGE: 12 to Adult

F

MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR  (1957)

Mar

Drama based on Herman Wouk’s novel about a beautiful 18-year-old American Jewish girl in the 1930’s who wants a career in the theater. She leaves her family for a season of summer stock theater and falls in love with an assimilated Jewish songwriter/producer at an east coast resort—and learns a great deal about love and life through the relationship. We watch her development from a sheltered, innocent college coed to a woman of the world. Predecessor to the “Jewish Princess” stereotype found in later American films. Stars Gene Kelly and Natalie Wood.

2 hrs. 5 min.  AGE: 12 to Adult

392.4

ME AND MY MATCHMAKER  (1996)

Me

Lively documentary about a Jewish matchmaker, made by a non-Jewish, single filmmaker. Irene Nathan decided to enter the matchmaking business after her son had grown, to help single Jews meet each other. At the time the film was made, she had been in the business for sixteen years in Chicago, where she is an active member of the Orthodox Jewish community. The film opens with a potpourri of snippets of some of Irene’s clients—they tell her what they’re looking for in a future spouse and later give their reactions to the dates Irene has arranged for them. Viewers are also treated to a good dose of the matchmaker’s philosophy about relationships between men and women. A close friendship develops between filmmaker Mark Wexler and Irene, as she advises him on his own romances—and warns him to stay away from her Jewish clients unless he plans to convert (advice he doesn’t always follow). Note: An enjoyable and enlightening film which can be used to generate discussions about modern relations between Jewish men and women, exploring perceptions they have of each other which often create barriers.

55 min.  AGE: Adult

JHVC

917.47

The Miracle of Intervale Avenue  (1983)

Mir

Synonymous today with crime and urban abandonment, New York’s South Bronx once teemed with Jewish life. Jewish shops thrived and worshipers spilled onto the sidewalks from hundreds of synagogues. Feeling increasingly threatened by the rise in crime, the Jews moved away. By 1983 only a handful remained. Most are elderly and idiosyncratic, refusing or unable to leave apartments where they raised families and collected memories. Some see no reason to stop providing services as baker, tailor, or sign painter to those of their black and Puerto Rican neighbors trying to eke out a decent life. One or two are African-American Jews. Together this remnant struggles to keep open the last synagogue in the neighborhood, helped by a Jewish cop, black youth, Puerto Rican clergy. The Miracle of Intervale Avenue tells their remarkable story.

1 hr. 5 min.  AGE: 12 to Adult

F

MISS ROSE WHITE  (1991)

Mis

Young career woman Rose White and her father learn that Rose’s sister, who they haven't seen for 15 years, has survived Auschwitz and will be joining them in America. When the sister, Luisa, arrives, she carries with her the anguish of the Holocaust and a bitterness towards her father for not getting her out of Europe in time. An additional theme deals with American assimilation, as Rose has changed her name from Rayzel Weiss and hides her Judaism from her friends and co-workers. An Emmy Award-winning film starring Maximilian Schell, Amanda Plummer and Kyra Sedgwick. Based on the play “A Shayna Maidel” by Barbara Lebow. Note: Can be used to relate to Holocaust units as well as to the Americanization of Jewish immigrants.

1 hr. 35 min.  AGE: 12 to Adult

917.3

MOLLY'S PILGRIM  (1985)

Mol

Winner of the 1986 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Subject, this is the story of Molly, a 9-year old Russian-Jewish girl who is the object of her classmates taunts. When the children each make dolls for a class display of the first Thanksgiving, Molly brings in a very different looking doll—a Russian-Jewish figure that leads the children to understand Molly and her family's search for religious freedom. Study guide available.

24 min.  AGE: 5 to 14

JHVC

F

Mr. Saturday Night  (1992)

Mr

You may recognize something of Milton Berle or Jackie Mason in Catskill comedian Buddy Young, Jr. He's the classic Brooklyn-born Jewish funny man with a dark side who starred briefly in the golden days of television. Comedian Billy Crystal makes his directorial debut playing Buddy, a comic who "rose to the middle." In a series of flashbacks smarting with humor and pathos, Buddy's hysterical career missteps tell the story of a performer obsessed with winning the love of audiences—even while sacrificing the love of his family. Chock-full of rapid-fire one-liners and outrageous shtick. Note: Contains obscene language.

