Atlanta Jewish Times, Vol. XCII No. 2, January 13, 2017 by Atlanta Jewish Times

FILM FEST PREVIEW, PAGES 13-36 GIRL POWER COURTED

FAB FIVE

Five festival leaders offer their must-see selections among 75 films. Page 14

“The Women’s Balcony” puts Israeli men in their place on closing night. Page 16

Family ties facilitate the filmmaking match behind “The Freedom to Marry.” Page 18

Atlanta VOL. XCII NO. 2

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Bend the Arc Seeks Jewish Solidarity By Rachel Fayne Gruskin

Jews from across Atlanta met Sunday, Jan. 8, to express distaste for the incoming Trump administration and to develop a plan of action for social justice issues that reflect progressive Jewish values. The gathering was organized by Bend the Arc, a progressive Jewish partnership that aims to bring together people from across the country to advocate a more equal and just society. Because Bend the Arc focuses strictly on domestic issues, it avoided questions about Israel that can split the progressive side of the Jewish community. The word “occupation” was never mentioned. Organizers Leah Fuhr and Bonnie Levine split the crowd of 60 into smaller groups for brainstorming on issues such as establishing relationships with other communities, specifically Muslims. Several speakers expressed a fear that President Donald Trump will try to suppress the Muslim community. One speaker ended by saying that as Jews, we are all Muslims, harkening to the rescue of Danish Jews by other Danish citizens during the Nazi occupation. Also discussed was the need to support a progressive candidate in the special election that will be held in the 6th Congressional District if Republican Rep. Tom Price is confirmed as Trump’s health and human services secretary. Former

JANUARY 13, 2017 | 15 TEVET 5777

Music Fest Expands Options By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

Photo by Rachel Fayne Gruskin

This famous quote by Martin Luther King Jr. is the inspiration for Bend the Arc’s name. For ways to commemorate King Day in Jewish Atlanta, see Page 37.

state Sen. Ron Slotin has presented himself as the progressive option in the race. The overwhelming sentiment that washed through the room was that Atlanta Jews have not shown up for the causes that matter because of the fractures that appear when a Jewish organization takes a public stance on Israel. Organizer Abbie Fuksman said Bend the Arc’s focus attracted her. “I found myself invested in Bend the Arc due to their progressive ideas regarding domestic issues with Jewish values that weren’t weighted down by international affairs.” Several organizers said Bend the Arc, which aggressively opposed Trump

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during the election, has a unique opportunity to support whatever causes people are drawn to. The organization is not sponsored by major Jewish donors or organizations with an Israel agenda. Bend the Arc (www.Facebook.com/ BendTheArc) is trying to begin an Atlanta chapter and plans to meet again Feb. 8. Levine said the group is for everyone who aligns with progressive Jewish values, regardless of views about issues abroad. “Bend the Arc has a place for everyone,” she said. “That includes people who feel uncomfortable getting involved in many other progressive causes due to those organizations’ stance on Israel.” ■

INSIDE Calendar �� 4 Candle Lighting �� 4 Israel News ��6 Opinion ��9 Business ��12 Obituaries �� 42 Marketplace �� 44 Sports ��45 Crossword �� 46

The Atlanta Jewish Music Festival returns March 2 to 19 with a lineup built to satisfy the city’s eclectic taste by offering everything from world music and Ladino to jazz and Israeli hip-hop. The eighth spring festival’s two marquee events are a performance by Israeli singer-songwriter Idan Raichel at City Winery Atlanta on March 17 and a re-creation of the Beastie Boys’ album “Licensed to Ill” at the Buckhead Theatre on March 18, including Israeli rap acts Axum and Peled and the “godfather of Israeli hip-hop,” Sagol 59. “I think the lineup is incredible this year,” said Russell Gottschalk, the festival’s founder and executive director. “I think it’s a very diverse lineup this year, and like previous years it’s something for all ages. This year more than ever we’ve done a very good job of presenting the breadth of the Jewish music experience, including a Sephardic and Mizrahi perspective. We can’t wait till March 2.” AJMF8 features 14 events and once again coincides with Purim. (See the full schedule at atlantajewishtimes.com.) Kicking off at City Winery on March 2 with Jewish Cuban klezmer outfit Odessa Havana, AJMF8 is presenting local, national and international artists, including the Yotam Silberstein Quartet, Nick Edelstein, David Marcus, Sammy Rosenbaum, Sarah Aroeste and Noah Aronson. AJMF8 programming is aimed at all ages. The range includes a Purim family concert and teen battle of the bands March 12, a young adult Purim party March 4, and the two main events. ■

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G-d loves them and controls everyTwo things have become major parts of my life recently: exercise and thing that happens in their lives. We emunah. And, as it turns out, both should model this behavior for them, work in similar ways: One strengthens remaining positive and upbeat despite your physical muscles; the other your challenges. spiritual muscles. The book says that as long as we The best way to improve emunah are being grateful, G-d will bless us. As (roughly translated as faith), or any skill, is repetition. In fact, an artist is Faith & Family called in Hebrew an uman By Mindy Rubenstein because she has practiced editor@nishei.org her craft repeatedly until it becomes natural. In the same way, emunah grows deeper as you accustom though our gratitude actually opens yourself to see all the wonders of life up the channel for blessings that may as manifestations of G-d’s presence. not have already been there. And emunah is further enriched when Our belief does not create good; we are challenged and pass those tests the good is already the underlying by staying positive. reality. Our belief provides the means Around the same time I started by which that reality can surface. running and going to the gym — to the It reminds me of the hasidic saypoint where it has become something ing “Think good, and it will be good.” I can’t go without — And it’s not just I also happened to We can train our children our thoughts; it’s begin reading a book from a young age to live also our words and called “Living Emuactions. Think, speak with emunah, to know nah” by Rabbi David and do good, and Ashear, a renowned how much G-d loves them goodness will come teacher and speaker. and controls everything our way. The book was a gift I haven’t quite that happens in their from Oorah, a Lakemastered these wood, N.J.-based orlives. We should model skills, this paradigm ganization that helps this behavior by remain- shift in my thinking Jews become better and being. But I’m ing positive and upbeat more aware of it, acquainted with their Judaism. despite challenges. especially in front of Each week my my children. learning partner and I go through the Especially when I hear them combook, taking turns reading the secplain about something and I realize tions aloud. The concepts seem simple, they may have learned that attitude but their impact, I can say confidently, from me. That can be painful, and I try is life-changing. to say something positive in response. Everything that happens to us We can always find ways to in this world is orchestrated from express gratitude throughout the day above, from stubbing our toe to being — somewhat obvious blessings in life snubbed by a friend. we may take for granted, as well as We don’t always know why somethe seemingly negative things as they thing is happening, but if we make an happen. This one is more challenging effort to thank G-d even when some— thanking G-d after something seemthing seems unfortunate, we strengthingly inconvenient or painful occurs. en our emunah and connection. Positivity is infectious. It seems It’s no simple task: You must easier to be positive and upbeat when make a paradigm shift in your mind you’re around others who are that to revolutionize your thinking proway. But the strength needed for emucess. But little by little, day by day, nah is within. Be the positive person the transformation from “victim of you admire, and spark that good atcircumstance” to “master of emunah” titude in others. can happen. It’s a work in progress, but like As parents, we can train our any good exercise program, over time children from a young age to live the results are unmistakable. ■ with emunah, to know how much

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

Exercise Spiritual And Physical Muscles

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POSTMASTER send address changes to The Atlanta Jewish Times 270 Carpenter Drive Suite 320, Atlanta Ga 30328. Established 1925 as The Southern Israelite Phone: (404) 883-2130 www.atlantajewishtimes.com THE ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES (ISSN# 0892-33451) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY SOUTHERN ISRAELITE, LLC 270 Carpenter Drive, Suite 320, Atlanta, GA 30328 © 2017 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES Printed by Walton Press Inc. MEMBER Conexx: America Israel Business Connector American Jewish Press Association Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce Please send all photos, stories and editorial content to: submissions@atljewishtimes.com

Art exhibit. The first part of “Atlanta Collects,” showing art from private collections in Jewish Atlanta, is on display at the Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown, until Feb. 26. Museum admission is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors, $6 for students and educators, $4 for ages 3 to 6; www.thebreman.org or 678222-3700.

THURSDAY, JAN. 12

Yom Kippur War. Pediatrician Itzhak Brook, an Israeli medic in the Six-Day War and a battalion physician in the Yom Kippur War, speaks about the effects of the 1973 war on Israeli society at 10:30 a.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, in the Edgewise Speaker Series. Free for JCC members, $5 for others; matureadults@ atlantajcc.org or 678-812-3861. European populism. American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta Office holds an open board meeting over lunch at 11:45 a.m. at 103 West, 103 W. Paces Ferry Road, Buckhead, with German Consul General Detlev Ruenger speaking about the rise of populism in Europe. The cost is $35; bit.ly/2iXryYY. Interfaith gratitude. Ramah Darom, 70 Darom Lane, Clayton, at 6 p.m. hosts an evening of gratitude to the firefighters and emergency management personnel who responded to the November wildfires in North Georgia. Free; www.facebook.com/ events/1833671506908276. Infertility support. Intimacy coach Rachel Welfeld speaks about infertility and intimacy at the monthly meeting of the Jewish Fertility Foundation’s Wo/ Men Infertility Support & Help group at 6 p.m. at MACoM, 700-A Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs. Free; RSVP@JewishFertilityFoundation.org or 404-275-9678 (Lynn Goldman).

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Vayechi Friday, Jan. 13, light candles at 5:32 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, Shabbat ends at 6:31 p.m. Shemot Friday, Jan. 20, light candles at 5:39 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, Shabbat ends at 6:37 p.m. China photography exhibit. Artist Steve Steinman’s photography exhibition, “China: Tradition and Change,” running through March 3, opens with a presentation at 6 p.m. at the Ventulett Gallery at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church, 805 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs. Free; www.stevesteinmanfineart.com or 404-808-3343. Human trafficking. Rotary Clubs hold a screening of the human trafficking film “8 Days,” followed by a panel discussion moderated by CNN’s Lisa Cohen, at 6:30 p.m. at North Springs Charter High School, 7447 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. Free; RSVP at www. brookhavenrotary.org. Fashion history. Goethe-Zentrum Atlanta, Colony Square, 1197 Peachtree St., Midtown, continues its exploration of Jewish-German fashion with a panel discussion on “Creativity vs. Commerce” at 7 p.m. Free; www.goethe.de/ ins/us/atl/ver/en16091088v.htm or 404-892-2388.

FRIDAY, JAN. 13

Sushi, sake, spirituality. Jump-start your Shabbat with Chabad of Cobb’s monthly Carlebach Kabbalat Shabbat at 5:20 p.m. at 4450 Lower Roswell Road, East Cobb. Free; 770-565-4412.

SUNDAY, JAN. 15

Book event. Clinical psychologist Michael Breus, a graduate of Riverwood High and UGA, speaks about his book

“The Power of When” at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $10 for JCC members, $15 for others; www.atlantajcc. org/bookfestival or 678-812-4005.

TUESDAY, JAN. 17

Torah on Tap. YJP Atlanta discusses current events and other topics over dinner at 8 p.m. at Chabad Intown, 928 Ponce de Leon Ave., Midtown. Free; www.eventbrite.com/e/torah-on-taptickets-30526254850.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 18

THURSDAY, JAN. 19

Hunger exhibit. Mazon’s “This Is Hunger” traveling, interactive, 45-minute experience stops at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, for programs at 11 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Free; register at least 24 hours in advance at bit.ly/2i1qYVZ. Frankly Speaking. The National Council of Jewish Women, Atlanta Chapter, holds its monthly women’s discussion group moderated by Sherry Frank at noon (beverages and dessert provided) at the NCJW Atlanta office, 6303 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. Free; RSVP

Send items for the calendar to submissions@atljewishtimes.com. Find more events at atlantajewishtimes.com/events-calendar.

Remember When

25 Years Ago Jan. 10, 1992 ■ An impromptu group of Atlanta Jews has formed to urge participation in the upcoming Freedom March, a symbolic re-creation of the civil rights marches of the 1960s, as a way to renew the ties binding the black and Jewish communities. Recent violence in Crown Heights and expressions of proPalestinian views by some black leaders “have blinded us,” said Rabbi Stephen Weiss of Ahavath Achim. ■ Rabbi Alvin Sugarman, the senior rabbi of The Temple, will receive the 1992 Martin Luther King Sr. Minister’s Community Service Award this Sunday during the annual Interfaith Worship Service at Antioch Baptist Church. ■ The bar mitzvah of Michael Frist of Atlanta, son of Eve and Brian Frist, will take place Jan. 18, at B’nai Torah.

■ Sue and Michael Katzin of Atlanta announce the birth of a daughter, Melissa Deborah, on Aug. 21. 50 Years Ago Jan. 13, 1967 ■ Tension continued to mount along the Israeli-Syrian border as Syrian troops have used tank guns and other arms in directing fire at Israeli positions and patrols several times in recent days. Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol warned that “Syria is not immune to treatment in kind.” ■ Mr. and Mrs. Theodore G. Kaplan of Atlanta invite their relatives and friends to the bar mitzvah of their son, Stanley Ivan Sunshine, on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 9 a.m. at Ahavath Achim Synagogue. ■ Mrs. Alexe Mendel Sconyers, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Calmon P. Mendel, and Lawrence Joel Block, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Beryl Block of Tallahassee, were married Dec. 31 at Temple Mikve Israel in Savannah.

CALENDAR

Fashion history. In connection with the exhibit “Fashioning a Nation: German Identity and Industry, 1914-1945,” a panel discusses wearable technology and wellness at 6 p.m. at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, 201 17th St., Suite 1700, Midtown. The fee is $30; www.goethe.de/ins/us/atl/ver/ en16084150v.htm or 404-892-2388. Israeli innovation. JANVEST Managing Partner Daniel Finkelstein addresses “Entrepreneurial Oasis: Israel as an Innovation Hotbed” at 7 p.m. after a 6 p.m. reception at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs, in a program co-sponsored by AIPAC and Congregation B’nai Torah. Free; www. aipac.org/AtlantaSyn or 678-254-2627. Cooking workshop. Leah Sollish teaches “The Delightful Dishes of Shabbat” at 8 p.m., with additional sessions Feb. 2 and 9, at the Intown Jewish Academy, 928 Ponce de Leon Ave., Midtown. The course is $25; intownjewishacademy. org/product/delightful-dishes.

SATURDAY, JAN. 21

Havinagala. The annual fundraiser for Jewish Family & Career Services’ PAL program features an open bar, desserts and a silent auction at 8 p.m. at Ponce City Market, 675 Ponce de Leon Ave., Midtown. Tickets are $60 in advance, $70 at the door or $100 for VIP status; www.havinagala.org.

SUNDAY, JAN. 22

Hunger exhibit. Mazon’s “This Is Hunger” traveling, interactive, 45-minute experience stops at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs, for programs at 10:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Free; register at least 24 hours in advance at bit.ly/2iYewKM. Hadassah installation. Hadassah Greater Atlanta’s Ketura Group installs the 2017 board and thanks the outgoing board over lunch at noon at Zafron Restaurant, 236 Johnson Ferry Road, Sandy Springs. The cost is $25; RSVP to Marcy Caras at mslcaras@comcast.net. Molly Blank Jewish Concert Series. The three-concert series begins with Liz Callaway performing music from “The Carole King Songbook” at 5 p.m. (after a 4 p.m. reception) at the Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown. Tickets are $49 for Breman members and $59 for nonmembers, with series passes costing $117 and $147; thebreman.org or 678-222-3700.

Teen film screening. Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs, shows the documentary “Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age,” followed by a panel discussion, at 5 p.m. Free; register at tinyurl.com/tsscreenagers. For information, contact Marisa Kaiser at mkaiser@templesinaiatlanta. org or 404-252-3073. Holocaust remembrance. Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen survivor Magda Herzberger of Romania is the keynote speaker at Am Yisrael Chai’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day observance, “Fortitude and Endurance,” at 7 p.m. at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North, 7 Concourse Parkway, Sandy Springs. An exhibit opens at 6:30. Free; RSVP at www.2017remember. eventbrite.com or amyisraelchaiatlanta@gmail.com by Jan. 15.

MONDAY, JAN. 23

Patriotic event. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Laurie Lans offers entertaining and motivational thoughts about her service in Iraq and Afghanistan at 7:15 p.m. at Congregation Beth Tefillah, 5065 High Point Road, Sandy Springs. The cost is $12 in advance or $18 at the door; www. bethtefillah.org or 404-843-2464. Achieving greatness. At a program of the Atlanta Scholars Kollel and Jewish Women’s Connection of Atlanta, Yeshiva University business professor and social entrepreneur Charlie Harary speaks about tapping into your inner greatness at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Ariel, 5237 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Admission is $10; www.atlantakollel. org/events.php.

THURSDAY, JAN. 26

Spy’s story. Marthe Cohn, a French Jew who pretended to be a German nurse to spy on the Nazis during World War II, speaks at 7 p.m. at the Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road, Buckhead, then signs copies of her memoir, “Behind Enemy Lines,” in an event hosted by Chabad Intown and the Intown Jewish Academy. Tickets start at $20; www. intownjewishacademy.org or 404-8980434.

O P E N I N G E A R LY 2 0 1 7

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Live, Love, Thrive

is our philosophy that we integrate into everything we do because we recognize the importance of seniors staying active and purposeful.

SATURDAY, JAN. 28

“Almost Psychic.” Roderick Russell, who does not claim to be psychic, applies psychology, manipulation and misdirection to expose private thoughts and demonstrates sword swallowing at 7 p.m. to help Temple Beth Tikvah, 9955 Coleman Road, Roswell, celebrate its 30th anniversary. Tickets (ages 21 and older) are $36 in advance and $45 at the door; www.bethtikvah.com.

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ISRAEL NEWS

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

First kidney dialysis for Sierra Leone. In 2012, MASHAV, the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s agency for international development cooperation, donated the first dialysis unit to Sierra Leone. The Ebola outbreak caused delays, but the African country’s first dialysis treatment finally took place Dec. 15, saving a life.

The world’s most inclusive army. Omer Lahat’s cerebral palsy did not hold him back from graduating high school with honors. His dream was to serve in the Israel Defense Forces through the Special in Uniform program, and he became the program’s first wheelchair-bound participant.

Dual-action treatment for aggressive breast cancer. Scientists at the Weizmann Institute have made a breakthrough in treating triple-negative breast cancer, which lacks three receptors that serve as targets for anticancer drugs. Weizmann discovered that inhibiting molecules EGFR and PYK2 significantly reduces the size of tumors.

Praise from the Greek patriarch. At the annual Christmas reception hosted by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin for spiritual and lay leaders of Christian communities in Israel, Greek Patriarch Theophilos III said: “We take the opportunity of this holiday gathering to express our gratitude to you for the firmness with which you defend the freedoms that lie at the heart of this democracy.”

Needle-free scar removal. PerfAction Technologies in Rehovot has developed EnerJet (Airgent in the United States) — a nonthermal, no-needle, high-pressure jet stream to introduce any kind of healing agent or skin-enhancement material. It also removes acne scars and surgical scars. It’s now available in 22 countries.

Life good for Arabs. Among the interesting findings of the 2016 Israeli Democracy Index, produced by the Guttman Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research: 55 percent of Israeli Arabs identify themselves as “proud citizens,” and 60.5 percent of Israeli Arabs categorize their personal situation as “good” or “very good,” while 31 per-

cent choose “not bad.” Huge rise in Arab students at Technion. Just 12 years ago, 7 percent of the students at the Technion in Haifa were Arab. Today, the figure has risen to 20 percent — not because of any lowering of entrance standards, but thanks to the NAM program, a 10-month boot camp in math, physics, English and Hebrew. It is all paid for by Jewish philanthropy. Treating Aleppo wounded. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his government to extend medical assistance to Syrians wounded in the latest round of fighting, especially those from the embattled city of Aleppo. Israeli hospitals will treat wounded women and children and noncombatant men. A novel travel guide. Tel Aviv-based startup Books on Map provides readers with virtual tours through a city’s streets by way of novels that reference the city. Combining a library, a treasure hunt and a social network, the guide services Paris, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Books on Map won a recent Paris tourism app competition. A growing Tel Aviv business. Green in the City started as a 1,000-square-foot farm on the roof of Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Center. The farm is now 8,000 square feet. It produces 10,000 heads of lettuce per month and 17 varieties of greens and herbs and includes a banana tree. More partners for Mobileye. Jerusalem-based Mobileye is working with luxury carmaker Lucid Motors to enable autonomous driving capability on Lucid vehicles. Mobileye will provide the primary computer platform, including cameras, radar, sensors, software and algorithms.. Overlooking an important fact. BBC Radio 4’s “Today” omitted the fact that the TOOKAD prostate cancer treatment being praised globally was developed at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot. After protests, BBC News interviewed codeveloper Avigdor Scherz. Compiled courtesy of verygoodnewsisrael. blogspot.com and other sources.

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ISRAEL NEWS

The U.S. House voted 342-80 on Thursday, Jan. 5, to oppose the “onesided and anti-Israel” U.N. Resolution 2334. The passage of the nonbinding House resolution was one of the first actions of the 115th Congress and came 13 days after a U.S. abstention allowed Resolution 2334 to pass the U.N. Security Council, 14-0. The sense-of-the-House resolution, introduced by Reps. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), says the U.N. measure hampers efforts to start direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, contributes to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, and undermines the long-standing U.S. position to veto U.N. resolutions that are one-sided against Israel or aim to impose a final deal. The House resolution also warns against any effort to impose a solution at the peace conference being held in Paris on Jan. 15. Israel is not attending that conference, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the House resolution. Of the 80 no votes, 76 were cast by Democrats, including three Georgians:

John Lewis of Atlanta, Hank Johnson of Lithonia and Sanford Bishop Jr. of Albany. But another Democrat, David Scott of Atlanta, was one of two Georgia congressmen who spoke on the House floor in favor of the pro-Israel measure. The other was Republican Rick Allen of Augusta. Scott called the U.N. resolution “shameful and deceitful because they wanted to put all of the blame on Israel when it is the Palestinians who refuse to even meet to discuss or to even talk about a two-nation state.” He added: “We have been blessed with divine intervention all through our history to be that shining light on the hill, to let all of our great work show for the world. We have an opportunity here tonight for this Congress to stand up and show that light for Israel.” “This is betrayal of the worst kind,” Allen said a few minutes later. “AntiIsrael policies will not be tolerated. We are partners in this world and allies in democracy.” Opponents of HR 11 cited a longstanding U.S. policy of opposing the expansion of West-Bank settlements ■

Today in Israeli History

Items provided by the Center for Israel Education (www.israeled.org), where you can find more details. Jan. 13, 1922: Zionist leader Nahum Sokolow, serving as the president of the Executive Committee of the World Zionist Congress, meets with President Warren Harding in Washington. During the nearly one-hour meeting Harding promises U.S. support for Zionism, according to Sokolow’s son, Florian. Jan. 14, 1925: Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, one of modern Judaism’s most influential composers and spiritual leaders, is born in Berlin. Jan. 15, 1958: Dr. Israel (Rudolf) Kastner, who had been accused of collaborating with the Nazis in the annihilation of Hungarian Jewry, is cleared of any wrongdoing by Israel’s Supreme Court. Jan. 16, 2003: The space shuttle Columbia takes off from Kennedy Space

Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon poses for his official NASA photo before the final mission of the space shuttle Columbia.

Center in Florida at 10:39 a.m. Two weeks later, the shuttle explodes while re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, killing all on board. Among the seven-member crew is Ilan Ramon, an Israeli air force pilot and the country’s first astronaut. Jan. 17, 1930: In a dispatch to the Colonial Office, John Chancellor, serving as the British high commissioner in Palestine, argues for an end to the Jewish national home in Palestine. Jan. 18, 1906: The first 40 students, all women, enroll in the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts in Jerusalem. Jan. 19, 1990: Arthur Goldberg, a former United States Supreme Court justice, secretary of labor and ambassador to the United Nations, dies at the age of 81 at his home in Washington. Goldberg was an important drafter of U.N. Resolution 242 after Israel’s June 1967 war with its Arab neighbors.

