(See also “World Jewry: Ethiopian Jewry”)
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JHVC |
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305.8 |
Black to the Promised Land (1992) |
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Bla |
What happens when
eleven black teenagers from Bedford-Stuyvesant—a tough New York City
neighborhood of drugs, guns, and graffiti—spend ten weeks on a quiet Israeli
kibbutz? How do these youths with "bad habits and unrecognized
potential" adjust to the demands of kibbutz living? All they know of
Jews are the black-garbed Hasidim whose communities border their own; all
they know about Israel are the headlines. But when their teacher suggests the
trip to the kibbutz, they're eager to go. With winning portraits of guests
and hosts, Black to the Promised Land explores
the different expectations of the kibbutz members and the black teens. Both
were alien to each other and both were surprised by what they found. As the
teens grapple with structure, responsibility, and boredom, the kibbutz is
infused with the high spirits of their visitors. |
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1
hr. 35 min. AGE: 12 to Adult |
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F |
DRIVING MISS DAISY
(1989) |
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Dri |
Academy
Award-winning drama based on Alfred Uhry’s play set in the 1960’s, about an
old Jewish woman in the South and her elderly, black chauffeur. Miss Daisy is
an extremely independent, opinionated and cantankerous old woman who is
distrustful of her chauffeur (expertly played by Morgan Freeman) from the
time her son hires him. Her son (Dan Aykroyd) is an extremely wealthy
businessman with a social-climbing wife. The viewer watches Miss Daisy’s
suspicions about the chauffeur turn to trust and friendship as the film
follows their relationship through the years. Uhry writes about a community
of very wealthy Southern Jews who have assimilated to the point of having lavish
Christmas parties. (The older set of Jews pride themselves on being Jewish,
not realizing how assimilated they really are. The younger set would prefer
to blend in with their neighbors, but the community gives them little
reminders that they are not the same.) Stars Jessica Tandy, who won an Oscar
for her role as Miss Daisy. Note: The film is primarily about the relationship between Miss Daisy and
her chauffeur—not about Jewish issues. It does, however, shed particular
light about a certain type of Jew in the South in the 1960’s—as does Uhry’s
play The Last Night of Ballyhoo.
Use in conjunction with the documentary Delta Jews, narrated by Uhry, which examines Jewry of the American South. |
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1
hr. 40 min. AGE: 13 to Adult |
| F | LIBERTY HEIGHTS (1999) |
| Lib |
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. |
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2 hrs. 8 min. AGE: 17 to Adult |
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F |
MA’ALE COMPILATION: FIVE FILMS (1998) |
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Maa |
Part of a
compilation of five short films produced at the Ma’ale School, an Orthodox
film school in Jerusalem. |
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In Hebrew with subtitles.
20 min. AGE: 14 to Adult |
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Pintele Yid. In this film, Chaim
comes to Israel from America to celebrate his grandson’s Bar Mitzvah. Chaim
is an Orthodox Jew, an African-American who converted to Judaism (with his
wife) and raised a Jewish family. His son made aliyah, married an Israeli
woman, and they live with their children on a kibbutz. Chaim tells how he
became Jewish, and his son describes the difficulties he faces as a Black Jew
in Israel. A wonderful portrait of a very unique family, all gathered
together for the Bar Mitzvah. |
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JHVC |
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917.47 |
The Miracle of Intervale Avenue (1983) |
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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. |
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1
hr. 5 min. AGE: 12 to Adult |
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