1 hr. 59 min. Rated R.  AGE: Adult

JHVC

MY FAVORITE YEAR (1982)

F

My

During television’s early days, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen and Neil Simon, among others, got their start in show business as writers for Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows. They brought a distinct Jewish sensibility to the sketches Caesar performed weekly before a live audience. My Favorite Year is a hysterically funny fictional treatment of the show’s backstage shenanigans.

New York, 1954. Brash comic King Kaiser has ordered his youngest gagwriter, Benjy Stone, to take care of the guest star, flamboyant matinee idol Alan Swann (Peter O’Toole). If Benjy can keep his hero sober and deliver him in time for the show, he’ll hold on to his job. But with an ogre for a boss, a lush for a star and all of Manhattan at their feet, anything can happen – especially in front of a live audience! Rated PG.

1 hr. 32 min.  AGE:  12 to Adult

F

NEXT STOP, GREENWICH VILLAGE (1976)

The year is 1953. Larry Lapinsky is packing his suitcase to move out of his parents’ Brooklyn home and into his own Greenwich Village apartment. His mother, brilliantly played by Shelley Winters, is hysterical that her son is deserting her. Next Stop, Greenwich Village, a bittersweet comedy about post-immigrant Jewish life, portrays Lapinsky’s coming-of-age. Struggling to make his way as an actor, Larry collects an assortment of bohemian friends and contends with his long-time girlfriend. But his conflicts with her pale in the face of constant run-ins with his overbearing mother – who appears at his home with gifts of food and underwear. Based on filmmaker Paul Mazursky’s own passage from Brooklyn to Greenwich Village (and then to Hollywood), the film is about much more than geographical transition – it’s about the dynamics of leaving home, and trying to leave home behind.

1 hr. 49 min.  AGE:  17 to Adult

JHVC

F

Northern Exposure, The Pilot  (1990)

Nor

New Yorker Joel Fleischman is a fish out of water. Or rather, a kvetch out of water. He's a Jewish doctor recently graduated from Columbia University, where his years in medical school were financed by the state of Alaska. Now Joel must repay his debt by working in tiny Cicely, Alaska, for four years. It's a place where almost no one has heard of a bagel. Northern Exposure, the Pilot introduces the eccentric characters and hilarious predicaments that have given this Emmy-winning TV series its huge following. Searching in vain for a way out of his contract, Joel's true nature eventually shows—he's a mensch with a medical kit. Now, all he has to do is learn to like moose burgers and caribou hot dogs.

49 min.  AGE: 10 to Adult

301.451

NOT IN OUR TOWN: HEROES  (1995)

Not

Billings, Montana, is a town which has seen a number of hate crimes by white supremacist groups—against Native Americans, African Americans and Jews—and which has stood together and responded as a community. Several examples are shown, with focus on the following act of anti-Semitism. When a rock was thrown through a window of the home of a Jewish family displaying a menorah, the residents of Billings reacted. The local newspaper printed a full page menorah for families of all faiths to hang in their windows to show community solidarity—and nearly 10,000 did (analogous to Danes wearing the yellow star during World War II). The children’s book The Christmas Menorahs also deals with this incident. Study guide available. Note: Use as a trigger film for fighting prejudice.

20 min.  AGE: 12 to Adult

JHVC

362.6

Number Our Days  (1983)

Num

Anthropologist Barbara Myerhoff, whose scholarly work focused on the study of indigenous peoples, decides to research a community where she feels an emotional connection, that of elderly American Jews. In this Academy Award-winning portrait, Myerhoff conducts field work at the Israel Levin Jewish Community Center in Venice, California, which is a magnet for a group of men and women in their eighties and nineties, many of them originally from Eastern Europe. Proceeding from the idea that one day their fate will be her own, Myerhoff takes much more than an academic interest in the ways her subjects deal with poverty, illness, loneliness, and old age. She shows how they find important solace in the company and activities of the center. With unusual warmth and compassion, she explores their histories and records the texture of their lives, where nothing is taken for granted.

29 min.  AGE: 12 to Adult