JxJ DC Jewish Film + Music Festival

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Thursday, May 11

6:00 PM Exodus ‘91 (Bethesda Row)

7:00 PM OPENING FILM: June Zero (EDCJCC)

8:00 PM Karaoke (Bethesda Row)

Friday, May 12

4:00 PM Closed Circuit (EDCJCC)

Saturday, May 13

5:50 PM America (Bethesda Row)

6:00 PM March ’68 (EDCJCC)

8:20 PM Farewell, Mr. Haffman (Bethesda Row)

8:30 PM Where Life Begins (EDCJCC)

9:00 PM Shalva Band (EDCJCC)

Sunday, May 14

1:00 PM Bella (EDCJCC)

1:30 PM All I Can Do (Bethesda Row)

3:00 PM Haute Couture (EDCJCC)

4:00 PM Bella (Bethesda Row)

5:30 PM Annette Zelman (EDCJCC)

6:00 PM Valeria is Getting Married (Bethesda Row)

7:00 PM Atempo Trio (EDCJCC)

7:30 PM The Shadow of the Day (EDCJCC)

7:40 PM A Still Small Voice (Bethesda Row)

Monday, May 15

5:30 PM Haute Couture (Bethesda Row)

EDCJCC

6:00 PM Concerned Citizen (EDCJCC)

7:00 PM Strathmore (EDCJCC)

8:00 PM The Shadow of the Day (Bethesda Row)

8:15 PM Shorts Program (EDCJCC)

Bethesda Row Cinema

Cinema Arts Theatre

Tuesday, May 16

5:30 PM Annette Zelman (Bethesda Row)

6:30 PM Queen of the Deuce (EDCJCC)

7:00 PM Daryl Davis (EDCJCC)

7:30 PM Where Life Begins (Bethesda Row)

8:30 PM America (EDCJCC)

Wednesday, May 17

6:00 PM The 21% (EDCJCC)

6:30 PM Concerned Citizen (Bethesda Row)

7:00 PM Seth Kibel (EDCJCC)

8:20 PM The Other Widow (Bethesda Row)

8:20 PM The Seven Years of Absalon (EDCJCC)

Thursday, May 18

6:00 PM Queen of the Deuce (Bethesda Row)

6:00 PM Karaoke (EDCJCC)

6:00 PM The Wild One (Cinema Arts Theatre)

7:00 PM Nefesh Mountain (EDCJCC)

8:00 PM March ’68 (Bethesda Row)

8:00 PM Shttl (EDCJCC)

8:00 PM Exodus ’91 (Cinema Arts Theatre)

Saturday, May 20

5:30 PM Homeboys (EDCJCC)

6:00 PM The Seven Years of Absalon (Cinema Arts Theatre)

7:30 PM The Other Widow (Cinema Arts Theatre)

8:00 PM Schächten (EDCJCC)

Sunday, May 21

12:00 PM Pocket Full of Miracles (EDCJCC)

1:20 PM Kosher Rehab (Cinema Arts Theatre)

2:50 PM The Camera of Dr. Morris (Cinema Arts Theatre)

3:00 PM Valeria is Getting Married (EDCJCC)

4:30 PM Shachten (Cinema Arts Theatre)

6:00 PM CLOSING FILM: Paris Boutique (EDCJCC)

8:10 PM CLOSING FILM: Matchmaking (EDCJCC)

VENUES

BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

7235 Woodmont Avenue

Bethesda, MD

CINEMA ARTS THEATRE

9650 Main St

Fairfax, VA

EDLAVITCH DCJCC

1529 16th Street NW

Washinton, DC

(Cafritz Hall and Goldman Theater)

A NOTE FROM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR YAEL LUTTWAK

Welcome back to JxJ: Washington DC Jewish Film and Music Festival!

We are thrilled to be back with 30 exceptional films, over 50 in-person screenings, and 6 diverse musical concerts in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.

This year we are launching our first-ever teen film contest for students of all backgrounds in the Washington D.C. area screening their world premieres on the closing night of our Festival.