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

House Criticizes U.N. Vote

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ISRAEL NEWS

The Phenomenon of Elite Israeli Jazz By Eli Sperling

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

The past two decades Israel has produced dozens of the world’s most talented and celebrated jazz musicians. Revered for their work ethic, creativity, diverse and international musical influences, and technical prowess, Israeli jazz musicians are becoming some of the most listened-to players in the world. Many wonder why Israel, a country of roughly 7.5 million people, produces such a disproportionately large number of the world’s elite musicians. No single answer provides a clue; it is a combination of Israeli history, culture and society. Since the establishment of a Zionist community in the land of Israel, music has been a societal priority. Over 4,000 Hebrew folk songs were written in the land of Israel between the 1880s and 1948. Elite-level classical music was likewise cemented to Hebrew culture during the formative years of Zionist development. In the year of its founding in 1936, the Palestine Orchestra (now the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra), de-

Photo courtesy of Zeal NYC

Israeli clarinet and saxophone virtuoso Anat Cohen performs at the Miller Theater in New York.

spite meager resources, attracted internationally renowned conductor Arturo Toscanini and then Leonard Bernstein in 1947. After the state was established in 1948, music was further imbedded into the fabric of Israeli culture, society and institutions. Israeli children regularly sang Hebrew folk songs as part of their schools’ curricula. Military bands and orchestras trained the country’s top young talents, grooming some of Israel’s most cherished musicians of all genres. And public schools for the arts developed, offering professionallevel training for Israeli children who showed early musical talent.

Today, Israel’s Rimon School of Music, founded in 1985, is widely seen as one of the world’s top schools for musical training, specifically for jazz. Producing some of the biggest names in elite, international jazz scenes, Rimon has palpably affected the trajectory of jazz music all over the globe. One must simply show up to any number of New York’s acclaimed jazz venues to see performances by worldfamous Israeli artists including Avishai Cohen, Yotam Silberstein, Omer Avital, Anat Cohen, Eli Degibri, Anat Fort and many others. For further reading: • www.npr.org/sections/ablogsupreme/2010/11/19/131451175/why-areso-many-jazz-musicians-from-israelthese-days. • www.timesofisrael.com/israelijazz-finding-its-groove-as-talent-returns-home. • jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/ the-three-waves-of-israeli-jazz-musicians. ■ Eli Sperling is the Israel specialist and assistant program coordinator for the Center for Israel Education.

The Israel Box founders hope to offer a bimonthly subscription service.

Battling BDS a Box At a Time By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

There’s a new way to fight the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement and support Israeli small businesses at the same time. With assistance from a Kickstarter campaign in May that raised $60,000, a team of Israelis launched the Israel Box, delivering a selection of fun Israeli products that can be sent anywhere. “We came up with the idea for the IBox because about a year ago there were a lot of talks about BDS,” IBox cofounder and creative manager Yossi Dray said. “We wanted to give anyone who is pro-Israel around the world a specific tool to support the Israeli economy. Instead of attacking the BDS, we are helping to support Israeli small business.” During Chanukah, the Israeli Consulate General to the Southeast in Atlanta gave away a couple of IBoxes with a Facebook contest. The IBox costs $70 and is available on Jewish crowdfunding platform Jewcer where they have now raised more than $82,000. Each box contains items that enable you to see, hear, touch, feel and taste Israel. The box might include apparel, olive oil, jewelry or handmade soap. More than 700 IBoxes have been sent out, with more on the way, but the company has issues. “We’re struggling today because myself and my partners don’t have a larger organization or a lot of capital behind us,” Dray said. “There’s only a certain amount of budget we have.” A competing Israeli gift box called Blue Box launched around the same time as IBox. Eventually, Dray said, the goal is to make the IBox a subscription-based service instead of a one-off purchase. ■

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Letters To The Editor

Ask Arabs for Wall Rights Rabbi David Geffen’s article caught my eye (“What Israelis Face as 2016 Winds Down,” Dec. 23). While he notes that 60 percent of the military are (according to the poll he quoted) “lefties” and people don’t trust them, etc., Rabbi Geffen also points out that someone philanthropic is generously funding salaries for Reform and Conservative rabbis because the narrow-minded Israeli public is either secular or Orthodox. Then he goes on to point out how Conservative and Reform Jews are demanding equal rights at the Kotel. May I point out that the border called the Green Line that is on most every map in the world puts the Old City of Jerusalem and the Western Wall on the Arab side? So perhaps the Women of the Wall and the Conservative and Reform who all espouse giving away Jerusalem and support the gifting of these areas to Israel’s enemies should go to the appropriate Arab government and ask for

equal rights at the wall. — Raanan Isseroff, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Ban Unrecorded Votes Here is a common-sense, bipartisan idea to start the year: All official votes under the Gold Dome should be recorded so that we the people always know exactly how each one of our state legislators votes. Believe it or not, that is not the case in the Georgia Senate. State Senate rules used for decades allow unrecorded votes on significant amendments to legislation considered on the Senate floor after all public input and any scrutiny in the committee process have been completed. This lack of transparency in government affairs could easily have been changed Monday morning, Jan. 9, when the Senate convened for the 2017 session and voted on the rules for the next two years. Only one senator even mentioned it. And don’t look for unrecorded votes and an in-depth explanation in the news. Georgians need to know that the state senators vote on the Senate rules as their first order of business every other year, and 2017 is one of those years. On the first day, rules can be

changed with a simple majority (29 of the 56 members). We provide this information just in case a few state senators forgot to mention it to their constituents. The Senate rule allowing unrecorded votes on floor amendments was not touched on Monday, Day 1 of the 40-day session. A quick explanation is in order. High up on the front wall of the Senate chamber is a large, brightly lighted machine that displays each senator’s vote and electronically records it in the permanent Senate record. It’s called the “yeas and nays” or “roll call” voting method. In the Senate chamber, if any senator wants to change a bill that has gone through the committee process, a floor amendment can be offered, and senators can vote on whether to approve the amendment — with an unrecorded, raise-your-hand vote. And they can decide whether that vote is an unrecorded vote with another unrecorded, raise-your-hand vote. Oddly enough, this is inaccurately referred to as the “voice vote” or “rise, stand and be counted” voting method. See Rule 5.1-3: www.senate.ga.gov/sos/ Documents/senaterules2015.pdf. It takes five senators to quickly

demand a machine-recorded vote on floor amendments. Confusing, isn’t it? Here is an example: In 2015, the Republican-controlled Senate killed a conservative amendment aimed at ending the practice of issuing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants by holding an unrecorded, raise-your-hand vote on whether to have an unrecorded, raise-your-hand vote. Unrecorded won. We the people — and government transparency — lost. There was also an unrecorded vote involved in getting to final passage of the 2015 transportation tax increase. This writer watched both events. Readers of all political stripes should contact their state senators and demand that the rule be changed. It can still be done at any time. But now the process is much more difficult and would require a two-thirds majority. Believe it or not, it can be done with an unrecorded vote to decide whether the vote to change the unrecorded vote rule is an unrecorded vote. Got that? Then we can start working on eliminating unrecorded votes in the House and Senate committee process. — D.A. King, Marietta, president, Georgia-based Dustin Inman Society

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

OPINION

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Our View

Justice, Justice

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

In less time than Palestinian terrorist Abdel Fattah al-Sharif spent subdued on the ground last March before Israel Defense Forces Sgt. Elor Azaria fatally shot him in the head, Azaria’s supporters began calling for his pardon after he was convicted of al-Sharif’s manslaughter Wednesday, Jan. 4. The appeals on Azaria’s behalf aren’t surprising. After all, he’s only 20, and he’s someone Jews in Israel and around the world can relate to because it happened while Azaria was on IDF duty, doing his best to protect his nation and his people. It’s easy for so many Israelis to imagine how they would have felt if they arrived on the scene of another stabbing attack and saw a friend wounded. Few of us can say with certainty we wouldn’t have reacted just as Azaria did and shot the terrorist dead. But our possible reactions in similar circumstances and our emotions now as we see a young man facing 20 years in prison don’t change the most basic fact: Azaria killed a man who had been immobilized and posed no threat to him or any other soldier on the scene. Our sympathy for Azaria’s family doesn’t change the fact that three experienced military officers listened to all the testimony in a full, fair trial and agreed that the sergeant committed a crime. And our anger at the young terrorists who launch random knifings, shootings and vehicle rammings and at the Palestinian “leaders” who incite such homicidal hatred does not change the fact that Israel is and must be a nation of laws, and when a citizen is convicted by a court, he has a path of appeal through the justice system. Any effort to circumvent that system, including calls for presidential pardons from politicians up to and including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is wrong. Azaria can, should and will appeal his conviction, and if he exhausts his appeals, as President Reuven Rivlin explained in rejecting the crowd-pleasing calls for the soldier to be cleared, his attorneys are the only ones who can make a proper case for a pardon. It’s impossible to miss the parallels between Azaria’s case and those of American police officers caught on video when shooting unarmed men. In both situations, the videos are shocking but don’t always tell the whole story. That’s why it’s so important to let an independent justice system carry out an investigation and, if necessary, a trial. People on all sides must believe that justice is blindly impartial in any free society, and despite the intense pressure on anyone in the job of protecting his fellow citizens, that position of trust requires holding him to the highest standards. A pardon may be justified; if so, it will come in due time. The IDF is the most moral army in the world, but it is composed of humans who make mistakes. They must be held accountable for those mistakes. To do otherwise, to let Azaria go because he’s young and he did what many of us would like to do when confronted with a terrorist, is to surrender the moral high ground. That’s territory more precious to Israel 10 than the Western Wall or the Temple Mount. ■

Cartoon by Dave Granlund, Politicalcartoons.com

Inside the Settler Mind

One of the films people are sure to talk about stories in this film show any great love or the slightduring the 17th Atlanta Jewish Film Festival has a est respect for the government of Israel, whatever simple title for a complex they might think about topic: “The Settlers.” the ideal of a Jewish state’s Thanks to the resoluexistence. tion the U.N. Security Dotan doesn’t tell the Editor’s Notebook Council passed last month story in a way designed to By Michael Jacobs and Secretary of State John portray the settlers as the mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com Kerry’s lengthy defense great obstacle to Middle of the Obama administraEast peace, although the tion’s decision not to veto mere choice of the term the measure, the settlements as an enterprise are “settlers” points to a belief that they’re living somevery much in the news these days. where with less legitimacy and less justification than But the settlers themselves — those who have their fellow citizens in Tel Aviv or Haifa. chosen to live on the controversial side of a cease-fire In a little more than 100 minutes, viewers of line that was never meant to be a permanent border “The Settlers” learn the history of how the Israeli — get lost in the glare of the global spotlight. government, often without intention, allowed the Filmmaker Shimon Dotan, who is scheduled settlements to take root and bloom. The mix of to appear for at least one of the screenings of the archival footage and new interviews proves two documentary, corrects that error with “The Settlers” things: The passion driving the leaders of the settler and in the process pulls off a difficult trick by telling movement has not dimmed in the half-century since the story of Israel’s West Bank settlements without the Six-Day War made such a thing as a settler posdemonizing or celebrating them. sible, and the Israeli government’s recent stumbling If the film did nothing else, it would be a success over the Amona outpost is just the latest example of by reminding us that the half-million Israelis living official confusion over dealing with the West Bank. on what most of the world considers to be PalestinJust keep an eye out for Shimon Peres during ian land are, above all, people. one government-settler confrontation to see the Some of them are driven by a nationalist desire epitome of the government dilemma. to restore Jewish sovereignty to the entire historical Dotan gets the obligatory Arab perspective on land of Israel. Some just can’t afford to live in the the settlers, but it’s the least valuable part of an othercenter of Israel and, thanks to government policies wise exquisite film. It’s no surprise that the Palestinand philanthropic interests, find that it makes finanian watching Jews farm his ancestral land isn’t happy cial sense to buy a home in the West Bank. and is counting the decades until they’re gone. Some believe it is their G-d-given right to live The highest value of the film is when the settlers where the patriarchs and matriarchs lived, died and themselves are on camera, explaining who they are were buried — and, despite what Kerry said Dec. 28, and why they’re there without any embellishment or they might care more about being left alone to live shading from Dotan. Whether you see “The Settlers” where they want than about which government colas pro- or anti-settlement depends entirely on how lects their taxes and issues their passports. you feel about what they say, and that’s the way it Certainly, few of the settlers who tell their should be. ■

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OPINION

Why We Need the Interfaith Manifesto ity, but with reasoning; not with quotation, but with common ground. In Jewish tradition, we have over

Guest Column By Rabbi Peter Berg

70 names and attributes for G-d. One of them is Adonai Tzilcha: “G-d is your shadow.” How can G-d be a shadow, a mere image cast on the ground, created by our own image? If you stand bent over, then the shadow of G-d will be contracted and shriveled, but if your stand straight, the shadow will expand and grow mightily. In our community, when we stand with outstretched arms, G-d will be elevated and enlarged in our lives. G-d is reflected in our actions. Don’t think that we live only in G-d’s shadow; act as if G-d lives in ours. ■ Rabbi Peter Berg is the senior rabbi of The Temple.

The Atlanta Interfaith Manifesto This statement “denouncing religious bigotry and calling for interfaith cooperation” is posted at atlantainterfaithmanifesto.org, along with the endorsements of hundreds of people. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution grants religious freedom as an inalienable right. Indeed, intolerance is antithetical to our nation’s founding principles. Despite this mandate, there has been an alarming escalation of religious intolerance in our country recently, inflicting two sets of victims: those who are impugned because of their beliefs, and those whose fears are exploited by false, incendiary, misguided rhetoric. Atlanta’s history is replete with the stories of giants who came before us, whose leadership guided us through critical moments. Today, we come together as religious, business, civic, academic, and philanthropic leaders, exhorting our fellow citizens to take inspiration from the courageous acts of our forebears and pursue the following principles: 1. Advance Interfaith Cooperation: We believe that our nation’s founding commitment to democracy with religious freedom

demands that we pursue interfaith cooperation; this includes respect and accommodation for diverse religious and secular identities, positive relationships between those of different religious and philosophical views, and a commitment to working together across lines of difference to advance the common good. 2. Marshal Religious Diversity: We believe that Atlanta holds a special place in U.S. history as well as contemporary and future American and global spheres. The religious diversity at the heart of this city propelled the Civil Rights Movement and continues to stand as an asset that can enhance our region’s ability to respond to human rights challenges with innovative solutions. 3. Celebrate Atlanta’s Broader Significance: We believe that our city has made invaluable contributions to the betterment of our nation, and we call on Atlanta to once again serve as a beacon to the country and the world, showing the power and promise of interfaith cooperation. 4. Take a stand: We pledge our willingness to speak out and stand against acts of hate and intolerance that threaten the very foundation on which our society was founded.

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

When I think about my predecessors, the rabbis who came before me at The Temple, I realize that I am standing on the shoulders of giants. In 1957, a year before our own Temple was bombed, 80 white ministers in Atlanta publicly endorsed what has been referred to as the Ministers’ Manifesto, denouncing racial segregation. The statement was published in the Atlanta papers and The New York Times. Rabbi Jacob M. Rothschild, our rabbi, was instrumental in the writing of that manifesto. He knew then what we know today: that religious leaders must stand up to bigotry and hatred. We live in challenging times. The need for interfaith support and cooperation is as important today as it ever has been. We all have strong feelings about the major issues of the day: the environment, the rights of minorities, safety and security, peace in the Middle East. Those who are wise realize that there are legitimate arguments on the other side, even if we disagree. Like most of us, I worry these days about fundamentalism — the belief that there is only one way. This does not mean we shouldn’t have strong faith. I am passionate about my faith. But when that passion leads one to believe that there is only one way, inevitably violence and death follow. The worst and most powerful idols we have today are not made of stone and wood. They are made of ideas. I’d like to believe that it is possible that Islam, Christianity and Judaism could know of a G-d who speaks Arabic on Fridays, Hebrew on Saturdays and Latin on Sundays. Any ideology that embraces only self-importance violates human rights and leads to disastrous outcomes. Those claiming to be sole owners of wisdom terrorize us every single day. We live in a world that is threatened by those who are blind to the beauty of pluralism, who despise the idea of tolerance for other religions and ways of life. The challenge of American democracy today is the same challenge religious Americans face. This is the reason for the 2016 Atlanta Interfaith Manifesto: to fashion a way that incompatible faith assertions can still talk with one another and still learn from one another. What is needed most in our world is to speak to our neighbors of different faiths — not with author-

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BUSINESS

RLR Industries Molds Better Community

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

The Atlanta area has many small, independent, family-owned businesses that have made a meaningful contribution to economic growth and to the lives of their workers. This article profiles one of those companies, RLR Industries Inc. RLR Industries is a Mableton-based, fullservice plastics processor. In its 100,000-square-foot facility, it produces a wide range of sophisticated plastic covers for all types of lighting needs. The products include simple covers, hotel sconces, designer lighting covers, and large, high-tech commercial applications. RLR’s primary skills lie in being highly innovative and creative, maintaining high quality standards, delivering on quick turnaround times, and being attentive to customer needs. In 1949, Daniel Lewis, a World War II veteran, graduated from City College of New York with a degree in chemistry. He also earned advance degrees in management and polymer chemistry. Dan worked with several companies in the growing U.S. chemical industry as well as with companies working on space propulsion systems. In the mid-1950s, Dan began to focus on plastic applications for the lighting industry. In 1956, seeing an opportunity in this industry, he and two associates formed RLR. The company over the years occupied space in Chinatown, Brooklyn and finally Long Island. As other companies entered the business, Dan realized that being in New York was a large disadvantage for RLR. He wanted the company to continue profitable operations and to be a career option for his two sons. After much serious thought and analysis, he decided to move the company, his family and many important workers to Atlanta. The Lewis family views the decision as a key for the company and one that has produced many benefits. In New York, many RLR workers were able only to rent housing; in Cobb County, they are able to purchase modest homes. The area has offered many families great educational and employment opportunities. The company employs approxi12 mately 120 people, including about

12 on the senior management professional team. Dan retired many years ago; his two sons, Andrew and Stewart, lead the company today. The Lewises believe in incorporating Jewish values in all aspects of their

Business Sense By Al Shams

personal and professional lives. Their dealings with customers, employees and the community reflect that belief. For their customers, they endeavor to do their best to meet a client’s needs in a fair, competitive, respectful manner. Employees are at the heart of the company’s operations; they are treated as team members with respectful in an understanding and humane manner. On many occasions, employees have had special needs, and the company has responded positively to those requirements. This management style has paid great dividends. The company’s employees have low turnover, high productivity and a flexible attitude when the company needs their help. In the game of life and business, issues are rarely one sided; we each need each other. The Lewis family has a long history of supporting the Atlanta Jewish community as individuals and as a company. They also have helped the community at large in numerous efforts. In our economic system, the primary goal of a company is to be profitable, but as we have seen, a company can accomplish other goals while being profitable. Companies can be a source of dignified human activity (work), provide products and services that enhance life, and make a positive contribution to the community. RLR Industries has checked the above boxes. Job well done; G-d smiles.■ Al Shams is a Sandy Springs resident, a former CPA and an investment professional with more than 30 years’ industry experience. If you have suggestions for Jewish-led companies that are doing well and doing good, contact Al at 770-804-3125 or ashams@acpweb.com.

Put Your People First It was a different world when businesses could succeed solely with the attitude of “the customer is always right.” The complexity of the modern world brings a range of choices and options for people. It is harder and harder to foster loyalty. Plus, the younger generation always seems to be less engaged and more distracted. They want enjoyment over substance. Change is expected, not feared. Bells and whistles are standard, not extras. The question businesses are consistently asking is “How do I get an edge over my competition?” It may seem that we are speaking of customers. In actuality, I am addressing the concerns of hiring, training and retaining excellent employees. In the business world today, competition for the best people is fierce. The pendulum is swinging to where it’s not only the best-run companies that understand the true value of their employees. The word is out that the best way to increase customer satisfaction and to drive profits is to take care of your people first. Why is that? The cycle of business starts when the leaders take care of their employees. Then the employees take care of their customers. The customers support the business. And the business supports the leaders. You will notice where the cycle begins: with the leader’s attitude about

the value of the employees (a peoplefirst mindset). A mindset in which leaders care more about their employees than they do about their customers is critical. Research has proved that the manner in which employees are treated will be copied in the way they treat their customers.

Coach’s Corner By Jason Adler JasonAdler@johnmaxwellgroup.com

So what should an organization do to develop this mindset? According to Quantum Workplace, top-performing organizations know that employee engagement is what drives business results. Engaged employees are more productive, more profitable, more customer-focused and more likely to stay. We know why employee engagement is so important. Now we can explore the three critical steps to creating a workplace where employees are your biggest and best asset. These steps are: Hire correctly; onboard completely; and train continuously. Stay tuned for the next installment on hiring correctly. ■ Jason Adler is a John Maxwell-certified executive coach (www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/jasonadler) helping people and their organizations hire and keep quality employees.

S.J. Gorowitz Turns 25 S.J. Gorowitz Accounting & Tax Services, a boutique CPA firm in Alpharetta that supports expanding and emerging businesses and their owners, celebrated 25 years in business in early November. Stacy Gorowitz, the founding principal and chief executive officer, started the firm in 1991 to give smaller, growth-oriented clients access to executive-level accounting, tax and business advisory support. “A quarter of a century is a long time for a small business to remain operational,” she said. “Not only have we had our doors open for 25 years, but we’ve enjoyed continued growth throughout that time and have become a firm of choice for many businesses and individuals in Alpharetta and the

S.J. Gorowitz Accounting & Tax Services holds a commemorative ribbon cutting with the Alpharetta Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 3.

surrounding areas.” The firm’s revenue has more than doubled since it moved to Alpharetta in 2004. To commemorate the 25th anniversary, the firm published a list of its 25 accomplishments, an outline of its 25 service offerings, and a commemoration to the 25 people and organizations owed thanks for contributing to the firm’s success. ■

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ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

Festival Plans 202 Screenings, 75 Films

17th annual event adds jury awards, Saturday afternoon shows Here’s to another year of another highly anticipated social event: the 17th Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, which opens Tuesday, Jan. 24, with “Alone in Berlin” and closes Wednesday, Feb. 15, with “The Women’s Balcony.” Perhaps the most enjoyable Jewish community event in Atlanta, the festival is comparable to meetings at the synagogue for the High Holidays as a time to reconnect with old friends and with newer ones made at past festival screenings. As in years past, I sat down with the executive director of the festival, Kenny Blank, to find out what’s new that you, as part of the Atlanta Jewish community, might want to know. The Atlanta festival is one of the two largest Jewish film festivals in the world, behind only the originator of the format, San Francisco, which topped 40,000 in attendance over the summer. The festival released its schedule of 55 features and 20 shorts Friday, Jan. 6, and tickets go on sale at ajff.org and by phone at 678-701-6104 on Wednesday, Jan. 18. I began by asking about new elements for 2017. Blank: Well, one of the most obvious changes is our decision to have showings on Saturday afternoons. There still will be no showings Friday evening or Saturday morning, out of respect for observant audiences. This is just in our DNA, a cultural sensitivity to our other Jewish community institutions and those devoted to worship. This shift is in response to increased demand for greater access to these films. We seek inclusivity … building bridges of understanding among diverse groups is more necessary than ever. Ryback: What about themes in the films? Any themes jump out at you? Blank: The themes emerge organically. Of course, there are the familiar subjects that have renewed urgency, given world events and increased nationalism worldwide. For instance, in the documentary film “Keep Quiet,” a fascist politician in the higher ranks of Hungary’s far-right extremist party learns that his maternal grandparents were Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. Under the guidance of an empathetic rabbi, he goes through his own transformation of embracing what he for-

merly denounced. Then there’s our opening feature, “Alone in Berlin,” another true story, in which a quiet, working-class German couple loses their son in the war. This jolts them into defiance, and they begin releasing handwritten postcards throughout Berlin, denouncing the Nazis. Both these films show what is possible when we are true to our inner selves, to defy prejudice and bigotry wherever it rears its ugly head. Ryback: Sounds fascinating. I can’t wait to see the festival begin. What about the learning opportunities following each showing? Panels, Q&As? Blank: We haven’t done our job if we don’t allow for opportunities for dialogue after the movie. So many movies are disposable entertainment. You forget what it’s all about in a day, a week or so. The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival presents stories on film that stay with people for weeks, even years, and spark a conversation. Roughly half the showings feature a Q&A with the filmmaker, actor or expert. Ryback: How many films will there be? Blank: Over 50 features, as well as 20 shorts, altogether shown over 202 individual screenings. The more popular films will have more repeat screenings. Many of these in-demand films will now also be available on Saturday afternoons. For those who have more flexibility, matinee showings during the week are a great option. Ryback: Wonderful. It’s helpful to get an overview of the program. When will the program be available to the public? Blank: This year we’ve decided to push that date a little farther down the calendar — reason being that we didn’t want the hubbub of festival planning and ticket buying to collide with the holiday season. This way, festivalgoers are free to make their selections closer

to the screening dates and with less concern about conflicts in their schedules. Ryback: Yes, people get very excited about the event. Over the years, it seems people look forward to the event as a time to reconnect with old friends. Blank: Absolutely. They can reconnect with people they haven’t seen in a while in the lobby or even waiting in line — that’s part of the experience. Ryback: Kind of a friendly competition — the running for the seats. It brings people of a community together, just as someone reading the newspaper to the rest of the village in the shtetls of older generations. I’m reminded of such a scene in “Fiddler on the Roof.” Blank: So many seem to live in their silos now. There’s more disconnection. Our film festival is an oldschool way of keeping us together as a community, responding to the films one at a time, sharing emotions, tales of personal experience. At the end of the day, it’s a way of connecting with people, finding real community. Ryback: With all the demand for these wonderful films, have you considered expanding the time frame? Blank: The annual festival already spans almost a month. We think the greater opportunities are not expanding the festival, but introducing other programs throughout the calendar year. This past year we introduced our first-ever industry prize, the Icon Award, honoring Jewish filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan, who directed “The Big Chill” and wrote several of the “Star Wars” films. We’ll see more programs like this in the future. Ryback: Kenny, how are you feeling about your leadership experience this year? Blank: I’m just the steward. I am so proud of the incredibly talented

“Our film festival is an old-school way of keeping us together as a community,” AJFF Executive Director Kenny Blank says.

professional team we have, including volunteers, generous sponsors and donors. Somehow this whole enterprise seemed to have taken on a life of its own, now on a sustainable path, allowing us to grow in both numbers and quality, protecting it all for the next generation. Ryback: But what about your role? Blank: My role is to channel all this wonderful energy of the best and brightest in our community, to capture their best thinking and honor it all. I make it a point to hear from everyone as we make decisions about the future of the organization. Ryback: Can I ask what you mean by that? Blank: We’re in the process of raising our industry relevancy both nationally and internationally, collaborating with other festivals. In February we’re hosting the national conference of Jewish film festivals. About 150 people meet every other year for this. We’re also getting more involved with other Georgia film festivals for common interests. So, you see, there’s a lot happening. Ryback: What about our own film festival? What’s new there? Blank: Well, we are moving ahead with jury prizes to complement our audience awards. There will be juries to award prizes for the categories of narrative, documentary and short films, as well as unique prize categories emphasizing intergroup bridge-building, human rights and emerging filmmakers. These will be curated by film industry leaders, both critics as well as academics. ■

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

By David Ryback

David Ryback, a psychologist in private practice and author of eight books, is a consultant and speaker on topics focusing on emotional intelligence and effective communication. He is the head of EQ Associates International and can be 13 reached at David@EQassociates.com.

