Arts & Culture

By Michael Fox to let us deep into his soul and to tell it Special To The Observer The ocean, in its vastness, suits Amos Nachoum perfectly. It’s big enough for Israeli underwater for the first time.” After the Arctic trip, Nachoum gave surprisingly candid interviews to the him to hide. Not from the great white sharks, orcas, manta rays, and other photographer Israeli press about both his postwar trauma and his father, who had fought large sea creatures he has obsessively sought out and photographed for four decades. But from Nachoum’s traumatic memories of the Yom Kippur War, and from seeks Picture of His Life in the War of Independence. So his way of dealing with his past continued — and continues — to expand. The process of making Picture of His Life contributed to Nachoum’s evoluhis father’s impossible expectations. “Amos has made a in Arctic tion. Nir and Menkin visited his father in the hospital near the end of his life, capturing a raw, powerful moment. decision to put the war They subsequently showed the footage behind him, to put vio- to Nachoum with the understanding lence behind him, and to use the camera that they would include it in the film to tell a different story, a beautiful story, about men and nature,” Israeli docu- Arts&Culture only if he gave his consent. Nachoum was touched by the scene, mentary filmmaker Yonatan Nir says and agreed to its inclusion. He even enin a phone interview. “I think, in a way, Amos Nachoum in Picture of His Life opens this year’s JCC Film Fest acted an onscreen form of reciprocation he’s reframing his life with his camera.” to complete the circle.

Nachoum’s complicated saga is ren- dream of photographing polar bears in the Red Sea that earned worldwide “We were able to create this closure, dered with gravity and grace in Nir and underwater. acclaim. between the father and the son, but only Dani Menkin’s Picture of His Life, opens The epic documentary’s executive As it turned out, the extra years were through the film,” Nir says. “It never Dayton’s JCC Film Fest June 8. producer is Nancy Spielberg, a nice essential, and not just to raise the funds really happened face to face.”

Picture of His Life is structured around bit of irony given her brother made a for four Jews (Nachoum, the directors The personal story in Picture of His Nachoum’s summer 2015 expedition to flick called Jaws many years ago that and veteran underwater cinematogra- Life is wrenching, but the environmental the Canadian Arctic, more than 3,000 spawned a widespread, irrational fear of pher Adam Ravetch) and six Inuits to component is potent, too. “I see myself miles from his Pacific Grove, Calif. sharks. trek to, and film at, remote Baker Lake. as a soldier for Mother Nature,” Nahome, to try and fulfill his ultimate Nir and Menkin originally wanted The filmmakers’ taciturn and enigmatic choum declares in the film, but his desThe JCC Film Fest opens with Picture of His Life, 9 p.m., Tuesday, June 8 at the Dixie Twin DriveIn, 6201 N. Dixie Drive, Dayton. The opening celebration begins at 7 p.m. with DJ Butch Brown. $15 per car. Director Dani Menkin will discuss this film along with Aulcie, virtually, at 7 p.m., Monday, June 14. Tickets are available at jewishdayton.org/events. to make a documentary about Nachoum diving in Tonga a decade ago, but that undertaking proved too expensive. Instead they made Dolphin Boy, a redemptive portrait of a traumatized young Arab healed by swimming with dolphins subject had to reach a point where he was willing to confide his deeply hidden feelings and memories. “He really didn’t talk until we got to the Arctic,” Menkin recalls on the phone from L.A., “and that’s when he started to open up.” Nir adds, “Amos needed time to open up and to be able, finally, perate, late-career pursuit of the polar bear goes even deeper. “At the end of the day, Amos was looking for his family,” Menkin says. “His family is the universe. It’s Mother Nature. He found his family and lives with it in harmony, and that’s what he wants us to do.”

Summer Kick-Off Celebration!

Friday, June 25th at 6:30 p.m. Temple Beth Or Parking Lot Shabbat Service

Join us as we come together and kick off summer! Music, Fun, and a “To-Goneg”!

Temple Beth Or 5275 Marshall Road Dayton, Ohio 45429 www.templebethor.com 937-435-3400

By Erin Ben-Moche Los Angeles Jewish Journal

In 2016, filmmaker and documentarian Dani Menkin (39 Pounds of Love) released On the Map, which chronicled the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team that overcame daunting odds to win six EuroLeague championships. That film won an Ophir, Israel’s Academy Award.

Although the Dolphin Boy co-director enjoyed documenting his favorite sport, Menkin sensed the bigger story was Aulcie Perry.

After following Perry’s career for more than 20 years, Menkin was driven to tell the story of the 6-foot-10 American Israeli basketball player who helped the Maccabi team win two of its six EuroLeague titles (1976-77, 1980-81). It was Perry’s compelling life story and legacy that inspired Menken’s 2020 documentary, Aulcie, about the roller-coaster life of renowned player No. 8 and how his relationship with Israel and the Jewish people ultimately led to his conversion to Judaism and the adoption of the Hebrew name Elisha ben Avraham.