We are committed to showcasing local film and music talent. We hope you can join us for the DMV female filmmakers’ shorts program and our concert in partnership with The Music Center with Strathmore!

JxJDC.ORG

Join the conversation on social media using #JXJ23. Check out our Facebook and Twitter accounts for exclusive updates, behind-the scenes content, festival information, ticket giveaways, and more!

/JxJFest

/JxJFest

The EDCJCC embraces inclusion in all its programs and activities.

JxJ continues to bring cultural arts to our community—on our screens and stages— and builds bridges and sustains the soul of Jewish culture—as a flagship for the arts in our region.

It’s a special and important time to build bridges and preserve and enjoy community.

We hope you will join us for a film, a concert, or both and celebrate with us and be inspired and deepen your cultural experiences with your friends and family.

REGIONAL PREMIERE

Sponsored by the Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation

June Zero

Dir. Jake Paltrow | 105 minutes | Narrative | United States/Israel | 2023 Hebrew with English subtitles

Q&A with director Jake Paltrow and producers Ron Goldman and Oren Moverman.

From acclaimed filmmaker Jake Paltrow, this film tells the gripping, empathetic, and surprising story of the 1961 trial of Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the mass murder of the Jews during World War II. Based on true events, this film follows the lives of three unlikely characters: Eichmann’s Jewish Moroccan prison guard, an Israeli police investigator, and a 13-year-old Jewish Libyan immigrant.

Join us after the film for our Opening Night reception!

OPENING NIGHT

Thursday, May 11, 7:00 PM – EDCJCC

Shalva Band

Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington in partnership with the Bender JCC of Greater Washington and the Pozez JCC of Northern Virginia.

In celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Israel, join the DC, Maryland, and Virginia Jewish communities for a delightful and inspiring concert featuring the Shalva Band. The Shalva Band is comprised of eight differently-abled artists whose talents whose talents were discovered and developed into those of professional, world-class musicians through the music therapy program at the Shalva National Institute in Israel.

The band performs at cultural venues and dignitary events around the world. What began as a unique outlet for talented Shalva program participants in 2005 has developed into a model for cultural inclusion and continues to impact audiences and musicians throughout Israel and beyond. In addition to being an exciting and moving musical experience, the band’s performances shatter attitudinal barriers, causing mesmerized audiences to believe in human potential and dignity.

“They are a true inspiration for a spirit of strength, values, inclusiveness, unity, persistence, talent, and everything else we would hope our society to be!” —Israeli American Council

Join us before the concert for an Israel @ 75 reception at 8:00 PM! Saturday, May 13, 9:00 PM – EDCJCC

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

The 21%:

The

Lives of Arab Citizens of Israel

Sponsored by the Greater Washington Forum on Israeli Arab Issues and the Edlavitch DCJCC

Lead support provided by The Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation

Our annual program exploring the daily lives and challenges of Arab citizens of Israel. The program features a screening of Israeli documentary Shadya, followed by a conversation with Producer and Founder of Budo for Peace, Danny Hakim; film subject Shadya Zoabi; and fellow Budo for Peace alum Nour Anaeem.

Shadya

Dir. Roy Westler | 50 min | Documentary | Israel | 2005 Arabic & Hebrew w/ English subtitles

Like many 17-year-old girls, Shadya Zoabi enjoys listening to music and hanging out with her friends. But unlike most other girls, Shadya is also a world champion in karate, a feminist in a male-dominated culture, and a Muslim Arab living in Israel.

Wednesday, May 17, 6:00 PM – EDCJCC

Documentary

JxJ 2023 closes with two outstanding romantic comedies. Attend one or both films and join us for Closing Night festivities between 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM.

REGIONAL PREMIERE

Narrative

Sponsored by the Nussdorf Family Foundation

Paris Boutique

Dir. Marco Carmel | 81 min | Narrative | Israel | 2022 Hebrew w/ English subtitles

French-Jewish lawyer Louise takes a break from planning her lavish wedding in Paris to go on a short business trip to Jerusalem. She hopes to seal a multimillion property deal and meets a charming Israeli man. Paris Boutique is a fun and delightful romantic comedy about love, friendship — and even, a little peace in the Middle East.