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ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

5 From 5: Festival Insiders’ Best Bets Our Atlanta Jewish Film Festival preview section this week offers individual reviews of most of the 55 feature films, as well as the full schedule of more than 200 screenings, insights from a few filmmakers and little details you need to secure your tickets. But no one knows more about the festival and its films than the many volunteers who work to put the festival together, so, with the help of the Gina McKenzie, the CEO and president of GEM Public Relations, we asked five festival leaders to name five films they’re eager for festival audiences to see. Steve Labovitz AJFF board president

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

It is difficult for me to limit my recommendations to just five movies. There will be so many great ones, and my recommendation to the community is to see as Steve Labovitz many as they can. With that said, our opening night film, “Alone in Berlin,” is one that should not be missed, and since it is only shown one time during the festival, I think it is a must. The actors involved are superb, including Emma Thompson, one of the stars, and the plot is very interesting as it is inspired by a true story. As you are aware, the wonderful things about our festival include the thought-provoking dialogue that follows. I have no doubt that a very controversial film like “Keep Quiet” will be a very buzz-worthy topic for the duration of the festival and beyond. This movie is about a notorious, anti-Semitic and fascist firebrand who undergoes an astonishing transformation after finding out he is Jewish. I believe this film will be thought-provoking. For sports fans, and I know there are many in Atlanta, including me, I think that two of the movies we will be showing this year are must-sees. One is “On the Map,” which is a documentary, and it deals with the incredible European victory by the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team against all odds in 1977. And the other is “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice.” This one features the racial politics of the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Germany, and it parallels the treatment of Jewish and black athletes. 14 In light of what is taking place

politically, I believe “The Settlers” is a must-see, particularly because of the controversy dealing with the right of Israel to construct the settlements in the West Bank. I think this will also be a very thought-provoking film. I know an interesting discussion will follow. One of the historical films that we show, celebrating the anniversary of an older film with a Jewish theme that is worth seeing, is “My Favorite Year.” I saw this many years ago, and it is a classic comedy. This film is celebrating its 35th anniversary. Also I want to give a shout-out to Brad Lichtenstein from Atlanta, whose film “There Are Jews Here” will be shown at the festival as well. I know Brad personally, and he has put a great deal of work into this documentary. I believe there are many in the community who will find this very interesting since it centers around smaller Jewish communities in the South. Finally, while I can’t select a favorite, I certainly hope that our audience will attend one of our four shorts programs this year. These shorts programs showcase some of the most diverse filmmaking that AJFF has to offer. Spring Asher Festival chair There are 75 films coming to the festival this year, with picks for everyone — sports stories, comedies, Holocaust stories, documentaries and more. We are theater buffs, so we will surely see “Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened,” a behind-thescenes look at a rare Stephen Sondheim flop, with interviews with Sondheim and young star Jason Alexander. “Fanny’s Journey” is the story of a brave young girl who leads a small band of orphans through Nazi-occupied France. It’s a great opportunity to bring history alive for younger auSpring Asher diences. There are lots of sports films, including the documentary “On the Map,” the upset victory of the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team over a Cold War adversary. “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You” is a documentary about his television career, including “All in the Family” and “Maude,” and at 94 he has a new one coming, I have been told. “Abulele” is a family-friendly fantasy film from Israel about a troubled boy in a secret friendship with Abulele,

a mythical creature. Genevieve McGillicuddy AJFF board member “Radio Days,” because it’s a treat to watch (and hear) this nostalgia-driven Woody Allen comedy about a young boy obsessed with radio during its heyday. “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice.” It’s always interesting to get a new perspective on a well-known historical event, and this documentary, about the 18 AfricanAmerican athletes who competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, promises to shed light on this little-known story. “The Freedom to Marry,” a documentary that offers an in-depth look at the struggle for gay people to win the right to wed, is a great example of how the festival showcases stories that resonate deeply in our community. “To Be or Not to Be.” Never miss a chance to see any Ernst Lubitsch film on the big screen with a crowd. This is a crowd-pleasing comedy featuring the unlikely team of Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. “My Favorite Year.” Director Richard Benjamin will be in attendance for this rare, 35th-anniversary screening of his comedic masterpiece, featuring the indomitable Peter O’Toole. Max Leventhal Film evaluation co-chair Narrative films are my preference in moviegoing. I like a moving, surprising and thoughtful story told with great artistry. In terms of documentaries, my preference is similar: moving, surprising and thoughtful, even artistic. For me, the difference is that in a documentary, I look for stories that appeal to the head and teach me something. In narrative, I look for films that speak to the heart and touch a deeply held personal truth. So in alphabetical order, not in a ranked order, my favorites of the films I have viewed or am looking forward to seeing are: “Across the Waters” — A haunting journey through Denmark of the Holocaust diaspora and what it did to Jewish families escaping and to Danish families who were torn apart in the way they chose to abet desperate escape attempts to Sweden. A jazz musician and his family struggle with the Nazi aggression and make a late choice

to leave Denmark. A fishing village is divided between those who will take advantage of the situation and those who see a humanitarian obligation. This is a moving drama, based on a true story, and is beautifully depicted. “Alone in Berlin” — It’s opening night. I have not seen this movie, but with Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson fighting for what’s right in Berlin during World War II, it has me hooked. “Bang! The Bert Berns Story” — We know the hits and the artists. This is a lush life story of the Jewish genius behind the music. Charming, funny and sad, this is a great biopic. It includes a cast of characters reminiscing and teaching the audience about the man they so clearly loved. “Beyond the Mountains and Hills” and “Past Life” — In communities that know war from experience, Israeli film artists tell beautiful, cinéma vérité stories of the complexity and depth of family and cultural life there. I link these two films, though they are very different. What they share are intensity, beautiful acting and strongly crafted filmmaking. “The Settlers” — The hottest topic in today’s news about Israel and the Palestinians is shown with raw footage of settlers in the West Bank. This film will bring to life the most difficult aspect of the Mideast conflict, in my opinion, in a way that is hard to truly comprehend and is educational. I look forward to the discussions after the film. Hazel Gold Film evaluation co-chair Picking just five titles is not easy because this year’s AJFF lineup offers an embarrassment of riches: fiction and documentaries; Holocaust stories; art-house gems; portrayals of Jewish life around the globe (the United States, Europe, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East); and wonderful selections from the Israeli film industry. The titles below are among my favorites, telling stories that continued to resonate with me long after the credits finished rolling: “Fanny’s Journey” — This is a riveting film, based on a survivor’s memoir, of a group of Jewish children in occupied France who must manage to cross the border to Swit-

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ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL zerland and safety. The director, Lola Doillon, has expertly cast the young actors — particularly the girl who plays 13-year-old Fanny. The actors communicate the intelligence and resilience of these children, playing cat and mouse with the Nazi soldiers, who are barely one step behind them. Viewers will be on the edge of their seats, as I was, rooting for them throughout their harrowing journey. “The Tenth Man” — Other films by Argentine director Daniel Burman have already played the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival; “The Tenth Man” may be his most thematically relevant production to date. The film’s fictional protagonist, Ariel, wrestles with big questions: Can he go home again to his country, his family, and, in particular, his often absent father, Usher? His Jewish roots? Why, he wonders, are 10 men required for a minyan? Filmed on location in el Once, the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Buenos Aires, it offers an inside look into Argentina’s Jewish community, highlighting its solidarity but also its economic difficulties, which Usher tries to mitigate with the charitable foundation he runs. Handheld, lo-fi camera work lends this film a documentary feel and communicates the complex relationships and often

chaotic pace that characterize life in Jewish Buenos Aires today; well-drawn characters and ironic humor also contribute to the movie’s charms.

“There Are Jews Here” — This informative and often poignant documentary chronicles the story of Jewish communities in Texas, Pennsylvania, Montana and Alabama, all of them on the verge of disappearing as their member numbers dwindle. As I followed the film’s examination of the history of these small communities and listened to interviews with their residents, who express pride in their pasts and worry for their future, I was reminded how privileged we are to enjoy the many resources of big-city Jewish life in Atlanta, including the AJFF. “The Jews” — In contrast to “There Are Jews Here,” which chronicles the imminent demise of small American Jewish communities, the premise of the French comedy “The Jews” is that many of their countrymen believe

French society is overrun by Jews (the original title, Ils sont partout, translates to “They’re Everywhere”). The film interweaves vignettes that satirize common Jewish stereotypes — “they’re rich,” “they control everything,” “they killed Jesus” — with scenes in which the director, Yvan Attal, confesses to his psychiatrist — hello, Woody Allen — the anxiety he feels over his Jewish identity. Most of the skits hit the comic bull’s eye. The film’s wit is biting, and the topic is especially opportune, given the rise of anti-Semitism in France and throughout Europe. Attal is a director who dares to say what many are thinking but are reluctant to express publicly. “The Settlers” — It’s hard to single out just one Israeli film. I recommend “The Settlers,” in the documentary category. As its title indicates, “The Settlers” recounts the history of the West Bank settlements, how they expanded and the implicit position of some

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key Israeli politicians vis-à-vis their growth. Through a mix of archival materials and interviews (with Jewish settlers and, on occasion, Palestinians), director Shimon Dotan offers the audience a complicated, pessimistic view of the conflict. Opinions on this film are sure to be divided. Just because this is a documentary doesn’t mean the vision Dotan presents is objective, and the omission of any reference to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is striking. But given the passage of the recent U.N. resolution condemning Israeli settlements, Dotan’s film could hardly be more timely, despite — or because of — the controversial argument it makes. OK, I’m going to cheat and add one more title of a film that I can’t wait to see: “Bang! The Bert Berns Story.” As a huge fan of rock ’n’ roll, soul and R&B, I’m excited about this documentary about Berns, a songwriter I’d never heard of despite knowing the many hits he composed and produced in the ’60s. “Twist and Shout,” “Hang On Sloopy,” “Brown Eyed Girl” — the list goes on and on. Narrated by Steven Van Zandt, with interviews with rock luminaries and an insider’s view of the music industry, along with all that great music that Berns created or promoted, what’s not to like? ■

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‘Balcony’ Hits Heights By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

Strong female characters dominate Emil Ben-Shimon’s “The Women’s Balcony.”

Strong Women Comfort Director in Debut By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

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It took Emil Ben-Shimon 15 years of TV work to get his first chance to direct a feature film, but when the opportunity came with “The Women’s Balcony,” he took comfort in the familiarity of the characters. “I know these characters from my childhood,” Ben-Shimon, who will not be able to attend the Atlanta screening, said in a phone interview from Israel. “For me, it’s sort of like my mother and her friends.” He said lead female character in the film, Ettie, played by Evelin Hagoel, is based on his mother. “This was my connection to this story. I feel comfortable with strong women. It’s very natural for me.” That comfort comes through on screen, where the strong female characters are dominant, and was important behind the scenes because he was working with a female screenwriter, Shlomit Nehama, and female producers. He and Nehama developed the story of “The Women’s Balcony” together. She brought the idea of a women’s synagogue balcony collapsing to propel the action, and Ben-Shimon brought the desire to tell a story set in a Jerusalem community. He gained knowledge about the workings of a small shul, as well as inspiration for the main comic-relief character, Aharon (Itzik Cohen), from a grandfather who served as a synagogue caretaker, doing a lot of the little maintenance tasks and handling the big job of rounding up a daily minyan. Before shooting the film, “we made a lot of trips in this particular neighbor16 hood in Jerusalem,” Ben-Shimon said,

emphasizing that the area is packed with “magical streets.” He wanted “The Women’s Balcony” to show how the influx of haredi communities into such Jerusalem neighborhoods has taken a toll the past 10 to 20 years. People who had a certain comfort with their lives and their level of religious observance are being compelled to change their practices or move away. “There are certain rabbis who have a lot of charisma and know how to talk and are preaching, and they take the words and have a certain demagoguery,” Ben-Shimon said. “We wanted to say something about that.” That serious message beneath the laughs sets “The Women’s Balcony” apart from the Aristophanes play to which many observers have compared the film, “Lysistrata,” in which women deny their husbands sex to force them to end a war. Ben-Shimon said the play is just a comedy about the battle between the sexes, but “we didn’t just want to make a comedy.” Instead, the filmmaking team wanted to develop a full range of emotions while saying something about close-knit communities. He said the success of the film indicates that the message has been received. “It makes me feel that the stories that I wanted to tell are finding a good place in the hearts of the audience.” He has been pleasantly surprised that foreign audiences also have appreciated the film — laughing and responding at the proper places. Now he’s eager to find his next film project. “When my first picture is a success, I don’t want to go back to television.” ■

A small Jerusalem synagogue has the joy of a bar mitzvah celebration ruined by the collapse of the balcony holding the women’s section, setting off events that shatter the existing order and establish the true hierarchy of the sexes in “The Women’s Balcony.” The acclaimed first feature from director Emil Ben-Shimon, which received nominations for five Israeli Academy Awards, is the closing night move of this year’s Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The only downside of that selection is that moviegoers only get one chance to spend time with this fictional Sephardic community. No one is killed in the balcony collapse, but the rabbi’s wife is critically injured, leaving the beloved rabbi psychologically incapacitated. The congregants have no building and no leader

and struggle even to gather a minyan in a borrowed space. Enter a charismatic yeshiva rabbi, who offers guidance, structure and a plan to rebuild the synagogue. He also offers new ideas about the depth of observance needed to avoid such a catastrophe in the future and the proper place for women — which isn’t necessarily in sight of the bimah, at least not until new Torahs have been obtained. You’ll have a good idea of what comes next if you’ve ever seen or read Aristophanes — and if you haven’t, shame on you. The pleasure of this film comes from taking the journey with a delightful cast of earnest, real characters. It’s easy to feel that you’re exploring your own beliefs as the women and the new rabbi teach the male congregants conflicting lessons. “The Women’s Balcony” is fun, funny and revealing about several streams of religious life in Jerusalem. ■

‘Alone in Berlin,’ Triumphant in History By Logan C. Ritchie lritchie@atljewishtimes.com Opening the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival on Tuesday, Jan. 24, “Alone in Berlin” is a must-see. The film, which premiered at the Berlinale Film Festival last February, is a fictionalized version of the true story of Otto and Elise Hampel, who wrote postcard messages denouncing Hitler and left them in public places across Berlin from 1940 to 1943. More than 20 years ago, I swore off Nazi-era films after bawling my eyes out while squeezed into the front row of a packed movie theater to see “Schindler’s List.” This dimly lighted, quiet film has changed my mind. “Alone in Berlin” opens with an apartment building full of strange bedfellows: a couple of thieves; a retired judge who hides his contempt for Der Führer; an elderly Jewish woman in a hidden attic apartment; and a couple named Otto (Brendon Gleeson) and Anna (Emma Thompson), who receive bad news from the army. Gleeson is a gentle giant: careful and contemplative as he mourns the loss of his son through woodworking and political action. Thompson’s character feels less actualized, almost too minimalist. I wanted more grieving,

Brendon Gleeson stars as Otto Quangel in the festival’s opening night film, “Alone in Berlin.”

more emotion and more action from her. Gleeson and Thompson move gracefully around each other, never quite connecting until their letter-writing campaign takes front stage. After dropping the first card together, they share schnapps on a patio overlooking the river. Gleeson tells Thompson: “And so we begin. From now on, we are alone.” The film is a study of the loneliness that penetrated the Nazi regime. Quiet piano music and wintry scenes of light snow perpetuate a feeling of solitude. Minimal dialogue and dreary grays and blacks set a hushed tone. But instead of depressing and slow, the film keeps a steady but intriguing pace. “Alone in Berlin” brings forth a heroic and understated effort to discredit Hitler’s government. It is a story many people do not know, and it is one worth seeing. Because of a handful of graphic scenes and mature content, I’d recommend this film for ages 15 and older. ■

ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL EXPERT CONNECT

Keith Schube stands behind wife Maxx and daughter Alana in a scene from “Schube Strong,” showing as part of a program of shorts Jan. 28 and 29.

Adam Hirsch has his second short film at the AJFF.

Local Director Highlights Schube Cancer Battle By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival regularly showcases Israeli movies, other foreign films, and independent films with Hollywood connections, but a local filmmaker’s documentary about an Atlanta Jewish family’s cancer fight has gained a place in the first of four programs of short films this year. Directed by Jewish Atlantan Adam Hirsch, “Schube Strong” tells the story of the resilient Schube women and their battle with cancer. Maxx Schube and daughters Rochelle and Alana are positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation, which increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer. Maxx and Alana are breast cancer survivors, and Rochelle had a double mastectomy as a preventive measure. The 13-minute film will have its world festival premiere Jan. 28 at Regal Perimeter Pointe but was screened last February at Hadassah Greater Atlanta’s Breast Strokes — The Big Reveal, at which the Schubes were the honorees. “You don’t make a short film to get

rich,” Hirsch said. “For me, it’s about the subject matter. I followed Alana to her last chemo session for the film, and the support she had was amazing. It just really shows you the power of this community and how they came together for this family. The fact that the AJFF wanted it in the festival is a huge honor.” “Schube Strong” is the second short Hirsch has directed that has earned a spot at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. In 2013 his film “The Cake Lady” featured the feel-good story of 89-year-old Faye Tenenbaum’s move to assisted living at the Jewish Tower. The film won the audience award for best short film that year. While “Schube Strong” also could win an audience award, it is not part of the competition for jury awards. Both of his shorts stand out from the usual Atlanta Jewish Film Festival fare, Hirsch said. “Israeli and Holocaust-themed films kind of dominate the festival.” Hirsch also regularly produces short features for ESPN and Fox Sports and is the co-founder of Goza Tequila. ■

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Pittsburgh Ties Helped Make ‘Marry’ Match By Elizabeth Friedly efriedly@atljewishtimes.com Eddie Rosenstein’s documentary “The Freedom to Marry” follows activist Evan Wolfson, whose career began with a dismissed 1983 thesis on marriage equality and culminated three decades later in the historic 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage. Rosenstein spoke with the AJT about Wolfson and about his journey in making “Freedom,” which has four screenings at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Rosenstein grew up in Pittsburgh in a tight-knit Jewish community where he came to know Wolfson. Although Rosenstein was closer to Wolfson’s younger brother, he grew up wearing Wolfson’s hand-me-downs and hearing tales of the great Evan. “I would always get a phone call from my proud mother when Evan would be on TV,” Rosenstein said. “Sometimes it was ‘Face the Nation’ or some Sunday morning news show or on the front page of The New York Times.” His mother appears in the film, seated at a kitchen table and beaming at how Wolfson had begun reading The New York Times by the age of 4. Destined to do great things, Wolfson had been approached by filmmakers over the years for stories about his work, but he’d turned all of them down. That is, until Rosenstein sent him a note after the Supreme Court agreed to take the case. Wolfson agreed to see him the next day. “I think one of the reasons he said yes is that if I screwed this up, my mother would never let me live it

Evan Wolfson and Mary Bonauto celebrate victory at the Supreme Court in June 2015.

down,” Rosenstein said with a laugh. “So that’s how this whole thing came about — just sort of Jewish geography.” Two days after their conversation, Rosenstein began work on the project that would last the next 18 months. He dedicated himself to seven days a week, 20 hours a day, to tell the story of Wolfson and the marriage equality movement. “When Evan said that I should make the film and he would give me access to his life, his work and his organization, I came home to my wife and said, ‘What should I do?’ I’ve done this before, and it’s a huge financial and emotional risk for everybody around you,” Rosenstein said. “Luckily, I got her support. She didn’t even flinch.” Once the narrative began to take shape, Rosenstein had the enormous

task of narrowing down to one family among numerous, equally compelling plaintiffs. Ultimately, he chose April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse of Michigan, who filed a lawsuit against their state’s ban on adoption by same-sex couples. Michigan law restricted secondparent adoption to married couples. For a same-sex couple, if the adopting parent died, the remaining parent would claim no rights. “I chose April and Jayne because I find it really hard (to see) how someone could not sympathize with April and Jayne,” Rosenstein said. “The state of Michigan was making the case that they were unfit as parents because children were better off with heterosexual parents, with a mom and a dad. These were women who were raising children who had been abandoned by het-

erosexual moms and left to die in the hospital as drug-addicted infants.” Rosenstein said his own teenage sons inspired his involvement in telling the story of “The Freedom to Marry.” He taught them tikkun olam (repair of the world) and the need to be a mensch, but they still asked what they could do when the world seemed to get only darker and darker. “I thought, ‘You know what? I need them to meet Evan Wolfson and Mary Bonauto and all the other heroes in this movement who didn’t just talk about it but spent their whole lives working on it.’ That’s the story that I thought was most worth telling,” Rosenstein said. “It isn’t necessarily just about same-sex marriage or Freedom to Marry or one particular group’s rights. It’s the idea that change can happen.” ■

The Personal Fight for Marriage ‘Freedom’ By Robbie Medwed

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

The fight for nationwide marriage equality was far more organized and lasted far longer than you probably realize. Same-sex couples began fighting for equality in the immediate aftermath of the Stonewall riots in 1969, and a Minnesota couple even brought a case to the Supreme Court in 1972, when being gay was still considered a crime in many localities. In 1983 a gay, Jewish Harvard Law School student named Evan Wolfson wrote his thesis on the right of lesbian 18 and gay Americans to marry the peo-

Evan Wolfson (right) and others track the progress of marriage rights in “The Freedom to Marry,” being shown Feb. 2, 5, 13 and 14.

ple they love. Wolfson would later go on to argue in courtrooms across the country on behalf of gay and lesbian

couples, and, in doing so, he became known as the founder of the modern fight for marriage equality. Wolfson and the larger movement’s story are the focus of “The Freedom to Marry,” screening at this year’s Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. While the film has some incredible historical educational moments to bring everything into perspective, the bulk of the action takes place in the daily activities of the staff of Freedom to Marry, the advocacy agency headed by Wolfson during the buildup to the Supreme Court arguments and decision in 2015. It won’t matter that you already

know how the story ends (marriage equality won). The power of the story lies in the candid moments that take place behind the scenes and the sheer passion of all of those involved in the fight, especially the gay and lesbian couples and families themselves. The movie gracefully personalizes and humanizes the real consequences so many people faced and serves as a powerful answer to the nation’s current political climate. “Freedom to Marry” is a story worth telling, especially as a new round of attacks on the rights of LGBT people begins across the country. ■

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More Jews Than History Here The documentary “There Are Jews Here” tackles a topic close to my heart: small if not vanishing Jewish communities in America. Some of my ancestors lived in tiny Southern Jewish communities that are no more, and my wife, sons and I lived amid a handful of scattered Jews an hour from any synagogue in rural North Carolina. So I find stories about how Jews end up in unusual places and how those communities do or do not survive endlessly fascinating. November’s Southern Jewish History Conference in one such community, Natchez, Miss., attracted me with its focus on Jews living far from big cities, and a bus ride from Natchez to Jackson was the first time I was exposed to “There Are Jews Here,” although a technical glitch prevented a full screening. The documentary, largely financed by Jewish Atlantans’ Michael and Andrea Leven Family Foundation, looks at four communities: Latrobe, Pa., with 10 Jews in a population of 8,195; Butte, Mont., 30 out of 33,854; Laredo, Texas,

The Latrobe, Pa., Jewish community is reaching its end, but its Torahs have found a new home in New Jersey, as shown in “There Are Jews Here,” showing Feb. 1 and 12.