“I grew up with this game. He was my childhood hero,” Menkin said via

Filmmaker Dani Menkin brings his idol’s story to life in Aulcie

American Israeli basketball player Aulcie Perry Zoom. “There was just one channel and we all watched basketball. We watched Aulcie.”

Daytonians will have the opportunity to see the film virtually, courtesy of the Dayton JCC Film Fest. The film, executive produced by Nancy Spielberg, will premiere in Dayton June 10 to 13 in a run-up to a live Zoom discussion of the film with Menkin.

Menkin said he’s excited to share this story with American audiences because Perry’s fame cemented his status as an international phenomenon, yet many don’t know his full story. He noted that to this day, many Israelis don’t know what happened to Perry.

In 1987, at the height of Perry’s career, he was convicted of drugsmuggling and was sentenced to 10 years in a U.S. prison. For a decade, Israelis didn’t know where he went after that life-altering moment.

“He just disappeared,” Menkin said. “He felt like the country that brought his dream to life, he felt like he disappointed everybody, disappointed himself. The thing was that Israel always loved him and embraced him...What happened to him was unbelievable. Where he came from, where he found himself, where he fell, the way he came back. It’s one of those things where life takes you on a journey.”

In a time when opinions and actions are highly politicized and divided, Menkin said he thinks it’s the perfect time to remind people of the strong relationship between Black people and Jewish people by sharing Perry’s “wonderful love story with Israel.”

Growing up in Israel, Menkin idolized Perry. As a child, Menkin aspired to play basketball professionally. His calling to write and direct came after working as a sports journalist. He said he always was drawn to telling compelling stories about things he was passionate about. Because of this — and a popular Beatles song — he created Hey Jude Productions.

“It’s from the line of the Beatles, ‘Take a sad song and make it better.’ That’s what we try to do and that’s what you can see with Aulcie, ” the writer and director said. “The bittersweetness of this film is what we are trying to do.” In order to tell the most authentic version of Perry’s story, the Israeli filmmaker spent hours with Perry although the former athlete wasn’t always eager to talk about

The JCC Film Fest presents Aulcie virtually, June 10-13. Director Dani Menkin will discuss this film along with Picture of His Life, virtually, at 7 p.m., Monday, June 14. Tickets for both are free and available at jewishdayton.org/events. At the end of Menkin’s discussion, the JCC will auction an official Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball signed by Aulcie Perry and Menkin. Proceeds will benefit the non-profit On The Map Foundation, committed to telling inspirational stories through film.

Arts&Culture

Hey Jude Productions

Dani Menkin

Continued on next page

Heads will Roll

Four beautiful, badass women—an assassin, a playwright, a former queen, and a rebel—lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.

Never before seen in Dayton, this grand and zany comedy of liberté, égalité, and sororité examines violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing the world.

June 23 – July 4, 2021

by Lauren Gunderson // directed by Margarett Perry Subscribers will receive an email with the viewing link // This show is rated: PG 15. Parents strongly cautioned.

For tickets & more information

HumanRaceTheatre.org // (937) 461-3823

American Israeli basketball player Aulcie Perry

Aulcie

Continued from previous page

the personal and painful details of his life.

Yes, Perry was the “It Man” of Israel, dated Israeli model Tami Ben Ami (Menkin referred to the couple as the Israeli “Brangelina”), and fell in love with Israel, but he struggled with turbulent life events that made him who he is today.

The film follows how he overcame American racism, language and cultural barriers, heartbreak, and his battle with substance abuse. Another major element was mending relationships with his children.

Menkin said Perry called him from the editing room to say the story they thought they had wrapped wasn’t over. Menkin said Perry told him that his daughter, who hadn’t seen him for 20 years, wanted to meet with him and have a relationship. Menkin stopped post-production and continued to film in order to incorporate their relationship into the story.

“In many ways, he tells us this story but he wants to tell her the story,” Menkin said. “I don’t want her to look into Google or Wikipedia and get that version of the story. I want her to hear (Perry’s) version of the story so (he) can reach out to her. That really surprised me with that journey.”

Menkin, who now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two kids, feels this film is one that will resonate deeply with American audiences because it taps into a shared love of basketball and social change.

When the Los Angeles Lakers won their 17th NBA title Oct. 11, it was emotional for many reasons. The pandemic-interrupted season had been reformatted to raise awareness of racial injustice and Covid-19.

Los Angeles and the basketball world also were still mourning the loss of Laker legend Kobe Bryant, who died with eight others in a helicopter crash in January, and honoring his legacy after winning the title. Menkin hopes Perry’s life experiences resonate beyond the sports world and help others overcome challenges.

