"Moses Ezekiel: Portrait of a Lost (Cause) Artist"

The third film of the 2024-2025 Brazina Documentary Film Series

By Richard Prosten, Brazina Documentary Film Series Chair

"Moses Ezekiel: Portrait of a Lost (Cause) Artist" tells the intriguing story of Moses Ezekiel, an internationally famous Jewish sculptor who faded into obscurity after his death more than 100 years ago. Ezekiel's name has resurfaced more recently because, among his many other works, he created Confederate statues that have become the object of an ongoing national debate over their fate.

Ezekiel was born and raised in the South and became the first Jewish cadet at the Virginia Military Institute. As a cadet, Ezekiel fought alongside Confederate troops in the 1864 Battle of New Market during the Civil War.

Ezekiel later studied art in Berlin and wound up living and working in Rome for 40 years. During that time, he created a large body of work that, all these years later, remains scattered across the United States — including a bust of Thomas Jefferson that adorns the U.S. Senate chamber. But his most controversial work was a towering 32-foot monument to the Confederacy, which once stood at Arlington National Cemetery — and where Ezekiel himself is buried at its base. In December 2023, the bronze elements of the Confederate Memorial were removed and are currently stored in a secure Department of Defense facility in Virginia.

Reservations are available now at https://mcanaples.wildapricot.org/event5821477/Registration. A special aspect of the showing will be in-person participation by the team that made this film. Also present will be Beth and Richard Loew (WCA and MCA members respectively) who are direct descendants of Mr. Ezekiel.

The Filmmakers

Steven Pressman was born and raised in Los Angeles and received an undergraduate degree in political science at the University of California, Berkeley. He worked as a newspaper and magazine journalist for many years, both as a reporter and editor at a variety of publications in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco.

As a filmmaker, Pressman directed and produced “50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus,” which premiered on HBO in 2013 and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Historical Programming. His next film, “Holy Silence,” premiered on PBS in 2020. Pressman’s third film, “The Levys of Monticello,” has won numerous awards while screening at more than 100 film festivals around the country since its release in 2022. His latest film, “Moses Ezekiel: Portrait of a Lost (Cause) Artist,” premiered in 2024.

Lisa Stark is an award-winning network news correspondent who has reported for ABC News, Al Jazeera America and PBS NewsHour. She has won two Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and a duPont-Columbia Award for her work. Stark also worked as a senior member of American University’s media relations team. Stark now runs her own communications company, offering media training and moderating and emceeing services.

Additionally, she has worked with PerlePress Productions as the associate producer of two documentaries: “The Levys of Monticello” and “Moses Ezekiel: Portrait of a Lost (Cause) Artist.”

Reservations required

The film will be shown at the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center on Jan. 7 at 1:30 p.m. Doors open at 1 p.m. There is never a charge but, for security and capacity reasons, reservations are required. Registration is available now through the WCA and MCA e-blasts and websites. If you have any questions, please contact Docfilmsnaples@gmail.com.