130 out of 248,142; and Dothan, Ala., 143 Jews out of 68,001 people. All of them have long Jewish histories, reflected in their Jewish cemeteries and beautiful synagogues, and all of them face uncertain Jewish futures. Filmmaker Brad Lichtenstein starts with a line about 1 million Jews living in small towns but doesn’t define his terms. Laredo highlights the issue: With a quarter of a million people, it’s not a small town; it’s just a small Jewish community. It’s also the least interesting of the four stories. Latrobe, about 45 minutes from Pittsburgh, is easily the most interesting story, one worthy of a film by itself. Beth Israel Congregation opened its first building early in the 20th century,

but “There Are Jews Here” captures the Jewish community’s final days, including the last bat mitzvah celebration and the transfer of the two Torahs to a growing congregation in New Jersey. The end also appears imminent for Congregation B’nai Israel in Butte, which is about the same age as the Latrobe congregation. But we learn less about the synagogue than we do about Nancy Oyer, the woman who serves as the spiritual leader despite a lack of rabbinic training, and about the strange, but somehow typically Jewish split between the congregation and Oyer’s longtime predecessor. Similarly, we learn more about the family of Congregation Agudas Achim President Uri Druker and his formerly

Catholic wife, Susie, in Laredo than we do about the city on the Mexican border town or why it is struggling to support even one congregation where two thrived several decades ago. Dothan, with the largest Jewish community of the four, has famously responded to the risk of losing population in a town that’s more than three hours from Atlanta by offering a $50,000 bounty for Jewish families who move there. We see the program in action for one family leaving Los Angeles. Sadly, we don’t hear anything about Dothan’s legendary Hadassah chapter. As a portrayal of individuals, what their communities mean to them, and their decisions about staying and going, “There Are Jews Here” succeeds, particularly in Latrobe and Dothan. But it’s not the film I wanted to see. I want to know how Jews came to these communities in the first place and why their numbers have declined, but Lichtenstein doesn’t provide that history. Still, as long as you are prepared for the stories of a few people instead of a few communities, “There Are Jews Here” is a moving presentation of a slice of the story of Jews in America. ■

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

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ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

Nazis Spared Hollywood’s Pre-War Slings, Arrows By Bob Bahr “To Be or Not to Be,” the 1942 Jack Benny film getting a retrospective showing Feb. 5 at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, is a reminder of Hollywood’s uncertain approach to Nazi Germany leading up to World War II. The film, which premiered just four months after America entered the war, is a satirical sendup by the great German-born director Ernst Lubitsch of the Nazi occupation of Warsaw. But humorous and not-so-humorous jabs at the Nazis in the years before World War II were surprisingly rare in Hollywood. Even though almost all the major studios were founded and run by Jews, some of whom had relatives in Europe who were being menaced by the wave of anti-Semitism unleashed by Hitler’s government, studio moguls were reluctant to confront the Nazis. In his hard-hitting 2013 book “The Collaboration: Hollywood’s Pact With Hitler,” historian Ben Urwand suggests that the studios were intentionally soft on the Nazis. He describes how the Nazi government’s diplomatic consul in Los Angeles, Georg Gyssling, used his influence with the studios to shape and at times scuttle films that were critical of the Hitler regime. Gyssling repeatedly invoked the possibility that American films would be banned in Germany for violating an obscure section of German law warning that if a studio distributed an antiGerman film anywhere in the world, including in the United States, the studio would have all its films banned in the German market and any other countries the Nazis controlled. To avoid such a strong hit to their bottom line, Urwand writes, the studios “collaborated” with the Germans — a word (Zussammenarbeit) the Ger-

man consul used repeatedly in his dip- ry in 1940, “The Eternal Jew.” lomatic dispatches to Berlin. Urwand’s conclusions, particuWith the exception of Warner larly those that point to direct collabBros., the major studios with offices in oration between the studios and the Germany — Paramount, Universal and Nazi government, have been sharply MGM — knuckled under. attacked in the years since MGM notably canceled their publication. an adaptation of Sinclair In the just-published Lewis’s 1935 novel, “It Can’t “From Shtetl to Stardom Happen Here,” about a fic— Jews and Hollywood,” tional takeover of America the noted Holocaust by a fascist government. scholar and film writer Not only were some Lawrence Baron revisits films suppressed or edited the controversy to accuse to meet German objecUrwand of “tunnel vision.” tions, but the number of While he doesn’t deny Jewish characters appearthat Hollywood often deing on screen declined ferred to German pressharply during the 1930s. “To Be or Not to Be” opened sure in the pre-war years, Some of the ones who did in March 1942, by which Baron maintains that the time Germany and the appear, as in Twentieth studios were just one part United States were at war. Century Fox’s 1934 film of a complex web of relaThe Rothschilds, played up tionships that kept the studios from anti-Semitic images of Jews as unscru- taking a stronger stand against the rise pulous international moneylenders. of Hitler’s Germany. Images from that 1934 film even He cites a concerted effort by the made their way into the Nazis’ infaadministrators of the studios’ mandamous anti-Semitic pseudo-documentatory but independent Production Code Office, the failure of Jewish organizations to take stronger action and the American government’s own policy of diplomatic neutrality toward the Nazi government as important factors in the studios’ tepid stand against fascism. In the end, the strongest statement about Hitler’s rise to power in Europe came not from the major studios, but from the great film comedian Charlie Chaplin, who chose as his first sound film “The Great Dictator,” which began preproduction in 1938. Chaplin made From Shtetl to Stardom: Jews and the film, as he did all his productions, Hollywood with his own money and with little care Edited by Michael Renov and Vincent for what official Hollywood thought. Brook Although most of the Hollywood Purdue University Press, 160 pages, studio chiefs tried to talk him out of $25 the project, he went ahead with the

production when President Franklin Roosevelt guaranteed no roadblocks as the production moved forward. It turned out to be the most financially successful film of Chaplin’s long and illustrious career, and it played a crucial part on its release in 1940 in helping sustain the British during the withering German attacks from the air during the Blitz. By the time Jack Benny’s “To Be or Not to Be” hit theaters, Hollywood was in full retreat from its policy of appeasement of Germany. America was in the early stages of a world war in which European Jewry was nearly destroyed and an estimated 55 million people died — proof, if any had been needed, of just how costly that conciliatory policy had been. ■ Bob Bahr and Matthew Bernstein present their “Best Bets of the Atlanta Jewish Film Fest” on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 2 p.m. at Temple Sinai and at 6 p.m. at The Temple. Bob Bahr presents the “Best Bets” program at Temple Emanu-El on Thursday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m.

The Collaboration: Hitler’s Pact With Hollywood By Ben Urwand Harvard University Press, 336 pages, $26.95

Bewitched by ‘Wolves’ in Miners’ Clothing By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

The two sisters at the center of “Dirty Wolves” are based on real siblings, the Touzas, who in the early 1940s helped hundreds of Jews escape persecution via a clandestine route through northern Spain into Portugal and on to the United States. A monument in their honor stands in Jerusalem today. This version of their story adds a 20 touch of witchcraft, a mine, ancient

yew trees and wolves. If that sounds far-fetched, it isn’t. The film’s title, though never fully explained, refers to a forest inhabited by inscrutable hounds that allegedly influence the fate of nearby residents, many of them miners. Some of these miners are political prisoners from the Spanish Civil War, condemned to hard labor instead of being executed by firing squad, a common occurrence in that conflict. During World War II, Spanish dic-

tator Francisco Franco allowed the Nazis to extract the mineral wolframite, which contains tungsten, from mines in the country’s northwestern region of Galicia for use in German armaments. Not only are the sisters surreptitiously funneling Jews across the river into safer lands in the dead of night, but they also are part of a plot to steal wolframite supplies from under the Germans’ noses to stifle the development of munitions. Nor are the two women above selling the stuff on the

black market instead. The film is a tight thriller that shows what people under duress will endure to achieve their goals. Manuela and Candela, portrayed by Marian Alvarez and Manuela Velles, respectively, face danger with stoic determination and precious little guarantee of success. In “Dirty Wolves,” espionage, subterfuge, amorous entanglements, politics, abject cruelty and elements of fantasy during wartime make a weighty mix. ■

ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

Three Classics Feature Three Ways to Entertain By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

Photo courtesy of United Artists/Photofest

Carole Lombard, Jack Benny (center) and Charles Halton plot stage success and Nazi embarrassment in “To Be or Not to Be.”

Mark Linn-Baker and Peter O’Toole star in “My Favorite Year.”

Kippur. It’s a fun and funny and nostalgic for a time in America people can appreciate even if they weren’t alive then, as most of us weren’t. “My Favorite Year,” released in 1982 as Richard Benjamin’s directorial debut, plays up similar nostalgia for the medium that supplanted radio: television. The festival marks its 35th anniversary Jan. 28. The film is set in 1954, the era of live television (when Jack Benny was thriving), and stars Peter O’Toole doing his best Errol Flynn impression as swashbuckling movie star Alan Swann and Mark Linn-Baker as Benjy Stone, a young, Jewish TV writer who idolizes Swann and is ordered to watch him so he stays more or less sober and arrives on time. My favorite scene of “My Favorite Year” is when Stone takes Swann home to dinner at his mother’s apartment. Lainie Kazan plays a stereotypical Jewish mom with a twist: She’s remarried to a retired Filipino boxer named Rookie Carroca, who does the cooking and puts an unusual spin on a kosher meal. Again, the film isn’t about the plot so much as the laughs and the memories, but those are plentiful. Although “Radio Days” is more Jewish and “To Be or Not to Be” is more historically important, I think “My Favorite Year” works best as a movie and is the most consistently funny of the three. All of them are worth seeing again, especially if it’s your first chance to see any of them in a theater. ■

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival brings three classic films back to the big screen for anniversary showings, and all present stories from the entertainment industry within a period of 15 years. The oldest and most interesting historically is “To Be or Not to Be,” being shown Feb. 5 to mark its 75th anniversary. Directed by Ernst Lubitsch, the movie dared in early 1942 to mock the Nazis through a screwball comedy, much as “Hogan’s Heroes” would do on television more than two decades later. Like the Mel Brooks-Anne Bancroft remake in 1983, “To Be or Not to Be” is set in Warsaw at the start of World War II in 1939 and revolves around a married stage couple, Maria and Joseph Tura, played by Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. There’s a thin plot about stopping a German spy, as well as a subplot involving a young pilot (portrayed by Robert Stack in his early 20s) with a crush on Maria, but mostly the movie is about shredding the myth of the German master race by making the Nazis look like fools. The movie has a spot on the National Film Registry, and it’s good, subversive fun. Lombard is the standout in her last role before dying in a plane crash, and most of the supporting players are appropriately slapstick. The one weak link is Benny, whose shtick played much better in TV skits and movie cameos than leading bigscreen roles. Also set during World War II is “Radio Days,” Woody Allen’s love song to the golden age of radio. Released Jan. 30, 1987, it’s celebrating its 30th anniversary with a screening Feb. 2. The film’s period stretches at least from Oct. 30, 1938, during Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” broadcast, through the start of 1944. But the exact timeline isn’t important because Allen isn’t telling a story; he’s just reminiscing with a series of loosely connected vignettes. That’s why it doesn’t matter that Seth Green, playing narrator Allen as a child, never ages. In typical Allen fashion, the film is packed with familiar faces, including Mia Farrow, Dianne Wiest, Julie Kavner, Michael Tucker, Danny Aiello, Tony Roberts, Wallace Shawn and Jeff Daniels. Keep an eye out for Larry David as a Jewish Communist who blares music and feasts on pork chops on Yom

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ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

Women Between Worlds By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival aims to build bridges and educate people across communities in the metro area. Usually, that educational purpose involves teaching others about Judaism or Jewish themes, but the drama “In Between” has a lot to teach Jewish Atlanta about the non-Jewish side of Israeli society. It’s the story of three Arab women, one of whom is devoutly Muslim, sharing an apartment in Tel Aviv, where two of the women, Laila and Salma, are living the cosmopolitan life they might lead in any big city in the world. Except, of course, they are Arabs in Israel, and from the start we get to experience through them the disconnect inherent in being non-Jews in the Jewish state. They go shopping, and the saleswoman keeps a wary eye on them without offering them any help. Salma, doing prep work in a restaurant kitchen, dares to joke with a co-worker in Arabic, only to be chastised by her boss because the sound of Arabic disturbs the diners. And the casual flirting Laila carries on with a fellow lawyer comes screeching to a halt when he suggests doing more than talking and she laughs

off the idea of his taking her home to meet his Jewish mom for dinner. But those discomforts are taken as a part of everyday life, and once firsttime director Maysaloun Hamoud establishes that baseline, she leaves the Israeli-Palestinian conflict behind. “In Between” shows that Israel’s Arabs, particularly the women, have enough problems without obsessing over geopolitical realities. Nour, the devout newcomer to the apartment, is the epitome of a woman whose potential is being stifled by patriarchal assumptions. Salma comes into conflict with her family over her sexuality. Laila’s love life is frustrated by a religious divide. The filmmaking is not flawless — Hamoud could do with some tighter editing — but the storytelling, character development and acting are mesmerizing. ■

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

An ugly duckling emerges from the canals of Amsterdam to become a beautiful member of the Jewish community in “Moos.” The fact that actress Jip Smit isn’t ugly at all is at least part of the point. As Moos, whose independent life basically ended when her mother died and she took on the responsibility of caring for her father, Smit portrays a young woman who has a lot going for her but lacks the self-knowledge to make herself or anyone around her notice. One of the first scenes in director Job Gossschalk’s sweet story establishes Moos’ nonexistence. She and her father attend a big family seder, and the head of the family explains the reasons he’s thankful for each of the people there. Except one. “And Moos,” Moos says quietly,

making sure she’s included in the blessings. Her quest to find her place and not be just the plus-one to her father or anyone else begins with a tryout to attend a performing arts college, where her voice performance involves singing an Israeli song none of the Dutch instructors can understand. She doesn’t pass the evaluation, but the attempt exposes her to a new world and new possibilities. Moos is such a likable person, thanks to Smit’s spot-on portrayal, that you celebrate each success and suffer each setback she experiences. Don’t see “Moos” expecting a lot of surprises, including the development of her love life. But unless your heart is even more shriveled than that of a grizzled newspaper editor, you’ll walk out of the theater with a smile and an appreciation for a simple story well told. ■

Csanád Szegedi finds an ally in Rabbi Boruch Oberlander as he transforms from leading anti-Semite to observant Jew in “Keep Quiet,” playing Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, 7 and 14.

Looking ‘Beyond’ Idea Of Perfect Israeli Family

A Jew in Fascist Clothing

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

A father’s difficulty adjusting to post-military life in Israel is at the center of “Beyond the Mountains and Hills,” a thought-provoking attempt by writer-director Eran Kolirin to depict the realities of a modern-day Israeli family. There’s much more to the story than just the father (David), but it’s his retirement from the military after 27 years that is the tipping point in setting his seemingly perfect family on a confusing ride through Israeli society. David has trouble adjusting to his new line of work and becomes discontented. His adolescent daughter, Ifat, gets caught up in protests of the army and befriends a group of Palestinians living up on the hill. His wife, Rina, begins an affair with a teenage student, and their son, Omri, is driven to drastic 22 action when he finds out about it. JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

“In Between,” being shown Jan. 27 and 30 and Feb. 11 and 14, brings together (from left) Laila (Mouna Hawa), Nour (Shaden Kanboura) and Salma (Sana Jammelieh).

Let’s All Root for ‘Moos’

The themes “Beyond” explores closely mirror the 1999 film “American Beauty” by examining what lies beneath the façade of a perfect family and the bonds that hold people together. Although it might not sound like the most original theme, “Beyond” doesn’t feel stale because Kolirin juxtaposes the family drama with the politically charged atmosphere of contemporary Israel. The film itself is not overtly political, but it’s hard to ignore the constant hunt for terrorists and the bomb scares the characters face on a daily basis. And when Ifat visits the Arab village, we are painfully reminded of the disparity in the standard of living there vs. her family’s. The film’s multiple plot lines feel sluggish despite a brief 90-minute running time, but the payoff at the end and the well-selected soundtrack make this a movie worth checking out at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. ■

Identity is a common topic in movies at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, from issues of assimilation and religious identity to gender and sexuality to discoveries buried under Holocaustescaping secrets. But few films deal with an identity crisis as bizarre as the true story of Csanád Szegedi, the central figure in the documentary “Keep Quiet.” Szegedi was one of the leaders of Hungary’s rising far-right political party, Jobbik, and won a seat in the European Parliament. He reveled in Jobbik’s racism, anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial — until, in a twist worthy of “The Twilight Zone,” a jealous man exposed a secret Szegedi didn’t even know he had. His maternal grandmother was Jewish, making him halachically Jewish. His fellow Jobbik leaders toy with

the idea of exploiting Szegedi’s newfound ethnicity: “How can you say we’re anti-Semitic? One of our leaders is Jewish.” But it turns out that Jobbik members genuinely distrust Jews, and Szegedi finds himself spurned even as he rejects his longtime ideology of hatred. What happens next is the focus of “Keep Quiet.” Is Szegedi sincere in his midlife rejection of fascism and embrace of Judaism, facilitated by a Chabad rabbi in Budapest? Is he just grabbing onto something to ease his fall from Jobbik grace? Can and should people who had been the object of his hatred now accept his fellowship? Director Sam Blair doesn’t attempt to answer those questions. He simply presents Szegedi’s story and his repeated confrontations in travels to Jewish communities around the world. It is up to each viewer to decide whether it’s ever too late for a Jew to find forgiveness. ■

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ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

Norman Lear Helped A Star Is Reborn Make Better Version of Us In Wilshire Sanctuary After years of revolutionizing programming by creating flagship shows including “All in the Family,” “Good Times,” “Maude,” “The Jeffersons,” and “Sanford and Son,” Norman Lear stands on his own in TV history. Directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady allow his legacy to do the same in “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You,” a comprehensive documentary on the life and work of the 94-year-old actor, writer, producer and director. Reminiscences by Lear and cameo commentary from the likes of George Clooney and Jon Stewart, mixed with carefully selected clips, reveal the intent and activism behind Lear’s work. In today’s environment of political correctness, these shows might be censored. But Lear’s characters worked in 1970s America because their issues and stereotypes were real. Archie Bunker was your bigoted neighbor, father-in-law or co-worker. Edith was the submissive wife. Michael “Meathead” Stivic was the hippie sonin-law or boyfriend next door. Maude mirrored the women’s movement and took on groundbreaking issues. In the controversial “abortion episode,” which brought in 65 million viewers and 17,000 letters,

By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com Norman Lear recounts his career in “Just Another Version of You,” screening Feb. 1, 2, 10 and 11.

the words “abortion” and “vasectomy” made their prime-time TV debut. Lear put equal rights in the spotlight as well. Actor John Amos said “Good Times” brought us the “first black family on TV,” followed by “The Jeffersons,” representing “the American dream for black people.” The documentary details the background that shaped Lear, from seeing, at age 9, his father handcuffed and taken to jail, to landing with his grandparents and wanting to be “a good provider,” to earning a scholarship to Emerson College before enlisting in the Army after Pearl Harbor. Regarding his “childlike view of the world,” Lear says, “I have never been in a situation in my life, however tragic, where I didn’t see some comedy.” The documentary might stretch a little too long at the end, but it does a good job of revealing the man who has entertained and educated generations with his brand of realism through satire and activism through comedy. ■

Unforgettable ‘Sonia’ Makes a Big Impact By Janice Convoy-Hellmann There’s a reason why “Big Sonia” won the prize for best documentary and the audience award at the Napa Valley Film Festival and has been nominated for best documentary in AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards: It’s a charming and emotionally moving film, much like the woman it highlights. Sonia Warshawski, the elderly yet fiercely independent Holocaust survivor depicted in the film, is big only in terms of the impact she makes. She’s a petite seamstress of Polish descent who realized late in life that her personal stories of persecution and resilience were part of the reason she survived, so she bore witness to help others. The documentary — made by So-

nia’s granddaughter Leah Warshawski and Leah’s husband, Todd Soliday — follows the 91-year-old on some of her speaking engagements with high school students and incarcerated men. Those talks are juxtaposed with the conversations she has with the loyal customers of her tailor shop, and you begin to understand how this “little, old woman” has touched so many lives. The film’s occasional animation, interviews with her children and friends, and focus on her unique sense of style, including a fondness for leopard print, all serve to humanize Sonia and engage the viewer. This is not like any other Holocaust survivor film you’ve seen, and, if you’re like me, you’re not likely to forget “Big Sonia” Warshawski any time soon. ■

Ties to Los Angeles are not necessary to appreciate “Restoring Tomorrow,” a film about the restoration of the magnificent sanctuary at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple. The sanctuary is the star, from pews that slope toward the bimah as if in a movie theater to the murals that stretch across its walls to massive stained-glass windows and a 100-foot dome, a breathtaking sight for visitors and longtime members. The supporting actors of this 76-minute documentary, which will screen twice at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, are the congregants and clergy who talk passionately about Wilshire Boulevard (founded in 1864 as Congregation B’nai B’rith) and its role in the growth of Los Angeles. “Restoring Tomorrow” was a homecoming of sorts for filmmaker Aaron Wolf, who grew up at Wilshire Boulevard as the grandson of Rabbi Alfred Wolf, who served the congregation

for 36 years. The condition of the aging (finished in 1929) structure lapsed as congregants moved farther west in the California metropolis, a migration that led Wilshire Boulevard to build a campus to serve that population. A decision was needed on the fate of the building at the intersection of Wilshire and Hobart. Should it be sold, in which case it likely would be torn down? Or was maintaining a presence in an ethnically diverse part of Los Angeles, one experiencing an influx of younger Jewish families, worth an investment of more than $150 million? Rabbi Steve Leder told the congregation board that if Wilshire Boulevard removed its roots from the neighborhood, it also would need a new senior rabbi. The film shows how, by restoring the luster of its sanctuary, Wilshire Boulevard planted new roots for its future by expanding the facility to better serve congregants and, as importantly, the neighborhood it calls home. ■

Holocaust Humor: ‘Last Laugh’ Goes There By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

“He who has cried enough, laughs,” says a caption at the beginning of “The Last Laugh.” The words are from German novelist Heinrich Mann, whose own life was infused with tragedy. Whether laughter and humor are appropriate when combined with Hitler and the Holocaust is the subject of this potent documentary, and producer Ferne Pearlstein has assembled a cast of prominent comedians to weigh in. Sarah Silverman, known for being both funny and blisteringly offensive, says, “It’s important to talk about things that are taboo. Otherwise, they just stay in this dark place.” Anyone in a position of authority is fair game, argues Mel Brooks, who has lampooned Nazis and their ilk in classic movies such as “The Producers” and “History of the World: Part I.” Brooks, who wrote the line “Don’t be stupid/Be a schmarty/Come and join the Nazi Party,” approaches what is seemingly off-limits with an attitude of revenge through ridicule. “Anything I

Filmmaker Ferne Pearlstein explores the limits of humor in “The Last Laugh,” being screened Jan. 28 and Feb. 4, 9 and 14.

could do to deflate the Germans, I did,” he says. That is not the case with Silverman and the late Joan Rivers, who showed no compunction in tackling the subject with jaw-dropping candor. Rob Reiner says that although the Holocaust is not funny, there can be humor in what it takes to survive it. The documentary also includes clips from an unreleased film by Jerry Lewis called “The Day the Clown Cried,” in which the main character, incarcerated by the Nazis, accompanies children to their deaths while performing balloon tricks. No wonder the movie 23 was shelved. ■ JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