“What is nice about the Lakers winning is that the NBA tried to make a statement that was larger than just basketball,” Menkin said. “Aulcie has so much to give, I hope people see the beauty of that in his story. When they see the redemption Aulcie went through, the closure he had in his life, I hope people will be inspired because everyone is facing challenges. That’s why I am trying to bring this good, inspiring story (to them).”

Arts&Culture Columnist interviews her dad, screenwriter of My Name Is Sara From My Name Is Sara, written by David Himmelstein

By Drew Himmelstein, j.

I usually write about my kids and my experiences as a parent, but here, I interview my father, David Himmelstein.

He’s a screenwriter, and his latest film, My Name Is Sara, is the first one he’s written on a Jewish theme. It tells the true story of a 13-year-old girl who survives the Holocaust by hiding under a secret identity in the Ukrainian countryside for two years, utterly alone in a stark, isolated place.

Sara never spoke about her experiences to her children, but late in her life, she gave two interviews to the USC Shoah Foundation; these formed the basis of her story as seen on screen.

I talked to my dad about how he brought Sara’s story to life and how he blends the drama of moviemaking with historical events. My Name Is Sara has been screened virtually by the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York and as part of the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival. Dayton’s audiences will see it virtually, June 21-23, as part of the Dayton JCC Film Fest. make incredibly difficult moral decisions that all stemmed from her promise to her mother on the night before she and her older brother escaped from the ghetto just before it was going to be liquidated.

Her parents made the decision they would stay with their two younger sons, who were 3 and 5, and the best chance for the family was for Sara and her older brother to escape through the fence.

Her mother says to her, “Your survival will be our revenge. Promise me you’ll do whatever it takes to survive.” Everything you see in the movie stems from that. A 13-year-old is supposed to decide, what does whatever it takes really mean? It’s almost overwhelming.

You were born shortly after World War II to parents who were both born in the U.S. How central was the Holocaust to your understanding of Jewish identity growing up?

My parents didn’t talk a lot about it. One vivid memory stands out. My father’s sisters lived in Brookline, Mass., on Beals Street, in a Jewish neighborhood. My memory is that we would go to this bakery around the corner to get cookies or challah. It was the spring or summer — it was warm outside — and the woman who was behind the counter was very friendly to me. She just exuded warmth. She had an accent. She reached over the counter to hand me the cookies, and I saw numbers tattooed on the inside of her arm. I instantly knew what that was. I just remembered a jolt seeing that. Looking at this smiling, warm, engaging woman and knowing what she must have experienced so far from Brookline, Mass. What had always been an abstraction was so real and vivid.

Holocaust stories continue to be told and retold, decade after decade. Why does the world need another Holocaust movie, and what does this story bring that is new?

What attracted me to ‘This is the this project as a writer was that it immediately polar opposite struck me that this is the polar opposite of the Anne Frank story. A of the Anne Frank story.’ constant theme of Anne’s diary was her complaints about not having any privacy. You have her family and another family, a total of eight people, who are crammed into a few hundred square feet, whereas Sara, who was almost Anne’s exact age, was on her own. Her family had been mur- You’re the parent of two girls, but dered; she was the only survivor. She this is the first of your films to focus was walking, this young girl, walking on a young, female protagonist. by herself, with literally just the dress How did you humanize Sara as a she had on, down a country road. teenage girl amid the upheaval of her

Beyond that, she was compelled to circumstances? The movie had to imagine all the

The JCC Film Fest presents My Name Is things that weren’t discussed about her

Sara, virtually, June 21-23. Free. Tickets as a girl. She left when she was 12 or are available at jewishdayton.org/events. 13. She ended up under a false identity staying with a farm family, taking care of two young boys who were ironically about the same age as her younger brothers.

In the movie, the boys’ mother, who was only in her 20s, is particularly suspicious of Sara’s identity and her story, and also of her husband’s interest in her. There was a tension between them. And I created this scene where, in the farmhouse, she has her first period, and there’s a moment of warming the ice: a mother to daughter, or older woman to young girl, that we hadn’t seen up until then. She was relating to her not as an object of suspicion but empathy for the first time in the movie. And their relationship warms after that.

You’ve written two films about baseball. One of them, Soul of the Game, focuses on the events leading to the integration of the major leagues. How do you approach writing about historical characters and events?

You try to get the historic milestones in place and correct. You try to accurately portray the feel and the tensions and the real-life stakes of ordinary people at that time.

But also, as a writer, your first obligation is to aim for a compelling universal human story. You hope that above all, that you can deliver the emotional truths of what it was like to have lived that time under those circumstances.

Sometimes you have to bend the facts in service of the human drama. When I was writing Soul of the Game, I portrayed Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, and Jackie Robinson as being a lot friendlier than they actually were to each other when they were playing in the Negro Leagues right after World War II.

People who were experts immediately pointed that out. But your primary duty is to the story, using it as a springboard to illuminate greater truths.

And that same dynamic and push-pull is there whether you’re talking about Jackie Robinson or Sara Goralnik. That’s always the writer’s dilemma.