By Leah R. Harrison lharrison@atljewishtimes.com

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ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

75 Films, 202 Screenings, 23 Days TUESDAY, JAN. 24

Opening Night Gala 5 p.m., Cobb Energy Centre Alone in Berlin 7:30 p.m., Cobb Energy Centre

The Tenth Man 2 p.m., Merchants Walk Our Father 2 p.m., Tara Abulele 2:15 p.m., Perimeter Pointe Big Sonia 4:15 p.m., Merchants Walk

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 25

Paradise 7 p.m., Merchants Walk Zacma: Blindness 7:50 p.m., Merchants Walk

THURSDAY, JAN. 26

Harmonia 4:30 p.m., Merchants Walk Bang! The Bert Berns Story 7 p.m., Merchants Walk Zacma: Blindness 7:40 p.m., Tara

A.K.A. Nadia 7:50 p.m., Merchants Walk

FRIDAY, JAN. 27

Fanny’s Journey 4:30 p.m., Merchants Walk On the Map 4:40 p.m., Tara Shorts Program 1 4:45 p.m., Perimeter Pointe The Last Laugh 7 p.m., Merchants Walk The Pickle Recipe 7 p.m., Perimeter Pointe On the Map 7:10 p.m., Merchants Walk My Favorite Year 7:50 p.m., Tara Across the Waters 9:20 p.m., Merchants Walk Family Commitments 9:30 p.m., Merchants Walk Wounded Land 9:30 p.m., Perimeter Pointe

SUNDAY, JAN. 29

Past Life 11:30 a.m., Merchants Walk The Jews 11:45 a.m., Merchants Walk A.K.A. Nadia 12:10 p.m., Tara In Between 2:20 p.m., Merchants Walk Restoring Tomorrow 2:35 p.m., Merchants Walk Olympic Pride, American Prejudice 2:55 p.m., Tara

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

SATURDAY, JAN. 28

Abulele 1:50 p.m., Merchants Walk

Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened 11:15 a.m., Merchants Walk Shorts Program 2 11:25 a.m., Perimeter Pointe Shorts Program 1 11:35 a.m., Merchants Walk

Forever Pure 12:10 p.m., Tara The Second Time Around 1:40 p.m., Merchants Walk Fanny’s Journey 1:45 p.m., Perimeter Pointe One Week and a Day 1:55 p.m., Merchants Walk Family Commitments 2:30 p.m., Tara Abulele 4:10 p.m., Perimeter Pointe The Settlers

4:25 p.m., Merchants Walk The Children of Chance 4:40 p.m., Merchants Walk Big Sonia 4:45 p.m., Tara The Second Time Around 7 p.m., Perimeter Pointe Subte-Polska 7:25 p.m., Merchants Walk Beyond the Mountains and the Hills 7:40 p.m., Merchants Walk The 90 Minute War 7:50 p.m., Tara

MONDAY, JAN. 30

Keep Quiet 7 p.m., Merchants Walk Body and Soul: An American Bridge 7 p.m., Tara Big Sonia 7:20 p.m., Perimeter Pointe Past Life 7:50 p.m., Merchants Walk In Between 9:10 p.m., Tara

TUESDAY, JAN. 31

The Settlers 3:30 p.m., Tara Forever Pure 3:50 p.m., Perimeter Pointe Our Father 4 p.m., Merchants Walk Forever Pure 6:50 p.m., Merchants Walk Paradise 7:30 p.m., Tara Riphagen 7:40 p.m., Merchants Walk One Week and a Day 7:40 p.m., Perimeter Pointe

Wounded Land 9:10 p.m., Merchants Walk

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 1

Moos 11:45 a.m., Merchants Walk A.K.A. Nadia 11:45 a.m., Perimeter Pointe Dirty Wolves 12:10 p.m., Tara Hanna’s Sleeping Dogs 12:35 p.m., Merchants Walk There Are Jews Here 2:30 p.m., Perimeter Pointe

Keep Quiet 2:45 p.m., Tara Mother With a Gun 7 p.m., Merchants Walk Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You 7:40 p.m., Tara The Pickle Recipe 7:50 p.m., Merchants Walk Our Father 7:50 p.m., Perimeter Pointe

THURSDAY, FEB. 2

Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You 11:45 a.m., Perimeter Pointe The Freedom to Marry 2:30 p.m., Perimeter Pointe Riphagen 3:30 p.m., Tara

Dirty Wolves 4:25 p.m., Merchants Walk The Green Park 6:50 p.m., Merchants Walk Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You 7:40 p.m., Merchants Walk Radio Days 7:45 p.m., Tara Beyond the Mountains and the Hills 7:50 p.m., Perimeter Pointe The 90 Minute War 8:45 p.m., Merchants Walk

FRIDAY, FEB. 3

The Second Time Around 11:55 a.m., Merchants Walk Bang! The Bert Berns Story 11:55 a.m., Tara The 90 Minute War 12:15 p.m., Merchants Walk Family Commitments 12:40 p.m., Perimeter Pointe Hanna’s Sleeping Dogs 2:20 p.m., Tara The Children of Chance 2:35 p.m., Merchants Walk Wounded Land 2:45 p.m., Merchants Walk On the Map 2:55 p.m., Perimeter Pointe

SATURDAY, FEB. 4

Beyond the Mountains and the Hills

1 p.m., Tara Mother With a Gun 1 p.m., Perimeter Pointe Shorts Program 2 1:45 p.m., Lefont Family Commitments 2 p.m., Lefont Harmonia 3:15 p.m., Perimeter Pointe The Last Laugh 3:20 p.m., Tara The Jews 4:05 p.m., Lefont

Across the Waters 4:15 p.m., Lefont Wounded Land 5:40 p.m., Tara Aida’s Secrets 5:45 p.m., Perimeter Pointe On the Map 7 p.m., Lefont The Last Laugh 7:10 p.m., Lefont Across the Waters 7:50 p.m., Tara The Jews 8:25 p.m., Perimeter Pointe Moos 9:15 p.m., Lefont The 90 Minute War 9:30 p.m., Lefont

SUNDAY, FEB. 5

Germans & Jews 11 a.m., Lefont Across the Waters 11 a.m., Atlantic Station To Be or Not to Be 11:10 a.m., Lefont Shorts Program 3 11:20 a.m., Atlantic Station Doing Jewish: A Story From Ghana 1:30 p.m., Lefont

The Children of Chance 1:40 p.m., Lefont Fanny’s Journey 1:45 p.m., Atlantic Station Once Upon a Time … Gett: The Last Interview of Ronit

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ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE Wrestling Jerusalem 7:50 p.m., Lefont On the Map 7:50 p.m., Atlantic Station

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 8

Dirty Wolves 11:50 a.m., Lefont Moos 12:05 p.m., Lefont Past Life 12:10 p.m., Atlantic Station

Olympic Pride, American Prejudice 4:15 p.m., Lefont Restoring Tomorrow 4:20 p.m., Atlantic Station The Freedom to Marry 7 p.m., Atlantic Station Paradise 7:10 p.m., Lefont Riphagen 7:20 p.m., Atlantic Station Past Life 7:25 p.m., Lefont

Wrestling Jerusalem 1 p.m., Atlantic Station Zacma: Blindness 2:25 p.m., Lefont

MONDAY, FEB. 6

Aida’s Secrets 7 p.m., Lefont

The Jews 7 p.m., Atlantic Station Hanna’s Sleeping Dogs 7:50 p.m., Lefont Dirty Wolves 7:50 p.m., Atlantic Station

Mother With a Gun 2:40 p.m., Lefont Dirty Wolves 7 p.m., Lefont The Settlers 7 p.m., Atlantic Station Our Father 7:50 p.m., Lefont Moos 7:50 p.m., Atlantic Station

THURSDAY, FEB. 9

Beyond the Mountains and the Hills 11:50 a.m., Atlantic Station

TUESDAY, FEB. 7

The Children of Chance 12:20 p.m., Atlantic Station The Tenth Man 1:10 p.m., Atlantic Station Subte-Polska 3:50 p.m., Lefont Shorts Program 3 4:40 p.m., Lefont Keep Quiet 7 p.m., Lefont

Mr. Gaga 7 p.m., Atlantic Station

Doing Jewish: A Story From Ghana 12:05 p.m., Atlantic Station Paradise 2:10 p.m., Atlantic Station Zacma: Blindness 2:25 p.m., Atlantic Station The Last Laugh 3:50 p.m., Lefont Mother With a Gun 7 p.m., Lefont Big Sonia 7 p.m., Atlantic Station

Harmonia 7:50 p.m., Lefont Olympic Pride, American Prejudice 7:50 p.m., Atlantic Station

Shorts Program 4 1:10 p.m., Atlantic Station The Settlers 3:15 p.m., Lefont

FRIDAY, FEB. 10

Harmonia 11:40 a.m., Atlantic Station

The 90 Minute War 12:10 p.m., Atlantic Station Beyond the Mountains and the Hills 12:15 p.m., Lefont Body and Soul: An American Bridge 12:25 p.m., Lefont Eva Hesse 2:30 p.m., Atlantic Station Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You 2:35 p.m., Lefont

The Pickle Recipe 2:40 p.m., Atlantic Station Fanny’s Journey 2:45 p.m., Lefont

SATURDAY, FEB. 11

Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened 1 p.m., Lefont In Between 1 p.m., Atlantic Station Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You 1 p.m., Rich Auditorium

Once Upon a Time … Gett: The Last Interview of Ronit Elkabetz 1:10 p.m., Lefont

Riphagen 3:25 p.m., Lefont Bang! The Bert Berns Story 3:25 p.m., Atlantic Station Fanny’s Journey 3:25 p.m., Rich Auditorium A.K.A. Nadia 3:35 p.m., Atlantic Station The Pickle Recipe 5:50 p.m., Rich Auditorium

Ben-Gurion, Epilogue 6:10 p.m., Atlantic Station The Children of Chance 6:15 p.m., Lefont Moos 6:20 p.m., Atlantic Station Forever Pure 6:30 p.m., Lefont Young Professionals Night Party 7 p.m., Center Space Family Commitments 8:40 p.m., Rich Auditorium Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened 8:30 p.m., Atlantic Station The Pickle Recipe 8:45 p.m., Lefont Harmonia 8:45 p.m., Atlantic Station Bang! The Bert Berns Story 8:55 p.m., Lefont

SUNDAY, FEB. 12

Abulele 2:25 p.m., Lefont The Tenth Man 2:35 p.m., Lefont Finding Babel 4:50 p.m., Lefont Hanna’s Sleeping Dogs 4:50 p.m., Rich Auditorium Shorts Program 4 5 p.m., Lefont There Are Jews Here 7:30 p.m., Lefont Past Life 7:40 p.m., Rich Auditorium Ben-Gurion, Epilogue 7:45 p.m., Lefont

MONDAY, FEB. 13

Ben-Gurion, Epilogue 6 p.m., Rich Auditorium

The Green Park 7 p.m., Lefont The Freedom to Marry 7:50 p.m., Lefont Across the Waters 8:20 p.m., Rich Auditorium Wounded Land 8:55 p.m., Lefont

TUESDAY, FEB. 14

The Last Laugh 11:45 a.m., Rich Auditorium Riphagen 2:05 p.m., Rich Auditorium Paradise 3:40 p.m., Lefont Keep Quiet 4:30 p.m., Lefont The Second Time Around 7 p.m., Lefont In Between 7:50 p.m., Lefont The Freedom to Marry 7:50 p.m., Rich Auditorium

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15

Eva Hesse 11:30 a.m., Lefont A.K.A. Nadia 11:40 a.m., Lefont Abulele 2:20 p.m., Rich Auditorium

Big Sonia 11:40 a.m., Lefont One Week and a Day 12:30 p.m., Lefont The Jews 12:30 p.m., Rich Auditorium Closing Night The Women’s Balcony 7 p.m., Symphony Hall Dessert 9:20 p.m., Symphony Hall

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

Elkabetz 2 p.m., Atlantic Station Hanna’s Sleeping Dogs 4:05 p.m., Lefont Aida’s Secrets 4:10 p.m., Atlantic Station

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ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

Jury Duty Begins for 11 The latest addition to the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival as it matures in its teen years is a competition for juryselected prizes. A panel of 11 judges will deliberate over the merits of the 28 feature films and nine shorts included in the competition and select winners in six categories: best narrative, best documentary, best short, emerging filmmaker, building bridges and human rights. The first three categories match the existing Audience Awards categories. Those awards still will be given out, and audiences may vote for any of the films being shown, not just those in the juried competition. The Emerging Filmmaker Prize will go to a rising talent who displays exceptional skill and artistry. The Building Bridges Prize will honor a film that exemplifies the festival’s mission to foster understanding among communities of diverse religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The Human Rights Prize will recognize a film that powerfully captures the perseverance and strength in those whose sense of justice guides them in

the face of bigotry, inequality or persecution. Arik Sokol, a producer for Opus Media Productions, is chairing the inaugural AJFF jury. The other experts: • Features jury — Eleanor RingelCater, film critic for the Atlanta Business Chronicle, and Yair Rosenberg, senior writer for Tablet. • Shorts jury — Eric Kohn, chief critic and senior editor for Indiewire, and Deidre McDonald, founding artistic director of the BronzeLens Film Festival. • Emerging filmmakers jury — Nitzan Gilady, filmmaker, and Nathaniel Kohn, associate director of the Peabody Awards. • Building bridges jury — Bradley Jacobs, film journalist and communications strategist, and Melanie Maron Pell, director of regional engagement for American Jewish Committee. • Human rights jury — Deborah E. Lipstadt, Emory University history professor, and Edith Love, national director of major gifts for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Each jury discussion also will include a local student juror. ■

Photos by Sarah Moosazadeh

Brad Pilcher (left), the festival’s associate director, hangs out with AJC Atlanta Director Dov Wilker.

Sandy and David Abrams enjoy the reception before the big lineup announcement.

Emory University film professor Matthew Bernstein interviews festival Executive Director Kenny Blank about the 17th Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.

Get Your Seats Tickets for the 2017 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival go on sale Wednesday, Jan. 18, six days before opening night, although sponsors and patrons get to reserve seats in advance. The standard ticket price is $13; that applies for general admission to regular screenings that start after 4 p.m. Tickets to earlier shows are $10. Children 12 and younger, students with valid IDs, and people 65 and older can get $11 tickets to evening shows. Tickets for opening night are $18, plus a $3 Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre fee. That ticket does not get you into the pre-film gala, which is open

only to festival sponsors and patrons. Tickets to closing night (including a post-movie dessert reception) and young professionals night (with a prefilm party) also are $18. The best way to purchase tickets is through the festival website, ajff.org. You also can call the festival box office at 678-701-6014, but you’ll have to pay a $2.50 fee for each ticket order. For those films that don’t sell out well in advance, you can buy tickets at the venues on their festival days, starting one hour before the first show and ending 30 minutes after the day’s last film begins. ■

Guests get the red-carpet treatment.

Hollywood History The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival’s sponsors and patrons got a sneak peek at the lineup during a party at the Atlanta History Center on Thursday night, Jan. 5. The general public had to wait until the next morning to learn the titles of the 75 films at the festival Jan. 24 to Feb. 15. ■

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

The Venues

Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway Cumberland area Jan. 24

Lefont Sandy Springs 5920 Roswell Road Suite C-103 Sandy Springs Feb. 4-15

Regal Perimeter Pointe Stadium 10 1155 Mount Vernon Highway Sandy Springs Jan. 28-Feb. 4

Woodruff Arts Center, Rich Auditorium 1280 Peachtree St. Midtown Feb. 11-15

Georgia Theatre Co. Merchants Walk Cinemas 1301 Johnson Ferry Road East Cobb Jan. 25-Feb. 3

Regal Tara Cinemas 4 2345 Cheshire Bridge Road Atlanta Jan. 26-Feb. 4

Regal Atlantic Station 18 261 19th St. Midtown Feb. 5-11

Woodruff Arts Center, Symphony Hall 1280 Peachtree St. Midtown Feb. 15

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ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

A Child’s-Eye View Of Life-or-Death ‘Journey’

‘Children’ Is Sure Thing By Marcy Levinson “Children of Chance” is a wellmade production that provides an unusual perspective on the Holocaust era from the eyes of a Jewish boy in a French provincial hospital. Thanks to an ambulance ride, he narrowly escapes capture by the French police working with the Germans when they forcibly remove his entire family from his Paris home. When his ambulance drivers see the roundup while bringing young Maurice home after he suffers an injury while gambling with neighborhood bullies, and the boy catches a glimpse of his family getting onto a bus, the escorts drive him to the country to hide. That freak accident that lands him in the hospital with a broken hip and a seemingly incurable disease is the miracle that saves the boy’s life. With compassion and care from the hospital’s doctor and doting nurse,

the boys on the sick ward forge lasting friendships — some more than two years — and quirky, familylike dynamics not unlike those in the Broadway show “Annie.” Each character has a rich personality that’s well fleshed out not only in dialogue, but also in the quality of the young actors’ facial expressions. At times it’s easy to forget it’s a Holocaust movie because of the laughter, singing and silliness; at times it’s hard not to hold your breath or simply let the tears fall. This movie has some unexpected ups and downs, but it will touch your heart in many ways. I think the movie is safe for most ages if you are comfortable explaining to your child how during World War II a person could tell whether a boy was Jewish by pulling down his underwear. If that’s too awkward, you might want to limit the film to b’nai mitzvah age and above because it’s a powerful scene. ■

‘Riphagen’: Dutch Devil Wears a Fedora By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

“Riphagen” provides an answer to anyone who believes that the Holocaust was carried out by people who were just following orders or that the Germans alone have the blood of 6 million Jews on their hands. It’s an epic, thrilling depiction of how the Nazi terror provided the cover for and was supported by individual examples of evil across Europe. The film’s real-life anti-hero, Dutch gangster Andries Riphagen, is evil personified — a terrifying accomplishment for a man living under Nazi occupation. He has no conscience in playing the Nazi SD intelligence agency against the Dutch resistance, and he takes so much delight in swindling Amsterdam’s Jews out of their wealth and property before betraying them

that he takes photographs with each family or individual to document the trust in him. All the secrecy and double dealing provide continual opportunities for action and for tense confrontations, and “Riphagen” makes the most of them. Jeroen van Koningsbrugge’s portrayal of Riphagen mixes charisma and menace in a performance that matches the brutality Robert De Niro delivered as Al Capone in “The Untouchables.” And as De Niro’s Capone needed the goodness of Kevin Costner’s Eliot Ness as a contrast, so “Riphagen” offsets van Koningsbrugge with Kay Greidanus as Dutch policeman and resistance fighter Jan van Liempd. It’s van Liempd’s obsession with justice and revenge that drives the second half of the film and adds the nuisance to make the movie much more than a depressing exploration of evil. ■

By Jacqueline Morris Based on a true story, “Fanny’s Journey” tells the saga of sisters sent to a boarding school in France’s neutral zone during World War II to try to keep them safe. All the Jewish children at the school are suddenly sent to an aid organization to try to get them away from danger. They are given new names and taught what to say when they talk to adults they don’t know so they won’t be exposed as Jews. When it is realized that the children’s new home has been discovered and they must flee to Switzerland, the children are broken into two groups, each assigned to an older boy to be in charge. But the older boy assigned to Fanny’s group gets scared and runs away, and although she is not the oldest remaining child, the 13-year-old Fanny is the most capable to make decisions and finds herself in charge of eight other children. A Holocaust movie always needs something to make viewers experience events differently or think of something they have never thought of before. This film does just that. As the

Fanny (Léonie Souchaud) leads a group of fellow Jewish children fleeing France for Switzerland in “Fanny’s Journey,” being shown Jan. 28 and 29 and Feb. 5, 10 and 11.

movie progresses, it becomes evident that this story comes from the memory of a child. The way the children survive, what they think about, what they say and the actions they take are all presented as a child would perceive them. The decision-making process is different for them. They don’t think about fear the way adults do. They are less afraid of what is happening because they were told to be afraid of monsters and don’t necessarily associate that word with other human beings. “Fanny’s Journey” is an amazing experience. Seeing the decisions of Fanny and the other children is thought-provoking. I highly recommend this movie; it will prove worth your time. ■

No Sugarcoating Across Danish ‘Waters’ By Rachel Fayne Gruskin

Nicolo Donato’s World War II drama “Across the Waters” surprises in its gritty depiction of life on the run for a Jewish family living in Denmark under Nazi occupation in 1943. The film follows Arne Itkin and his family, who, when faced with deportation to Germany, attempt to flee to the safety of Sweden. But the Gestapo is rarely far behind. The audience watches through the gray lens of war as Arne (David Dencik), his wife, Miriam (Danica Curcic), and their young son, Jakob (Anton Dalgård Guleryüz), navigate both the fear of death and the hope that is almost constantly at their heels. Aided in part by the kindness of Danish citizens and husband and wife Niels and Katrine Borge, the family watches as others are rounded up and deported while they try their best to avoid being found. The grim scenes of crooked Dan-

ish fishermen trying to make a buck off the family’s plight, of narrow escapes through thickets in forests and of the storming of Jews’ homes are here. But they’re balanced with the kindness shown by Danish strangers, the hope of narrow escapes and the enduring spirit of a Jewish family. This is far from a gratuitous war film. Those who appreciate a love story that is not saccharine but is based in truth will enjoy this film. A husband and wife searching for and finding each other through the seemingly impossible obstacles set by the Gestapo will touch even the most cynical viewers. Skip this one if you need a happy ending, though. Although the love story does persevere, the family sees its share of tragedy as the camera takes the audience through the end of the war and eventually out of Denmark. The end is abrupt, but after the last scene, the blow is softened by a photograph you’ll 27 want to see. ■ JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

Boys are safe from Nazi persecution in a hospital in “Children of Chance,” being shown Jan. 29 and Feb. 3, 5, 7 and 11.

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ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

Zooler (Tomer Kapon, left) supplies the pot to Eyal Spivak (Shai Avivi) and the only laughs to “One Week and a Day,” being shown Jan. 29 and 31 and Feb. 15.

Long, Unfunny ‘Week’ By Logan C. Ritchie lritchie@atljewishtimes.com “One Week and a Day” is billed as an Israeli comedy about a middle-aged couple dealing with grief by smoking marijuana. Perhaps it would have been funnier if I also had been smoking marijuana. (Disclaimer: When reading this review, you may want to consider that during 18 days of winter break with three sons, my film watching was limited to “Home Alone,” a holiday classic; “Nine Lives,” a terrible switchingbodies movie my kids found to be hysterical”; and “Sing,” fun for kids and adults.) After setting the initial scene — Vicky (Jenya Dodina) and Eyal Spivak (Shai Avivi) are burying their 23-yearold son after an illness — “One Week” offers an awkward neighbor conflict and no other action until the one-hour mark. Eyal is the ultimate child, even be-

fore he gets high. When his neighbor tries to deliver a salad, he hides in the bushes, then tries to lock the visitor out of his house. His wife arrives home to catch him smoking a joint, and he hides from her on the staircase. Vicky, who maintains a stoic, lifeless expression throughout the film, wants her husband to return to his job and take responsibility, but he blows her off. Tomer Kapon, who plays the neighbors’ son, Zooler, redeems the film again and again with his stoner shenanigans. He plays air guitar, snoops around the Spivaks’ home, and rolls more joints than two people could smoke in an afternoon. “One Week and a Day” takes a heartbreaking subject and turns it into a silly charade. I just don’t think it is funny enough to be billed as a comedy. If you’re going to see one movie at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival about the loss of a child, see “Alone in Berlin” instead. ■

Echoes of Holocaust Shatter Family Harmony By Jacqueline Morris

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

“Past Life” interweaves the story of an Israeli family with two successful daughters and the former life of their father, a prominent Israeli physician, as he was escaping the Holocaust in Poland. The younger daughter, Sephi, is a musical protégée, and through her international touring she discovers there is more to her father’s past than she and her sister have been told. The shadow of doubt and guilt looms across this entire movie. It keeps changing and making you wonder: How can everyone throughout the movie have a different view of the same action? The film shows the natural human tendency to deflect guilt, even to someone with whom you have integrated so much of your life. The movie keeps 28 you on your toes, continually changing

what you think you know. As the plot unfolds and sisters Sephi and Nana unravel more of their father’s history, the family becomes more and more divided. Will the emotions the sisters confront hurt and hinder them, or could they help in some way create understanding in their own lives? Can their relationship with their father be fixed, or is the looming distrust going to consume each of their lives? Can the young solve the issues and the mysteries of the older generation? Is the older generation, which experienced the horrors of the Holocaust and its aftermath, willing to reconcile with one another? Can a new friendship salvage a relationship from the past or help to heal the wounds? If you like suspense, coincidences, family drama and music, this movie is great and worth the time. ■

Elkabetz’s Fond Farewell By Janice Convoy-Hellmann

Regardless of whether you were lucky enough to have seen the 2014 Israeli-French drama “Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem,” which starred Ronit Elkabetz and was written and directed by her and her brother, Shlomi, the documentary “Once Upon a Time … Gett: The Last Interview of Ronit Elkabetz” is worth seeing. It explores the impetus for the Elkabetz siblings to make “Gett” and the trilogy it completed (first was “To Take a Wife,” and second was “Seven Days”). The documentary, which uses excerpts from “Gett” itself, along with interviews with the Elkabetz siblings, the actors from “Gett” and film historians, enlightens the viewer not only about the making of the 2014 film, but also about the clash of tradition and modernity, as well as civil and religious law, in Israel. The Hebrew word gett means divorce, and this documentary also sheds light on how marriage and divorce, which are governed by the Orthodox rabbinate in Israel, affect Israeli society in general and Israeli women in particular. Elkabetz is considered to be one of the great luminaries of Israeli film, but

Some of Ronit Elkabetz’s final comments about acting are in “Once Upon a Time,” which screens Feb. 5 and 11.

sadly she lost her battle with cancer in April. Given that this documentary was completed only weeks before her death, it contains some of the last footage of her discussing her exceptional craft. At her funeral, Shimon Peres called Elkabetz “an extraordinary cultural ambassador for the state of Israel,” adding that “on the various stages of the world, Ronit represented the citizens of Israel and the state of Israel with great pride, creativity and beauty.” This documentary, a personal glimpse into Elkabetz’s process during and after the making of “Gett,” is a tribute to an Israeli film icon that should not be missed. ■

Ben-Gurion’s Final Word By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com

“Ben-Gurion, Epilogue” exists only because the silent film of a 1968 interview discovered in a Jerusalem archive was married to audio reels found at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be’er Sheva. “Epilogue” presents an 82-yearold David Ben-Gurion, five years after he resigned as prime minister of Israel, living at Kibbutz Sde Boker in the Negev, where he insisted on being addressed as “David.” The conversation at the heart of “Epilogue” was conducted in English and is supplemented in the 70-minute film with snippets from previous interviews, photographs, and historical footage, including television newscasts. In “Epilogue,” which will screen three times at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, Ben-Gurion reflects on his political life and retirement, Israel’s progress toward living up to its virtues, and his relationship with his wife, Paula, who died just four months before the

1968 interview. Ben-Gurion, who left Poland in 1906 dedicated to the Zionist cause, delivers his assessment a year after the 1967 Six-Day War: “I knew that we were entitled to the whole of Israel. This was our country. It was never a Palestinian people. There was never a Palestinian state, and we never gave up on our hope to come back to our country, and it is our country.” But if forced to choose, Ben-Gurion makes clear that he would return territories captured in 1967, except for Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, for peace with Israel’s Arab neighbors. Paula Ben-Gurion, the Russianborn American he married in 1917 in New York, appears in an interview from a few years earlier. When the retired Ben-Gurion insists that “I can exist without politics,” his wife interjects, “No, you can’t. It’s born in you.” “Epilogue” also includes a brief scene of Ben-Gurion with physicist Albert Einstein, a side-by-side of two of the most famous heads of hair in the 20th century. ■

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ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

‘Babel’ Towers Above Most Documentaries

Olga (Julia Vysotskaya) and Helmut (Christian Clauss) are two of the three central figures in “Paradise,” which is being shown Jan. 25 and 31 and Feb. 5, 9 and 14.

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

Isaac Babel’s life, death and genius are featured in “Finding Babel,” being shown Feb. 12.

and the dramatic readings of Liev Schreiber. Clips from a silent Russian film provide the visuals for excerpts from Babel’s short story collection about his hometown, “Tales of Odessa.” For Americans unfamiliar with Babel’s work, those illustrated dramatic readings would have been enough to make the film entertaining and interesting. But “Finding Babel” rises above a mere biographic tribute, thanks to two features that add a personal, intimate feel: Andrei Malaev-Babel’s guided tour of key places in his grandfather’s life in Ukraine, Russia and France, and an interview he did with his grandmother Antonina Pirozhkova, Babel’s widow, a few years before she died. Directed by David Novack, “Finding Babel” is documentary filmmaking at its best: It educates through great storytelling. ■

‘Park’ Accommodates Sweet British Memories By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

For more than 40 years, the Green Park Hotel in Bournemouth was a central point for Anglo-Jewish activity in Great Britain. Shot over 12 years, the documentary “The Green Park” lets us inside its art-deco environs to see why it was such a quintessential place to be. “It became a nexus of Anglo-Jewish social life,” says one of many former guests interviewed for the film. Glamour prevailed during its heyday as successful Jews came to the seaside town for vacations, lured by top-notch kosher food and a return to their roots. Women danced with gigolos while their husbands played cards, another guest says, and American soldiers stationed in England came to celebrate Passover. It was a great place for mixing and matching, another guest recalls. Parents sent their kids there to meet

future spouses, so the Green Park became the preferred location to make a shidduch — an introduction that could lead to matrimony. The film addresses the many changes British Jews went through during the period the hotel was in business: identity, integration, assimilation and the difficulty of keeping traditions. The owner, Ruby Marriott, bought the place in 1943 with borrowed money after failing to enlist in the war effort because of poor eyesight. He ran it with help from his wife and her four sisters and closed it in 1986 as the advent of cheap foreign travel took hold. The beautiful building was torn down and replaced with generic flats. Archival footage is plentiful and used well, and the narration is succinct and informative. The weak link in the film is a series of contrived re-enactments by some rather stiff actors that does nothing to enhance this otherwise fascinating bit of history. ■

‘Paradise’ Lost and Found By Josh Jacobs

“Paradise,” Andrei Konchalovsky’s latest fare and winner of the Silver Lion at Venice last summer, is an arresting and uncomfortable depiction of the Holocaust and paints an unrelenting portrait of the futility of its devastation. Shot in black and white in a 4:3 aspect ratio and set off by flashbacks, “Paradise” is told through confining, documentary-style confessionals of three irrevocably connected characters as they work through their sins to settle their lives before something occurs, which we later realize is death. Konchalovsky succeeds well enough that “Paradise” is Russia’s submission for the Oscar for best foreign language film this year. While I struggled with a waning attention span, Konchalovsky uses every second of the 131-minute film to trap the audience in the disasters his characters experience. With long takes and an aversion to close-ups, he

can treat the audience as a (mostly) unspoken character, someone whose omnipotence is notable in each character’s journey. In a high-concept move, Konchalovsky integrates the audience into the framework of the narrative, reminding us that we are all an audience for one another and that we can forgive and we can transgress because we are human. The three characters are Olga (a member of the French Resistance), Jules (a French Nazi collaborator) and Helmut (a high-ranking officer of the SS); their intersection is Olga’s arrest. She has been hiding and protecting Jewish children from the Nazi regime, and Jules is assigned her case. While she offers all that she has to protect the children from the Nazis, it isn’t enough for Jules, who is so blinded by money and power that he turns her over to the party. As Olga moves toward what seems an inevitable martyrdom, “Paradise” drives home the compelling concept that everything is connected. ■

‘Germans & Jews’ And Conflicted History By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com The Holocaust ended with Germany’s defeat in World War II, but the harsh reality and memories still resonate with many survivors and Germans. “Germans & Jews” explores the present-day attitudes of Jews and nonJews in Berlin. Guilt, grief and sadness are among the emotions non-Jewish Germans feel after learning about the Holocaust, but do they share the same opinions about the atrocities of the past? Interviews with professors, teachers and journalists reveal a generational clash between those who committed the crimes and those who wish to hold them accountable.

A dinner among Jewish and nonJewish Germans throughout the documentary reveals common perceptions within both groups. Because most nonJewish Germans have never met any Jews, they feel awkward about what to say and how to approach the subject of the Holocaust. On the other hand, the documentary portrays many Jewish Germans at ease with their homeland. The film also documents the backlash of young Germans who no longer feel connected to the past or the Holocaust. German millennials would like to move on from the Holocaust. Meanwhile, refugees and immigrants from the Middle East are carrying anti-Semitic ideology throughout 29 Europe.■ JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

Before seeing “Finding Babel,” I’d never heard of Isaac Babel, a Jewish writer during the first couple of decades of the Soviet Union until he fell victim to Stalin’s purges. My knowledge of Russian literature — Babel wrote for a general audience in Russian, not Yiddish — skipped from Dostoevsky and Tolstoy to Solzhenitsyn. But I’m eager to dive into Babel’s works after watching this documentary about the writer and about his Russian-American grandson’s journey of discovery into the family’s past. Babel, who grew up in the thriving, cosmopolitan Jewish community of Odessa in Ukraine, was in his mid20s when he assumed a Russian name to serve as an embedded reporter with a cavalry unit fighting in the SovietPolish war of 1920. Babel recorded his experiences in a diary, which he later used as the basis for the story collection “Red Cavalry,” which covers the savagery of war and the suffering of the Jewish population caught between two armies rife with anti-Semitism. The movie brings to life excerpts from “Red Cavalry” through animation

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ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

Giving Conflict a Kick By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com After repeated failed efforts to negotiate peace between Israel and the Palestinians, only one option remains. A soccer match. The winner stays on the land both claim; the loser looks for a new home. That is the premise of “The 90 Minute War,” an 84-minute mockumentary that will screen five times at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The title comes from the length of a soccer game, played in two 45-minute halves. Israeli director Eyal Halfon wants audience members to feel that they’re getting an inside look during this satirical what-if story. A mock TV correspondent appears periodically. The filmmaker uses up-close and personal interviews with the (not real) heads of the Israeli and Palestinian soccer federations, who lay out a mix of real issues and fictional situations. The fake documentary includes an Israeli checkpoint where members of the Palestinian team are harassed and

their bus turned around, familiar accusations exchanged by the Israeli and Palestinian protagonists, and references to Gaza tunnels, used in the film to smuggle in a Palestinian who plays in Germany. How an Israeli Arab player, who wrestles with somewhat divided loyalties, finds a way out of his dilemma will not be divulged here. There are relaxed, even friendly moments. The Israeli federation chief offers his antacid tablets to his Palestinian counterpart during a heated meeting, and they share photographs of their grandchildren and children over drinks at a tavern near the Portuguese stadium where the game will be played the next day. Knowledgeable fans will chuckle at the film’s jabs at soccer’s international governing body, and fans of the English Premier League will chuckle when the Israeli and Palestinian chiefs jointly reject a particular referee. The outcome of the game? You’ll have to buy a ticket to “The 90 Minute War.” ■

Pride and Prejudice In ’36 Olympic Glory By Tiffany Parks

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

Jesse Owens wasn’t the only African-American athlete who won a gold medal at the 1936 Olympic Games. Seventeen other African-Americans competed that summer in Berlin, and Atlanta filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper’s documentary, “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice,” tells the fascinating journey of those forgotten athletes. The viewer will appreciate Draper’s voluminous, bold, narrative style and Blair Underwood’s compelling voice as the narrator. Underwood is also the executive producer of the film. Through rare archival footage, interviews with current athletes and with the descendants of the 1936 athletes, and intense newspaper headlines, Draper establishes the raw tension surrounding the 1936 Olympics. Hitler’s anti-Semitic views were known worldwide, and the American Jewish community wanted the United States to boycott the Olympics if they were held in Berlin. But the Olympics would give African-American athletes a chance at a better life. After much debate, the U.S. Olym30 pic team — including two black wom-

Photo courtesy of Olympic Pride, American Prejudice LLC

Steaming to Europe on the SS Manhattan in July 1936 are (from left) James LuValle, Archie Williams, John Woodruff, Cornelius Johnson and Mack Robinson. Their story is told in “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice,” showing Jan. 27, Feb. 5 and Feb. 9.

en and two Jews, went to Berlin. The film suggests that Owens becomes an icon because of the media’s insatiable need to pit a gold-medalwinning African-American against Hitler’s racist ideology. Consequently, the rest of the athletes become footnotes, even though the media’s fascination with Owens eventually fades. Draper’s documentary is not a nicely packaged story. It displays the ugliness of racism in America and in Germany. But there is the hint that America’s diversity and the promises of its Constitution will be forces for good in the long run. The athletes’ success should instill pride in the audience. ■

‘Pure’ Racism Stars In Beitar Soccer Story By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com The passion of soccer fans is legendary. In Israel, none are more dedicated than fans of Beitar Jerusalem and, within the black-and-gold faithful, the supporters group known as La Familia. The devotion of La Familia knows no bounds — almost. In March 2013, when Zaur Sadaev of Beitar scored a crucial goal in front of the home fans, hundreds stormed out in protest because Sadaev is Muslim. Beitar’s only previous Muslim player, a Nigerian, left in 2005 after a half-season. The club has never signed an Arab. La Familia chants with pride that Beitar is “the most racist club in the country.” Filmmaker Maya Zinshtein tells this story in “Forever Pure,” an 85-minute documentary to be screened four times during the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Zinshtein was granted access to the team’s owner, management and players and interviewed its fans. When the team’s Russian-Israeli owner signed two Muslims from Chechnya (one being Sadaev) in January 2013, La Familia erupted. Angry fans shook fences and screamed epithets outside the Chechens’ first practice session. In the course of a turmoil-filled season, La Familia

Beitar Jerusalem owner Arcadi Gaydamak stands among the fans during the drama of “Forever Pure,” playing Jan. 29 and 31 and Feb. 11.

displayed a banner in Hebrew that read, “Beitar, pure forever.” The team’s offices were torched, destroying decades of memorabilia. The club was founded in 1936 as part of the Beitar youth movement. Over the years, it won several league and cup titles, but financial instability and coaching changes saw the team bounce in and out of the top division. Beitar’s fan base is drawn from the working classes, particularly the Mizrahi community. The club is also popular with politicians, notably from the political right. La Familia earned an ugly reputation by abusing Arab, Muslim and black players on other teams, ignoring team management’s efforts to rein in its behavior. Since “Forever Pure” was shot, the Chechen players have left, and the club has changed ownership. La Familia remains. ■

Basketball Offers Map For Israel’s Way Back By Patrice Worthy In 1977 basketball became more than just a sport for Israel; it represented the Jewish state’s triumphant position on the world stage. The documentary “On the Map” follows the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team on its run to the 1977 European Cup championship, which restored Israeli hope and pride after the humiliation of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. When Tal Brody, an American player drafted by the NBA, joined the Maccabi team, it was a game-changer, and other American basketball players followed. Together, the men became a force to be reckoned with on the court. Written and directed by Dani Menkin, the story is set against historical events such as the oppression

of Russian Jews and the tragedy at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The stakes were high, and for Israel every game was slaying a Goliath. You don’t have to be a basketball fan to be enthralled in the drama of this documentary. The genius of the film is that Menkin uses the journey of the Maccabi team to represent the story of the Jewish people, complete with defeat, struggle, glory, and, ultimately, triumph in the face of hate. The parallels Menkin draws between the Maccabi team and the Jewish nation are fascinating and unexpected. By the end of “On the Map,” viewers are cheering for Israel, on and off the court. The film is the quintessential underdog story of how a small, upstart nation used a basketball court to make a name for itself on the world stage. ■

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‘Wrestling’ Matches Pain, Justice Across Holy Land By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com You won’t see a better or, after recent U.N. and U.S. actions, more timely movie than “Wrestling Jerusalem” at this year’s Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, but that doesn’t mean you’ll like it. The film is a 90-minute showcase for actor and playwright Aaron Davidman, who brings his one-man show about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the big screen. Davidman vividly portrays 17 characters, Jewish and Arab, to demonstrate that nothing is simple when claims to the Holy Land are personalized. Davidman sets the tone from the start when, cutting from a dressing room to a desert to a stage and back again, he races through a series of possible explanations for why peace remains a distant dream. “You might say” it goes back to 1967 or 1948 or 1947 or 1929 or the entire British Mandate or any of several massacres. In those opening moments, you know Davidman isn’t taking sides but is sharing his anguish that Jews and Arabs can’t get along in part because they can’t stop looking back.

The start also establishes that director Dylan Kussman does much more than film his star on a stage. Kussman shoots Davidman amid the tortured beauty of the land and emphasizes the dramatic differences of opinion with jarring jumps between locales while maintaining the continuity of the monologue. Davidman includes some jokes and funny moments, but the two most memorable scenes are angry, sad and raw. In one, Davidman re-creates a visit to an Arab village, where he has one of the best meals in his life but also watches as an armored Israeli military vehicle rolls through town and is confronted by angry youths. In the other, he depicts an argument with an American Jewish medical student who volunteers in a hospital in Hebron and marches with Palestinian protesters every week. It starts with “Hamas is the lesser of two evils” vs. “Hamas is a gang of fascist zealots” and escalates from there. But if you can’t approach the conflict with an open mind or at least sympathy for both sides, you’ll probably want to grapple with a different film. ■

‘Abulele’: Where in Israel The Wild Thing Hides By Michal Bonell michal@atljewishtimes.com The Israeli film “Abulele” is an “E.T.”-style fantasy about an isolated 10-year-old boy named Adam who is dealing with the death of his older brother in a car crash. He is befriended and protected by a creature, Abulele, who is being hunted by special military forces. As in “E.T.,” the lonely boy must find a way to protect his new supernatural pal, in this case with the help of two unexpected friends.

The fantasy goes beyond the friendly monster. Director Jonathan Geva sets his movie in a green, beautiful and modern Israel where the lifestyle is quite Americanized. The music, scenery and special effects enhance the suspense and deliver exhilaration. The story is heartwarming as we learn more about the characters and how they are all connected to Abulele. I did not expect to enjoy a children’s movie, but it is beautifully made, funny, suspenseful, sensitive and heartwarming. ■

By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

“A.K.A. Nadia” explores the depth of human emotion and one woman’s will to survive. After eloping with a PLO activist to live in England, Nadia quickly discovers that life is not what it appears to be. A twist in the narrative leaves Nadia desperate to find her way back home to Jerusalem through any means necessary. Forged documents provide Nadia a new identity as an Israeli Jew named Maya, but can she make amends with the Palestinian family she left behind? Twenty years after returning to Israel, Nadia has used her false identity to start a new marriage and raise two children with a Jewish man in East Jerusalem. But will her buried secrets threaten the life she has created for herself and her family? How much is she willing to risk after a chance encounter with an old love jeopardizes everything she holds dear? As Israelis and Palestinians struggle over Israel’s right to exist, Nadia finds herself fighting her own inner

Neta Shpigelman plays the title character in “A.K.A. Nadia,” showing Jan. 26 and 27 and Feb. 1, 11 and 12.

battles and caught between two worlds. Political views, cultures and religious beliefs are put to the test when Nadia’s daughter becomes deeply involved in Israeli and Arab entanglements. Audience members will think and talk about “A.K.A. Nadia” long after the movie is over. The narrative confronts the tragedy of a love lost and found, the importance of trust, and the ties that bind. Tensions between Jews and Arabs are exposed as each side strives to live in the other’s world. The winner of the Israeli Critics’ Forum Award at the Jerusalem International Film Festival and a nominee for five Israeli Academy Awards, “A.K.A. Nadia” unmasks the tensions that reverberate across present-day Israel. ■

Wounds Run Deep In Disturbed ‘Land’ By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com It’s no surprise that an Israeli film named “Wounded Land” revolves around a terrorist bombing, but writerdirector Erez Tadmor toys with expectations throughout the movie. That shift begins with the setting in Haifa instead of the more common terrorist targets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv or the front lines of the conflict in the West Bank. More important, the film begins as a story of police corruption and the struggle of one officer, Kobi Amar (played by Roy Assaf), to balance his professional responsibility and his loyalty to his commander and mentor, Yehuda Neumann, who personifies excess and abuse of power. Even after a would-be suicide bomber forces the police to stop fretting about corruption, “Wounded Land” doesn’t follow the standard path. We don’t see the bombing or get a clear idea of its toll, although the devastation is extensive. Instead, the film proceeds in two

directions. At the hospital — a dirty, broken-down center, not a gleaming example of Israeli medical excellence — anger at the surviving bomber and frustration at delays in treatment unleash anti-Arab sentiments against the medical staff. Meanwhile, Kobi and Neumann stop caring about anything except the fate of their missing sons. The acting is good, but the plot is so intense that it leaves little room for the nuance required for a great performance. The exception is Dvir Benedek as Neumann, whose hospital room confrontation with the terrorist is the kind of scene that wins awards. Overall, Tadmor delivers a gritty, dark portrayal of police life that deserves a place among American films ranging from “Serpico” to “End of Watch,” with the addition of a terrorist story that could as easily have been set in Istanbul, Paris, Brussels or Berlin. Perhaps that’s the most unexpected revelation: As Israel’s filmmaking reaches world-class levels, many of its 31 stories have become universal. ■ JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

Aaron Davidman searches for answers about the Holy Land in “Wrestling Jerusalem,” being shown Feb. 7 and 8.

‘Nadia’ Personalizes Both Sides of Conflict

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Go ‘Gaga’ for Dance By Marita Anderson “Mr. Gaga” is a documentary profiling the life and work of Ohad Naharin, an Israeli choreographer and the director of the Batsheva Dance Group, based in Tel Aviv and renowned all over the world. This film is about the art of dance and offers a rare look into the unforgiving life of professional dancers, who dedicate their bodies and emotional essence to their craft. Even if you are disinterested in dance, it is an excellent film worth seeing and talking about, as it touches on the complexity of artistic expression and the demands of rule-breaking genius. However, if you are passionate about dance, you will see that Naharin’s work brings the wild animal of soul to light on the stage, where the audience can see it in full view. Naharin was a late bloomer. He didn’t take dance seriously and had no formal training until he was in his 20s, which is old to begin a craft based in disciplined rigor and form. But there was something in the way he moved, catlike and emotionally raw, that made him stand out and sent him on a journey of body expression and movement. After years of dancing, Naharin

By Alisa Haber

“Mr. Gaga” is showing only once, Feb. 7.

had a major setback with a back injury that put not only his career in question, but also his very ability to walk. While recovering from back surgery, Naharin invented a language of movement called gaga, a choreography style that has changed the dance landscape the past 20 years. Gaga is a visceral experience that is simultaneously elegant, informal and volatile. It’s beautiful, untamed and creatively uninhibited. It is also accessible to nondancers. (The Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv offers regular classes to the public.) In the last scene of the film, we see Naharin in another late-bloomer role as a first-time father in his mid-60s, struggling to sustain focus on a dance rehearsal that is being interrupted by a crying toddler demanding the attention of her mother, a dancer. The film seems to end with a question mark, wondering whether there is room for anything beyond art in the life of an artist. ■

Getting in Harmony With a Biblical Triangle By Marita Anderson

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

“Harmonia” is an Israeli film that is shaped by layers of meaning and is satisfying on many sensory levels. You might think the movie is about music because it is centered on an orchestra conductor and his beautiful wife, a brilliant harpist. But, no, it is about a modern-day couple struggling through years of infertility and the sadness that permeates their life. Actually, no, the movie is about a love triangle based on the biblical archetypes of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar — a contemporary interpretation of an ancient narrative about complex family dynamics and good intentions that turn into despair and disappointment. But still, no, it is about Harmonia, the love that unites all people, despite their differences, in the mess that is human existence. It is an enchanting film about love, sacrifice, betrayal and redemption. And, yes, it is also about 32 music.

‘Doing Jewish’ Raises Identity Issues in Ghana

I once heard a cantor say music is as much about the silence between notes as it is about the sound the notes emanate. The measured silences of “Harmonia” punctuate its story line as if written on a music sheet. The camera follows the characters up close to capture the slightest expressions and changes in mood and produces a performance brimming with sounds and rests. “Harmonia” is gentle on the viewer, much gentler than many modern melodramas. The story deviates from the violence of Genesis and reinterprets its characters through a lens filled with light. While Abraham is portrayed as a charismatic leader, he seems bound by some inner limitations. It is the women in the story who steal the viewers’ attention as they take risks and deeply feel through the consequences of their situation. And it is their children, Isaac and Ishmael, who are left to make sense of it all. ■

“You know those people looking for meaning in their lives, so they get up and go volunteer in Africa? I’m one of those people.” So begins “Doing Jewish: A Story From Ghana,” a documentary by Canadian Gabrielle Zilkha. It was while she was in Ghana to volunteer at a women’s rights organization that Zilkha stumbled on what might be one of the lost tribes of Israel. Her original six-month commitment stretched for over two years as she followed a small group of African Jews in Sefwi Wiawso. Although her research shows roots going back centuries, the current community formed only in 1977. Despite the unbelievably familiar and accurate prayers and practices, the question is raised: Are they really Jewish?

Without proof of an unbroken lineage to back them up, talk of conversion abounds. While an American who is comfortable in his inherited religion can say, “I can be Jewish and reject everything and still identify as Jewish,” the Sefwi people must prove themselves to be recognized. It is a hard battle in this rural area amid poverty and Christian missionaries. There is a goal to empower them through health and education, but resources are needed, and young people leave to find better options elsewhere. This film asks an age-old question: What is a Jew? Answering takes you on a journey of self-discovery through religious and cultural identity. As Zilkha says, “You can go across the world to connect with different people but end up realizing they are most like yourself.” ■

Berns Deserves ‘Bang!’ Documentary Delivers By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com I don’t usually rave, but I absolutely flipped over “Bang! The Bert Berns Story.” It is nostalgic, funny, historical, exciting, full of despair, and packed with vintage footage of performers such as Van Morrison, the Isley Brothers, Neil Diamond, the Drifters, and the Exciters, a group you know but don’t think you do. Bert Berns, born in the Bronx to Russian Jewish immigrants, rose from obscurity via the heightened emotional pitch of his music and left us too soon, felled by a chronic heart condition. Berns now has his well-deserved legacy in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is extolled by icons such as Paul McCartney in this 94-minute documentary, directed by son Brett Berns. Berns’ genius was that he understood Afro-Cuban beats and knew how to get singers to take his advice and still like and respect him. He was a dreamer and a major talent himself in writing and recording before discovering others. “Bang!” (the name of his record label) moves superfast, and I didn’t want it to end. I was crying and dancing.

Bert Berns plays guitar during an early Van Morrison recording session. Berns’ story is told in “Bang!” on Jan. 26 and Feb. 3 and 11.

Berns created real soul by getting his artists to use gospel and genuine tears of pain. Yes, he was known for pain. He was neurotic about love and crying and was heartsick with emotion masquerading in teenage records. Cissy Houston said no one else had his street smarts, intuition and nose for talent. Some called him the only white soul brother. Berns had two secret weapons: his wife, a hot, Jewish, 22-year-old go-go dancer with business sense, and the mob. Real Mafia bosses play a matterof-fact yet riveting role in the movie. If you’ve heard “Hang On Sloopy,” “Brown Eyed Girl,” “I Want Candy,” “A Little Bit of Soap,” “Tell Him,” “Shout” and “Twist and Shout,” you should not miss this trip down memory lane. ■

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By Terry Segal tsegal@atljewishtimes.com

Life doesn’t have to end at the doors of an assisted living facility. That’s the overriding theme among several powerful issues presented in “The Second Time Around,” directed and written by Leon Marr, along with Sherry Soules. After an injury at the opera, Katherine Mitchell, portrayed by Linda Thorson, is sent to convalesce at a facility, where she meets resident Isaac Shapiro, played by Stuart Margolin. Thorson and Margolin give stellar performances in the leading roles. They are supported by a fabulous cast of characters who realistically play out the themes of how people choose to age, independence, loss, adjustment to change, and the cultivation of hopes and dreams. Katherine, a stunning seasoned citizen, has led an insulated and protected life. She is a lover of opera who has memorized the librettos of the classics and expresses her passion through music. By contrast, she has a strained relationship with her daughter, Helen, a career-oriented, no-time-for-mom character who clearly carries relationship wounds from the past. Helen is exquisitely played by Laura de Carteret, while Alexis Harrison is

Stuart Margolin and Linda Thorson star in “The Second Time Around,” being shown Jan. 29, Feb. 3 and Feb. 14.

excellent as Sarah, Katherine’s hipster granddaughter. She bridges the generational gap by listening with her heart to what matters to her grandmother. Margolin’s brilliant portrayal of Isaac spans a range of emotions he takes to the edge of feelings, leaving us to continue along to the depths. Isaac survived Nazi Germany by becoming a tailor and still sews each afternoon. As he and Katherine share stories from their past, which includes his stint in Yiddish theater, they bond over their emotional connection to the music that stirs their souls. Heart-wrenching situations threaten to shatter their new lives and force them, and us, to grapple with emotional decisions we would all prefer to ignore. This situation paves the way toward hope, reignited dreams and the grateful expression of love as it’s experienced the second time around. ■

‘Mother’ Fires Blanks By Marcy Levinson

In a documentary called “Mother With a Gun,” you might expect to see a film highlighting a gun-toting mom. Maybe a mom with a whole brood of kids who have matching water guns. At the very least, you’d expect something linking the story to the title. This film is nothing more than a historical retrospective of the Jewish Defense League as told by its current U.S. president, Shelley Rubin, over several years — a sad four years since her son Ari’s suicide in 2012. It’s not even a well-crafted documentary, but one piecemealed around photos, video segments, and hard-tofollow interviews with Rubin and her son, two FBI agents, and Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz. If you haven’t any knowledge of the JDL, it is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel. It was founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane

in 1968 in New York. In 2017, on its own website, there is no specific definition of the group. Rubin’s husband, Irv, led the JDL after Kahane was assassinated in 1990. Rubin killed himself in prison in 2002. While sitting on a chair in her messy living room for some of the interviews, Rubin, like a starry-eyed school girl, relived her romance with Irv and talked about the JDL accusations and arrests made by the FBI as if they were silly games, even though people were hurt and died. Where the tough-talking Jew on a tuchus-kicking mission opened the film, by the end there was only a sad, lonely woman with a broken home, heart and glorified memories of a shrunken organization. It was as if reliving the memories to make the documentary gave Rubin enough steam to power through, but by the end she was running on empty — no son, no husband, no gun. ■

Feast on a Fine ‘Pickle’ By Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder From kimchi to kombucha, America is craving fermented foods. They are tasty. They are hip. They are healthy. And making fermented foods means connecting with ancient food traditions and with the people who have passed them on for generations. So it is fitting that “The Pickle Recipe,” a movie about preserving not only cucumbers, but also intergenerational family relationships, is a feature at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The film focuses on a dysfunctional family living in a Jewish Detroit that is changing faster than they can keep up. DJ Joey Miller is barely getting by. His wife left him for a richer man. The bank has taken his house, and all his sound equipment goes up in smoke. His uncle, Morty, who is estranged from his mother and Joey’s grandmother, Rose, offers Joey much-needed cash if Joey can wrangle the recipe for Rose’s pickles. Despite being quite elderly, Rose works daily at Irv’s Deli, named for her dead husband, and her pickles are famously the best ever made. Curmudgeonly and secretive, Rose has never let anyone watch her make the pickles, let alone shared the recipe. Even the be-

Morty (David Paymer, right) offers to pay Joey (Jon Dore) if he can get Rose’s recipe in “The Pickle Recipe,” showing Jan. 28 and Feb. 1, 10 and 11.

loved Irv never knew. The story, though generally predictable, is well acted and sweetly told. It captures well the shifting sense of American Jewish culture. The urban Jewish deli is dated, and a neighborhood that likely was Jewish is now populated by other ethnic groups. Yet the tastes of the past hold allure in the present. No wedding or bat mitzvah would be complete without pickles, and no pickles are as good as Rose’s. The challenge of respecting the past and passing on traditions runs as a theme throughout the film, raising questions of legacy — culinary, cultural and religious. ■

Wake-Up Slap in the Face By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com The dark comedy “The Jews” fits a recurring theme in recent years at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival: the increasingly precarious position of French Jews. Jewish director and co-writer Yvan Attal stars as a Jewish actor and filmmaker named Yvan who is obsessed with Jews, Judaism and anti-Semitism. More than anything, he struggles to understand why his fellow Frenchmen seem to range from denying to embracing the Jew-hatred rampant in their country. Most of Attal’s scenes are sessions with his Jewish therapist, connecting his character with the tradition of neurotic Jewish funnymen. But being paranoid doesn’t mean no one is out to get you, and vignettes connected to Jewish stereotypes drive home the idea that in France and elsewhere, Jews’ fears are justified. Examples include the revelation that the anti-Semitic husband of a

Marine Le Pen-like political leader is Jewish (illustrating that Jews are everywhere); the plight of a loser who can’t believe he’s Jewish (because all Jews are rich); a Mossad plot to use a time machine to kill the infant Jesus (because everyone hates us for killing Jesus); and a French referendum to convert en masse to Judaism (because Israel and the Jews succeed). Some of the scenes are farcical, as when the fascist leader hurls invective at himself in the mirror after learning that he’s Jewish and when the Mossad assassin is hailed as the Messiah in moments that are straight out of Monty Python’s “Life of Brian.” But the movie is not a mere farce, and the darkness often blots out the humor because Attal’s point is not to make light of French anti-Semitism. He aims to confront it in the most traditional of Jewish ways, by piercing it with laughs, and his search for an optimistic conclusion requires a journey through doom and gloom that would not work on the high-speed TGV train. It’s a trip well worth the ticket. ■ 33 JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

Late Romance Makes ‘Second Time’ Sweet

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‘Best’ Lessons Come From Broadway Bust By Rena Gray “One of the lessons of adulthood is disappointment,” original cast member Abby Pogrebin says in an interview for “Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened,” a documentary directed by Lonny Price on the famous musical flop “Merrily We Roll Along.” Disappointment is a recurring theme throughout the film as it travels back 35 years to relive the show’s brief history and its effects on those involved. Coming off the 1979 success of “Sweeney Todd,” director Harold Prince and composer Stephen Sondheim decided it was now or never to take a chance. They collaborated on a new musical with two unconventional elements: The entire cast would be made up of kids, ages 16 to 25, and the play would unfold backward, with the actors starting as middle-aged characters and going back in time. Unfortunately, the combination confused audience members, and, even after a vigorous rewriting before opening day, the play closed after 16 performances.

The film is narrated by Price (Charley Kringas in the brief run) and features original video and audio footage of rehearsals, interviews and meetings of the great theater minds. With a touch of awe still apparent in his voice, Price describes the intense emotional journey of “Merrily,” from his euphoric, unprecedented casting by his musical idol to the show’s dismal disintegration. Cast members, directors and producers reflect on the experience in present-day interviews and in many cases acknowledge that the experience still haunts them. Pogrebin, for one, chose to pursue a career in writing instead of the uncertain theater path. But some, like the famous Jason Alexander, persevered. Price went on to direct musicals and organized a one-night concert revival of “Merrily We Roll Along” in 2002. The show was a hit, receiving the resounding applause originally hoped for, and the play has since been revived many times. What is best in “Best Worst Thing”? Perhaps it is an honest look at a risk wholeheartedly taken. ■

Long-Lost Brothers Open Lid on Mother’s ‘Secrets’ By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

“Aida’s Secrets” will leave audience members on the edge of their seats as they try to unravel one family’s history torn by World War II. The biographical documentary explores Izak’s journey as he uncovers the truth behind his identity and why he was sent to Israel for adoption from the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp after the war. When archived documents and photographs lead Izak to discover an unknown brother living in Canada, he connects a piece of his history after 70 years. An arranged reunion between Izak and his newfound brother, Shep, creates unanswered questions when they decide to travel to meet their birth mother, Aida, in Quebec. Unwilling to relive the horrors of the Holocaust, Aida is determined to keep the past hidden. In their quest to find closure, how34 ever, Izak and Shep keep probing until

‘Body’ Bridges Cultures By Terry Segal tsegal@atljewishtimes.com Jazz music is not my jam, but the film “Body and Soul: An American Bridge,” directed by Robert Philipson, captured my heart. It depicts the soulful connection of musicians to a particular bridge of music and illuminates how music itself is a bridge to unity among people. The film highlights the cross-cultural bonds of the Jewish and black communities, specifically in relation to the song “Body and Soul.” Through interviews with music historians and clips of well-known musicians performing the song, this winner of the award for the best music documentary at the San Francisco Black Film Festival offers us a glimpse of the raw suffering, sexuality and separation that reference the differences and similarities of the Jewish and black experiences. “Body and Soul” was written in 1930 by Jewish conductor and composer Johnny Green, with lyrics by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour and Frank Eyton. It couldn’t get published in America, so it was first recorded by British singer Gertrude Lawrence. It was then performed on Broadway by Jewish torch singer Libby Holman. A torch song is the kind that cracks your heart in half as the singer laments about lost or unrequited love. In the hands of Louis Armstrong, “Body and Soul” became an iconic jazz song. He introduced syncopation, scat

“Body and Soul,” showing Jan. 30 and Feb. 10, explains how the song of the same name has crossed racial and ethnic lines.

and a sense of freedom in his vocals. Black musicians relied on Jewish managers to promote their talents, and a symbiotic tie formed. There have been over 3,000 recordings of “Body and Soul,” including such greats as Frank Sinatra, Nat “King” Cole, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. It was the last song Amy Winehouse recorded before her death. Music integrated the Jewish and black communities even before the U.S. Army or baseball. This film pays homage to integrated musical teams such as Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson, who took what was a cultural meeting and elevated it to a soul-entwined bond that knew no color or bounds. Polarities were evident but complemented each other. The film is lively and will likely connect you to some aspect of jazz music, even if you’ve never been a fan. If you’re from the era of Benny Goodman, Al Jolson and Louie Armstrong, you’ll be even more enamored. ■

Max Art, Minimal Life By Marcy Levinson Shep Shell (left) and Izak Szewelwicz are reunited seven decades after being separated at a displaced persons camp in “Aida’s Secrets,” showing Feb. 4, 5 and 6.

more secrets emerge. Do Izak and Shep share the same father? Why hasn’t Aida looked for her son, Shep, for 70 years? In a final attempt to expose the truth, Shep interviews aunts, uncles and cousins who could provide links. The film is a stark reminder of the aftermath of war and its lasting effects on refugees. It captures the horrors of World War II, social isolation and family separation and reveals heartbreaks, scandals and affairs as two brothers take a journey through time and seek a new sense of identity and security. ■

The documentary “Eva Hesse,” about the German-born Jewish American postminimal movement artist, is a wonderful film for any art fan, whether collector, creator or just curious learner. A part of the New York art scene in the 1960s, Hesse worked long and hard as an artist to help usher in the postminimal movement, which included subtle, large-scale works made from fiberglass, latex and different plastics. This art form gained her major fame in an artistic landscape dominated by men. These works are very different from those depicted in Hesse’s early career. Her work and style evolve throughout the film. The story is wonderfully narrated

from Hesse’s personal journals and includes intimate and detailed interviews with her former husband and fellow artist Tom Doyle, her sister and several other close friends who are also artists. After only 10 years in art, at the age of 34, Hesse was diagnosed with a brain tumor. In less than one year, she died. The film flows nicely, and the transitions from still images to video interviews to narrated journal entries are flawless. It is edited in such a way that by the end of the film, you may feel as if somewhere — albeit well hidden — there actually was an interview with Hesse herself. (Not really, but it’s nice to think.) Two messy, paint-and-glue-covered thumbs up. ■

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ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

Film Commitment Pays Off for First-Time Director You might expect the director of “Family Commitments,” a film about a gay couple crossing Jewish-Muslim lines in northern Germany, to have a special interest in the subject matter. Perhaps he’s a German Jew or part of a Palestinian family taking refuge in Germany. Maybe he has fought for marriage equality, or, given one of many subplots about an unwed teenage mother, he’s concerned about reproductive rights. Maybe he’s just trying to make a grand statement about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At the very least, considering the heights of the film’s farcical comedy, he must be dedicated to the art of making people laugh at all costs. But “Family Commitments” director Hanno Olderdissen isn’t any of those things. He’s just a guy who has worked for more than a decade to get a chance to make a feature film, and when opportunity knocked, he opened

the door. The possibility that a drunken artist was having sex on the other side wasn’t important. “I was searching a long time for a project that I could direct,” Olderdissen said in a phone interview from Germany, adding that it was a coincidence that “Family Commitments” wound up being that project. A TV station had the scripts and financing to make four movies it wanted to broadcast, but it needed directors. The head of the station knew Olderdissen from a student film he made almost a decade ago, and although that film was a drama, not a comedy, Olderdissen got the call. “It’s hard for young directors to break into the industry,” he said, because there are so few slots for so many aspiring filmmakers. The script had most of the elements of the final film but did need a significant rewrite to get the details right, Olderdissen said. For example, he changed the business of the lead Jewish character, David, from a clothing store

Modern ‘Family’ Fun, At Least for a While By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com The German film “Family Commitments” has more than enough elements for a modern farce. David, who is Jewish, wants to marry Khaled, who is afraid to tell his Palestinian Muslim family he’s gay. David’s art gallery is piling up debt while he desperately tries to get his one successful painter to halt his hedonism long enough to produce a few canvases. Khaled’s sexual-predator female boss keeps trying to jump him while he prepares for his certification exam as a P.E. teacher. David’s anti-Arab, stereotypically interfering mother, Lea — she never hesitates to use her own key to David and Khaled’s apartment — is determined to evict Khaled’s father from the family restaurant he runs in a building owned by the Hannover Jewish community. Then the Jewish girl David unknowingly impregnated almost nine months earlier while black-out drunk arrives to push the ridiculousness over the top. It’s a fun if lightweight setup, appropriate for the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival’s ACCESS-backed young pro-

Sarah (Franziska Brandmeir) carries a complication for the domestic bliss of Khaled (Omar El-Saeidi, left) and David (Maximilian von Pufendorf) in “Family Commitments,” being shown Jan. 28 and 29 and Feb. 3, 4 and 11.

fessionals night. Unfortunately, there’s only enough plot to carry a half-hour short, not an 85-minute feature. As soon as pregnant Sarah arrives and reveals that she’s an art student, we know where the movie is going. The twists and gags padding the run time are funny, but they also slow the natural flow of the film. Don’t go to “Family Commitments” expecting any profound insights into Jewish-Muslim relations, marriage equality, homophobia or family ties, and don’t worry if your attention drifts at times. Just go to have some laughs and a cocktail or two with friends, and take away an appreciation that your own Jewish mother is far less controlling than Lea. ■

to an art gallery because “I thought it was too much of a cliché, a gay man running a clothing store.” He said a lot of work went into getting the Arab culture and the family dynamics right, although he felt a time crunch with only six months to prepare the script for shooting. Much of the effort went toward amplifying the insanity of the story for the full screwball comedy effect. Not only did that allow him to mine laughs simply from David running from his flat to his business to his artist’s apartment, but it also insulated Olderdissen from criticism of his portrayal of cultures that aren’t his own. “I think this is quite freeing for me that I have no boundaries in any direction,” he said about his lack of Jewish and Muslim ties. “We just thought we have to show kind of the same loving and disrespect to every religion in the movie. … Everybody is a little bit crazy.” He certainly wasn’t trying to say anything about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which he said is interesting in the context of his film only because they’re gay men. “Even in Germany it’s still a big taboo. It’s very hard for young

Arab men to be openly gay.” Olderdissen said the movie got good ratings on German television and has been well received now that it’s on the festival circuit, particularly among LGBT and Jewish film festivals in the United States. It helps that “Family Commitments” isn’t meant to be viewed as much more than light entertainment, with no message beyond the craziness of all families and the value in just getting along. “It doesn’t fit the complexity of the theme in real life,” Olderdissen said. “That’s what comedy is for, to be a little bit freeing.” Olderdissen himself is free of comedy for now. He’s completing editing on his first feature made for theatrical release — a young-adult drama about horse racing (his father used to train horses). It’s a genre that has succeeded in the United States with the likes of “Seabiscuit” and “Secretariat” but doesn’t exist in Germany, where horse racing is much less popular, he said. But now that he has cashed one winning ticket with “Family Commitments,” he’s hopeful of hitting the daily double. ■

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By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

JANUARY 13 â&#x2013;ª 2017

LOCAL NEWS

King Day Events the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival, Jewish Family & Career Services’ HAMSA program and InterfaithFamily/Atlanta at 7 p.m. Friday. It’s free and open to people of all faiths and levels of observance. Contact Rabbi Brian Glusman at 678-812-4161 or rabbi.glusman@atlantajcc.org for more information. Young Israel of Toco Hills Rabbi Adam Starr and members of the congregation are visiting the Rosa Parks civil rights museum in Montgomery, Ala., Friday morning with a group heading from the Washington, D.C., area to Selma for a Shabbaton (ostns. org/selma2017). YITH members and the Washington group are going to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site downtown at noon Sunday. Visit yith.org or contact Rabbi Starr at rabbi. starr@yith.org for details. Young Israel is staffing the Rebecca’s Tent women’s shelter Monday. To get information or sign up for a twohour shift, email Devorah Lowenstein at devorahlowenstein@gmail.com. The Packaged Good at 5517 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road in Dunwoody, led by Temple Emanu-El member Sally Mundell, also offers a service opportunity on King Day itself, inviting the community to enjoy snacks, hot chocolate and a DJ while helping pack 2,000 care packages for the Community Assistance Center and Homeless at Heart from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participation is free; visit thepackagedgood.org to get details and sign up. Ahavath Achim Synagogue members are participating in a Hands On Atlanta service project Monday at Kate’s Club at 600 Means St., Suite 100, in Brookhaven. Volunteers are decorating and packing craft kits for children dealing with the death of a parent or sibling. Contact Lindsey Grossman at lgrossman@aasynagogue.org or visit Hands On Atlanta at www.handsonatlanta.org for more information. Beyond the Jewish community, the Atlanta History Center offers free admission for a range of programs at its Buckhead center at 130 W. Paces Ferry Road and at the Margaret Mitchell House at 979 Crescent Ave. in Midtown from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday. Visit atlantahistorycenter.com for details. Highlights at the center include screenings of footage from the March on Washington and King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, as well as a simulation of a 1960s Freedom Ride. At the Margaret Mitchell House, Calinda Lee is the featured speaker at noon on the contributions of drum majors for justice. ■

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The Jewish community has several options for observing the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, which falls on Monday, Jan. 16, in and around the civil rights leader’s hometown. The Temple, which earned a reputation for support of civil rights under Rabbi Jacob Rothschild in the 1950s, continues its tradition of celebrating King’s legacy with his old church, Ebenezer Baptist Church. It’s too late to make plans to join the dinner Temple and Ebenezer Baptist members will share at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, but the Shabbat service at 8 that night is open to all. The Rev. Raphael Warnock, Ebenezer’s senior pastor, is the guest speaker exactly one week before the inauguration of Donald Trump as U.S. president. If you can’t make it to the synagogue at 1589 Peachtree St. in Midtown, you can watch a live stream at the-temple.org. Congregation Or Hadash at 7460 Trowbridge Road in Sandy Springs has events taking place all weekend, starting with a special Shabbat service at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The Rev. Jeffrey Ott and the choir from Our Lady of Lourdes Church are participating in the service. On Saturday night at 7:30, Or Hadash screens the Andrew Young film “Making of Modern Atlanta,” followed by a panel discussion involving Atlanta Chief Operating Officer Dan Gordon, Howard Maziar and Andrea Young. Our Lady of Lourdes at 25 Boulevard in downtown Atlanta invites the Or Hadash community to Mass at 10 a.m. Sunday. Back at Or Hadash on Monday, volunteers at 11 a.m. assemble goody bags for the Holocaust survivors who participate in Cafe Europa. Atlanta Daily World Publisher Alexis Scott speaks to those volunteers at 11:40 that morning. All events are free; get more information and RSVP at bit.ly/COH13-MLK. Temple Sinai at 5645 Dupree Drive in Sandy Springs honors King during its Friday night service at 6:30. Doug Shipman, who was the founding CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, delivers the sermon. After Saturday morning services, the Rev. Gerald Durley, pastor emeritus of Providence Missionary Baptist Church, leads a lunch-and-learn session at 11:30 a.m. The fee for lunch is $8; RSVP at templesinaiatlanta.org. King Day is sure to play a part in the acoustic Shabbat being held at Crema Expresso Gourmet at 2458 Mount Vernon Road in Dunwoody by the Marcus Jewish Community Center with

LOCAL NEWS

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The first night of Chanukah falling on Christmas Eve didn’t stop Atlanta’s Jewish community from partying the night away at a variety of locales around the city. Ahavath Achim Synagogue hosted J-Jam with live music from Tony Levitas and kosher Chinese food from Chai Peking. City Winery held Latkes and Vodkas, featuring live music from Sammy Rosenbaum and Michael Levine. Capping off the night, the third annual GozaPalooza, put on by Goza Tequila, went off without a hitch at Park Tavern with music spun by DJ Funky Jew Camille. ■

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JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

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Sammy Rosenbaum and Michael Levine perform at City Winery during Latkes and Vodkas.

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LOCAL NEWS

Fake Bomb Threat Hits Marcus JCC, Others conduct a search of the entire campus. “The safety and security of our members, the community, and our staff continue to be our top priority. We have a strong, professional security team and significant security protocols in place,” Powers wrote. The JCC Association thanked federal and local law enforcement for responding quickly to all the threats. “Our first priority is safety. JCC Association’s role is to support all Jewish community centers and their members across the continent as together we ensure that JCCs remain inclusive, engaging community gathering places and safe spaces,” Posner said. The association has a partnership with the Secure Community Network, which focuses on security for Jewish institutions throughout North America. That security network became involved in late January last year when Atlanta Jewish Academy’s Upper School and two Jewish day schools in Florida received bomb threats by phone one morning that proved to be hoaxes. ■

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The Marcus Jewish Community Center was one of 15 JCCs across the nation that received bomb threats Monday, Jan. 9, but none of them proved to be a real danger. “Everyone is safe and an ‘all clear’ has been given,” Marcus JCC CEO Jared Powers said in an email sent to members shortly after 3 p.m. Law enforcement agencies are investigating the source of the threats. Most centers that received the threats had resumed normal operations by 4:30 p.m., said David Posner, the director of strategic performance at the JCC Association of North America, who works with local JCCs on security. “We are proud of our JCCs and grateful for their professional staff, who in the face of threatened violence today responded quickly, calmly and professionally ensuring that no one was harmed,” Posner said in a statement released by the association. After assessing the threat and consulting with the Dunwoody Police Department, the Marcus JCC decided that it didn’t need to evacuate. It did

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EDUCATION

Ambushed by Memories

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

The musical tribute honoring my the videos showed Dan singing over husband, Dan, was a successful event 35 years, it was hard to imagine that a surpassing all my expectations. man so filled with passion, who loved Jed Appelrouth, my son, stepped his life so much, was no longer here. into his dad’s shoes as emcee at the From the front row, I heard people December benefit for Temima High crying all around me. School for Girls. He charmed the auMy son David, who flew in from dience as he shared his love for his Canada for the event, joined Jed to sing father and showed his willingness to honor Dan’s memory with commentary According To Arlene and song. If Dan had been there, he would have been By Arlene Appelrouth as proud as I was. aappelrouth@atljewishtimes.com The Beethoven sonata played on the grand piano by Rabbi Menashe Goldberger was complex and left most of the audience in awe that the rabbi had memorized the 15-minute piece. The klezmer music and jazz delighted the audience. I gave a speech about the curious 20-year relationship Dan and I have with Temima and its headmistress, Miriam Feldman. I also read an original poem about coping with the challenges of widowhood. People couldn’t hold back their tears as the afternoon progressed. I think the videos brought on the Photo by Harold Alan Photographers avalanche of emotions. Attending the tribute are (from left) Michelle The first video conAppelrouth Seltzer, Rabbi David Appelrouth, tained photos from Dan’s Arlene Appelrouth and Jed Appelrouth. entire life. From Key West to the Navy to Atlanta, people saw Dan “My Way,” which they had sung onas a baby, a bar mitzvah and a groom, stage with Dan. Dan and I have always loved muas well as all that his life, and my life sic. It was important that we pass on with him, contained. this love to our three children and The second video showcased his make sure they had opportunities to 35-year musical career in Atlanta vendevelop their musical abilities. They all ues. had piano lessons. David also had saxoElla Szczupak, a videographer and phone lessons. owner of Blue Orchid Productions, did We took them to the symphony an amazing job. She was Dan’s videogand the opera. All three, Michelle, Jed rapher for years. She would not accept and David, sang in high school. All any money for putting the videos tolearned to experience the joy of music. gether, which took a lot of time. I sat feeling proud as Jed and David The event’s musicians, Judy Cole and Al Kneiter, also donated their time. sang Dan’s signature songs. L’dor vador In the past, Dan hired them to accom- went through my head, but I couldn’t stop the tears as I wished Dan were onpany him as he sang. Watching videos of Dan was like stage with them. My daughter was sitting next to being emotionally ambushed. There he was, on a big screen, sing- me. I was grateful to have all three of ing his heart out as Tevye from “Fiddler my adult children together. It doesn’t on the Roof.” He put on a black cap and happen often enough. The show was coming to an end, sang “If I Were a Rich Man” at every and the last song was the one everyone concert. The recording filled the Atlanta associated with Dan. The words to “If I 40 Jewish Academy auditorium, and as Were a Rich Man” were printed in the

‘What Should I Do With Dan’s Ties?’

Arlene Appelrouth read this poem in memory of her husband, Dan Appelrouth, at the Temima benefit. What should I do with Dan’s ties? The ones he liked to wear Like the blue one with plates of red apples And the red one with Snoopy who cares. Do you see the one with the hearts? Or the one with people who race? I purchased most of these ties. They put a smile on Dan’s face. I thought they reflected the style Of a man filled with music and love. He has no use for them where he is As he looks down on life from above. Maybe I’ll sew them together And place them in a nice frame And hang it on the wall. Then they’ll achieve some fame. Fame like the man who once wore them, A man with a generous heart, A man who cared for others And always played his part. When I think about my husband, I don’t usually think of clothes he wore. Instead I think of his values And what he thought life was for. Dan lived to help his patients. He was happy to free them of pain. He wanted them to have quality lives And to come back and see him again. Dan loved to step onto a bimah And pray to G-d above. Dan was a man of great faith, And Dan was a man of great love. He beamed when he spoke of his children. There was never a prouder dad. He bragged about Michelle, Jed and David And the influence he hoped he had. Honest, kind and smart,

Appelrouth kids have much to give. They grew up watching their father. By example he taught them how to live. With honesty and integrity, Dan always conducted his life. I was privileged to stand beside him, It was an honor to live as his wife. I’m not sure what to do with your ties, Dan, I can’t bear to give them away. I see them and see you when you wore them. How I wish you would choose one today. You were a hands-on father And a doctor with patients you loved. You frequently told them jokes. Are you laughing now from above? What do you do in the afterlife? There are many theories on that. Are you still giving concerts? Is there a need in heaven for that? Are you paying attention to us, We who miss and love you so? Do you see what we do or know what we think? I wish there were some way to know. What should I do with your books, Dan, And all your other stuff? Like your Navy uniform And your sports things you loved so much. I’m now using your racquet for racquetball, And playing a might good game. I wish you could be my opponent. Without you, life isn’t the same. I’ll carry on without you And re-create my life. There are many roles I play. I wish I could still be your wife.

program, and everyone was invited to sing along with Jed and David. When Jed and David started singing, along with a video of Dan as big as life, something happened in that auditorium. Jed and David each put on one of Dan’s black Tevye caps. David looks so much like Dan, and Jed’s gestures resemble Dan’s. They sang while images of Dan flashed on the screen. There were so many tears, it was as if everyone suffered an emotional ambush. People have told me that Dan was a legend. He had a reputation as someone who lived to give. He was a real community guy.

A friend sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder as the program ended. “We know he was a legend,” she said, “but this clinches it. Now he’s been elevated to sainthood.” I know being a saint has a Christian connotation. I asked my son David, who is a rabbi, what the Jewish equivalent of a saint is. “A tzaddik,” he said. I don’t know if my husband was a tzaddik. I know he was a great husband and a fantastic father, and he gave his heart to whatever he did. I appreciate the Goldbergers for their choice to honor the man I loved. It shows his life really was a blessing. ■

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OBITUARIES

Clara Feldman

Gertrude Gulden

Atlanta

104, Atlanta

Clara Lazar Feldman passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, on Friday, Jan. 6, 2017. Clara lived a life filled with love, family and beautiful experiences. As a native Atlantan, she spent her early years focused on completing her education at Girls’ High School and working at her mother’s ice cream parlor. At the tender age of 16, she was swept off her feet by the love of her life, “the most handsome man in Atlanta,” Sidney Feldman. Together they shared a love for the ages, the stuff of legend, the kind of love many only read about in fairy tales. They spent the next six decades creating a family, traveling the world, and working tirelessly to make their community, their city and the world a better place. Her involvement in such varied organizations as the Hebrew Academy, Dressed for Success, the Shearith Israel Sisterhood and many more are evidence of Clara’s dedication to supporting and empowering men, women and children of all ages and from all walks of life. The magnitude of her commitment to her community was overshadowed only by her love for her family. Her greatest joy in life was her job as wife, partner and “Honey” to Sidney and as mother and “Grandma” to her children and their families. Clara’s capacity for love was so great, and her sphere of influence so large, that her gravity attracted and enveloped extended family, distant cousins, and the friends and families of her own kids, who all found orbits around the universe of this radiant matriarch. She is survived by her four children, Linda and Richard Bressler, Terri and Laury Bagen, Lewis and LueEllen Feldman, and Michael and Jody Feldman; 14 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; loving nieces and nephews; and Pat Clark and Chantel Clark. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Weinstein Hospice, the Marcus Jewish Community Center or the Clara Lazar Feldman Scholarship Fund at Georgia State University. Funeral services were held Monday, Jan. 9, at Congregation Shearith Israel. Interment followed at Greenwood Cemetery. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Gertrude Melnick Gulden, age 104, died Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. She was a lifelong resident of Atlanta. She was predeceased by her parents, Sadie and Isaac Melnick, and her husband, Sidney Gulden, of blessed memory, whom she lovingly cared for during the 17 years after his stroke at age 71. She also was predeceased by her loving younger sister, Annie, who died at a young age, and by her brother, William Melnick. She is survived by a sister, Lena Sisselman. She also is survived by her three children, Pearlann Horowitz (Jerry), Dan Gulden (Candice) and Isabel Gulden (Barry Blumberg, of blessed memory). She also is survived by grandchildren Scott Horowitz, Michelle Horowitz, Ari Lipton (Randi), Kate Lipton, Gina Gulden, Sara Gulden, and Drew and Tina Blumberg; great-grandchildren Sam and Max Lipton and Linda Haley Blumberg; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Gertrude was an accomplished artist with a wonderful sense of color and composition, painting into her 80s. She took acting lessons from Frank Wittow at the Academy Theater and acted there and in early Shearith Israel productions. She had a natural elegance and charm and was known for her dry wit and spirited personality. She was eager to learn new things, getting a simple computer in her 90s to play bridge online. She played chess with her grandchildren and related to them on their level. Gertrude was adored by her family and adored them in return, insisting that every family birthday, anniversary and holiday be celebrated as a family. She rarely said no to a charitable donation request, especially those involving children, the elderly and the disabled, and had been honored with husband Sidney, of blessed memory, by Israel Bonds. The family wishes to express heartfelt gratitude to her loving and devoted caregivers, Stephanie Edwards, Jackie Davidson and Pat Coles. She and her close friend Helene Facher died within three days of each other. They, with their husbands, Sidney and Bernard Facher, are buried next to each other to facilitate whatever communication these close couples may continue to have with each other. Graveside services were held Thursday, Dec. 15, at Crestlawn Cemetery with Rabbi Ari Kaiman officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Gertrude’s memory to Congregation Shearith Israel, Atlanta; the William Breman Jewish Home, Atlanta; Cradle of Love Adoption Fund at Jewish Family & Career Services; the Zimmerman-Horowitz Developmental Disabilities Fund at JF&CS; or the charity of your choice. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Dr. Marvin B. Rothenberg

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

85, Atlanta

Dr. Marvin B. Rothenberg passed away Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017. He was born June 28, 1931, to Jack and Rose Rothenberg. A graduate of Tulane University and Tulane School of Medicine, Marvin was a much loved and revered orthopedic surgeon in Atlanta for 40 years. Tennis, travel and his perpetual love for learning were surpassed only by his love and devotion to his wife and family. Marvin was preceded in death by his sister, Mildred Shteamer. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Fran L. Rothenberg; daughters Lynn Goldstein (Marc) and Michele Winter (Stephen A.), both of Atlanta, and Nancy Levin (David) of New York; grandchildren Grahm and Anna Goldstein, Hailey and Max Winter, and Jane and Sam Levin; sister Eleanor Vrono (Harold) of Atlanta; sister-in-law Elsa Schneider (Cole) of New Orleans; and many beloved nieces and nephews. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. Graveside services were held Thursday, Jan. 5, at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbi Ron Segal of Temple Sinai officiating. Donations in his honor and memory may be made to Weinstein Hospice or the charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

OBITUARIES

Gerry Kessler Scheer 88, Atlanta

Mrs. Gerry Kessler Scheer, age 88, of Atlanta died Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. Born in Macon, Gerry moved to Atlanta as a young girl and attended Inman Elementary School and Girls’ High School. While home from the University of Illinois, she was invited along on a trip to Fort McPherson in 1945 by a young man from Eatonton, Fred Scheer, soon to be discharged from the U.S. Army after serving his country in Europe, part of that time as a POW. The two would marry in 1947 and raise three children. Gerry worked variously at selling real estate and being a census taker but would really make the most impact as a community volunteer. She was a Girl Scout leader and worked closely with the League of Women Voters. However, her real legacy was a tutoring program for the students at Margaret Mitchell Elementary School, across the street from the Scheer household. Reading to children grew into a program with 150 volunteers spending an hour a week tutoring students, including student tutors from Westminster School. For this endeavor, Gerry was awarded the Golden Apple by Channel 11. Gerry was a fitness walker with friends from the neighborhood before exercise was popular. She played bridge with the same group of women for decades, and she and Fred traveled the world. Family includes her loving husband of 69 years, Frederick O. Scheer; children Roslyn Scheer (Larry Rosen), Roy Scheer (Carol Scheer) and Barbara ScheerEason (Fred H. Eason, of blessed memory); grandchildren Claire Scheer Galloway (H. George) and Robert Kessler Scheer (Maria); great-grandchildren Jackson and Benjamin Galloway; brothers and sisters-in-law Michele and George M. Scheer Jr. and Irving and Happy Scheer Shaw; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by parents Max H. Kessler and Lena Ory Kessler, siblings Celeste K. (H.C.) Rosenberg and Roy M. Kessler, and brother and sister-inlaw Morrie and Gloria Scheer Leder, of blessed memory. Many thanks for Gerry’s loving care by our friends, the staff and residents of A.G. Rhodes. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30309. A memorial service was held Sunday, Jan. 8, at The Temple. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

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Death Notices

Adrienne Epstein, 60, of Atlanta, mother of Meredith Epstein and Felicia Moore, on Dec. 30. Julius Ferrazzuolo, 95, of Atlanta, father of Richard Ferrazzuolo and Ronald Ferrazzuolo, on Dec. 27. Philip Fishbein of Atlanta on Dec. 25. Sheldon Flaxman, 82, of Atlanta, father of Adrienne Warren, Gerilyn Flaxman and Alan Flaxman, on Dec. 23. J. Richard Griffin, 73, of Atlanta, husband of Susan Zarovsky Griffin and father of Leslie Griffin and Kelly Griffin, on Jan. 3. John “George” Jones, 94, husband of Ann Rose Jones, on Jan. 3.

Retreat Reconnects Rabbis

Members of the Atlanta Rabbinical Association gather for their December retreat.

ARA’s president, Rabbi Josh Heller of Congregation B’nai Torah. The rabbis learned with Rabbi Shai Held from the Mechon Hadar Institute and Rabbi Hayyim Herring, a national thought leader, consultant and author, on such topics as “The Gifts of G-d Flow Through You: Gratitude, Generosity & the Spiritual Life” and “Exploring New Pathways to Communities of Hesed: Talmud Gadol.” ■

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

More than 25 rabbis from the Atlanta Rabbinical Association gathered at the Emory Conference Center from Dec. 11 to 13 for the ARA’s third annual retreat, an opportunity to learn and socialize and thus deepen relationships across the Jewish community. The ARA represents rabbis from Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist synagogues throughout the greater Atlanta area. Members meet throughout the year, but the retreat provides time to connect on a deeper level. “We are grateful for the time we have for personal and professional development as we continue to strengthen our Jewish community,” said the

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SPORTS

Goldberg Ready to Rumble Again By Lou Ladinsky

Goldberg’s not done yet.

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Lesnar has made it clear that wherever Goldberg goes, he will follow, and he has become the second participant to throw his name into the hat for the Royal Rumble, putting him on another collision course with Goldberg. It’s likely the two will face each other again at WrestleMania 33. A possible setup for WrestleMania could take place at the Royal Rumble, during which Lesnar or Goldberg could be responsible for eliminating the other and costing him a Main Event title shot at WrestleMania in April. It’s similar to what happened in 2004. Lesnar cost Goldberg the Royal Rumble match, and Goldberg then cost Lesnar a WWE title loss, setting up their WrestleMania 20 encounter. The Royal Rumble on Jan. 29 is a must-see event, and whatever the outcome, I am confident we will see Goldberg in a Main Event matchup at WrestleMania. ■

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The big question after Bill Goldberg’s 86-second destruction of the Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar, at the Royal Rumble in November was whether Goldberg would rumble again. Most people thought that comeback bout was a one-shot deal for Goldberg. We have come to find out that Goldberg, the former WCW/WWE world heavyweight champion, will return at the 30th annual Royal Rumble on Sunday, Jan. 29, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. He’s the first participant to throw his name into the hat. According to the Wrestling Observer newsletter, it’s the first of three payper-view events he is contracted for this year, along with Fastlane and WrestleMania. A tradition dating back to 1988, the Royal Rumble starts with two par-

both of his feet hit the floor. The last superstar standing is declared the victor and earns a title match at the WWE’s annual premier event, WrestleMania. During a recent promo on the weekly WWE television show, “Monday Night RAW,” Goldberg said he does have one last title run in him. A weeping Paul Heyman, another Jewish wrestling personality and the advocate for Lesnar, said during a recent WWE TV appearance that the Lesnar camp underestimated the 49-yearold Goldberg. Heyman said Goldberg is a relic. He said he thought it would be the easiest payday of Lesnar’s career, but Goldberg cracked Lesnar’s rib with a spear right out of the gate. “If you can’t breathe, you can’t fight,” Heyman said. He also said the humiliating loss to Goldberg has changed the mindset of Lesnar, who is focused on retribution.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Talking Too Much? There’s an App for That There are days when I have no words. Yes, I know you can’t believe it. It happens to be true. I will let you in on a little secret: My dad (z”l) wouldn’t believe it either. What he would believe, and be happy to reveal to you, was that he knew the reason I had no words left. My dad would explain it this way: I used them all up talking on the phone when I was a teenager. High school days were spent worrying. We worried about how we looked. We worried about being liked. We worried about being included or accepted. We worried about boys and dates. Oh, and of course, lest we forget, when we weren’t engaged in the act of the many aforementioned worries, we would worry about studying and grades. Some of us actually worried about college, others about jobs after graduation. At the end of our school day, my friends and I would leave Roosevelt High School on Fordham Road in the Bronx and embark on one of our many after-school options. We could catch the bus and head home. We could catch the bus and go up to the Grand Concourse and shop at Alexander’s. We could walk home (we almost never took this option), or we could walk up Fordham (we insiders did not need to specify road) and check out all the stores on our way to Alexander’s on the Grand Concourse. The Butler shoe store was a favorite for wasting time. Although we would see one another in passing during the day, these after-school moments were our time to text — oops, I mean talk, as in conversations. As in looking in each other’s face to measure responses. If we were running late, we would take the bus home. We would hug goodbye, even though we would be skyping — oops, I mean speaking — later or seeing each other the next day. 46 Homework or other activities

would keep us busy until dinner time. After dinner our lifeline was the telephone. I loved that telephone. There weren’t any interruptions while we were engaged in social discourse. It did not take photos, so it did not matter what I was wearing while

Shaindle’s Shpiel By Shaindle Schmuckler shaindle@atljewishtimes.com

we were chatting. Nor did I have to worry about the world knowing what I looked like or what our confidences were. It did not make weird pings to inform us of a text or an email. It was exactly as Alexander Graham Bell intended it to be. And the family had to learn to share, given that we did not each have our own phone. The only interruption was my dad. First, I would hear: “Open that door. Why do you need the door closed? What are you doing that is so secret? Open that door, or I’ll open it for you.” He would then open the door, and I would hear: “Again with the phone? Who are you talking to? You see them all day; why do you have to talk more? How many words do you have in there?” I never resorted to crying a response or begging to stay on just a minute longer. Have you heard this one? “You cry, and I’ll give you something to cry about!” Yup, that kept me in line for sure. And off he’d go to finish his dinner. Dad worked very long hours in his butcher store. He rarely made it home for dinner during the week, except for Shabbat dinner. Today, there’s an app for that. Parents don’t have to engage in monitoring the people their kids are talking to, texting or Skyping with, or doing G-d knows what else. Yup, today there is an organic method of saving words, as long as you have an app for that. ■

“Star Seers”

By Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Manageable

14 17

21 23

22 25 29

ACROSS 1. It’s an animal 6. Made like Dudu Fisher 10. It’s about half a yard 14. Mideast terror group 15. Bones used to shake one’s pelvis like Elvis 16. Hummus holder 17. Two-time Super Bowl MVP 19. Talmudist who studied with Rav Ammi 20. Silver or Perlman 21. Prayer direction, from Florida 22. “On the ___ hand” (Tevye) 23. Current NBA All-Star with a nearly identical name to a former NBA All-Star 26. One observing Shabbat, perhaps 29. Des Moines has most of this state’s Jews 30. 13, for Jews 31. “The ___ among the thorns” (the Zohar) 34. 59-Across only had 17 of these in his career (and 542 HRs) 37. Like the start 17-, 23-, 48- and 59-Across 41. Part of TGIF 42. Funny Samberg 43. “I ___ Change Comin’ On” (Dylan) 44. He holds up Moses’ arms with Aaron 47. Like a penny for tzedakah 48. Packer who often appears in State Farm ads 53. Menzel with a great set of pipes 54. Jezebel’s idol 55. Vandelay on “Seinfeld” 58. Goldberg of machinery 59. His final game was Oct. 2 62. One way to pronounce the truth 63. Sign from 37-Across 64. Competitor of

Why do you need the door closed? What are you doing that is so secret? Open that door, or I’ll open it for you.

JANUARY 13 ▪ 2017

CROSSWORD

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48-Across? 65. Projectile shot at Indiana Jones 66. Villain in Joel (Silver’s) “Die Hard” 67. Aroma emission?

1 hit 38. Oakland Raider Derek with a tattoo from the Book of Jeremiah 39. Billionaire Idan or Sammy 40. Black Eyed singers who said “Mazel Tov!” in one of their hits 45. Like Abe (and probably Abraham) 46. Echad, in Acapulco 47. Fuse (a metal menorah) 48. Showed on Yes 49. Para ___ 50. He’s not exactly Netanyahu’s best friend 51. Say mincha, e.g. 52. Puts on, especially on Jewish holidays 55. End in ___ (rare occurrence for Kraft’s Patriots) 56. Costa that’s home of the Haim Weizmann Comprehensive School 57. Yom ___ (fast) 59. Cry from a Simpson who once impersonated Krusty the Clown 60. Giant king who opposed Moses, and others 61. Abbr. for an emeritus rabbi

DOWN 1. Winona Ryder’s mom in “Mermaids” 2. Angel’s headwear 3. Ugandan tyrant 4. Bat ___, Israel 5. Palindromic Jewish king 6. Egyptian Peninsula 7. Cellist Weilerstein 8. Day of Av for mourning 9. Bit, for 42-Across 10. Director Judd 11. Hodgepodges 12. Like one on the Mediterranean 13. The ones on Samson’s head gave him strength 18. Mahane Yehuda to Ben Yehuda Street, e.g. 22. “Yofi!” (palindrome) 23. “___ all make sense eventually” (words from a rabbi) 24. Possible Pharaoh who drowned Jewish babies 25. Part of Teddy Stadium 26. Physics Nobelist Isidor Isaac 27. Do work at this LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION publication 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 B A T R A M E C C A F O R 28. One 14 15 16 A S H E R A L L I N A N Y regularly 17 18 19 T H E S I M P S I N S M T A getting this 20 21 22 T E R E S A A C E Z I O N publication 23 24 25 26 Y N E T Y I S H M A E L 31. Made like 27 28 29 30 31 Bernie Sanders 32 33 34 S 35T I R 36 E 37A R L Y O N A D S O M E R S T I G M A in 2016 38 39 40 41 42 32. Jerusalem 43R O O S T 44 S 45O B 46 I G 47O R S G L U T E N Y O M S Y I D City 48 49 50 51 O T T O M A N R O T H 33. Mossad 52 53 54 55 56 57 H O S T A G E S A D O N agent 58 59 60 61 62 N Y P D A G E E U R O P E 35. Item that 63 64 65 F L I N T S T I N E S E M O 67 68 “Saved” Slater 66 V C R E I N E I A B O R T 69 70 71 or Screech W E I S S H O R A S O A K 36. Loeb’s No.

JANUARY 13 â&#x2013;ª 2017