CLOSING NIGHT

Sunday, May 21, 6:00 PM – EDCJCC

REGIONAL SNEAK PEEK

Narrative

Sponsored by the Nussdorf Family Foundation

Matchmaking

Dir. Erez Tadmor | 96 min | Narrative | Israel | 2022

Hebrew w/ English subtitles

A witty, entertaining romantic comedy, Matchmaking is a goodhearted story of two young, eligible ultraOrthodox singles looking for a match. A Romeo and Juliet tale about love, Matchmaking is Israel’s biggest box office hit of the year, starring Maor Schwitzer from Shtisel and Irit Kaplan from The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem.

CLOSING NIGHT

Sunday, May 21, 8:00 PM – EDCJCC

A Still Small Voice

Dir. Luke Lorentzen | 93 min | Documentary

United States | 2023

This year’s Sundance Film Festival favorite documentary is hailed as “unforgettable” by the Hollywood Reporter. An aspiring Jewish hospital chaplain begins a yearlong residency in spiritual care, only to discover that to successfully tend to her patients, she must look deep within herself.

Presented in partnership with DC/DOX.

All I Can Do

Dir. Shiri Nevo Fridental | 87 min

Narrative | Israel | 2022

Hebrew w/ English subtitles

Nominated for an Israeli Academy Award, All I Can Do is a brilliant and gripping drama focusing on Efrat, a young prosecutor (Ania Bukstein, Game of Thrones) who takes over a difficult sexual assault case based on the sole testimony of the accuser. As the trial progresses and Efrat loses faith, she learns strength, love, and sisterhood.

Sunday, May 14, 7:40 PM – Bethesda Row

Sunday, May 14, 1:30 PM – Bethesda Row

REGIONAL PREMIERE Documentary

REGIONAL PREMIERE Narrative

America

Dir. Ofir Raul Graizer | 127 min | Narrative |

Israel/Germany/Czech Republic | 2022

Hebrew w/ English subtitles

The delicate love story of an Israeli swimming teacher who returns to Israel after ten years of absence to bury his father. When he reunites with his best childhood friend and his fiancé, the story takes a sudden tragic turn.

“Never has a film projected quite so much poetry… America can take unexpected routes to obvious feeling.” — Variety

Dir. Philippe Le Guay | 93 min | Narrative | France | 2022

French w/ English subtitles

A riveting wartime love story of extraordinary quality based on actual events. In 1942 Paris, Jewish-born Annette Zelman and Catholic Jean Jausion fall in love and wish to get married, but Jean’s parents oppose the union and report Annette to the Gestapo. An incredible tale of true love during World War II.

Saturday, May 13, 5:50 PM – Bethesda Row

Tuesday, May 16, 8:30 PM – EDCJCC

Sunday, May 14, 5:30 PM – EDCJCC

Tuesday, May 16, 5:30 PM – Bethesda Row

Annette Zelman

REGIONAL PREMIERE Narrative

REGIONAL PREMIERE Narrative

Bella

Dir. Bridget Murnane | 98 min | Documentary

United States | 2022

English

Bella is the lesser-known story of Bella Lewitzky, a Jewish choreographer and whose techniques influenced dance and dancers world-wide. Her uniquely west coast modern dance helped develop Los Angeles as a global dance center and represent Native American dance in cultural history.

Closed Circuit

Dir. Tal Inbar | 53 min | Documentary | Israel | 2022

Hebrew/Arabic w/ English subtitles

Q&A with Producer Nancy Spielberg

With every outbreak in the epidemic of gun violence we are left to wonder: what would we do if a mass shooting breaks out where we are?

“Filmmaker Tal Inbar and [producer Nancy Spielberg] help us imagine the unthinkable by skillfully weaving together raw footage from closed-circuit cameras at a 2016 terrorist attack in Tel Aviv…the result is a heart-pounding and cinematic confrontation with trauma.” —Jaie Laplante, Artistic Director, DOC NYC

Sunday, May 14, 1:00 PM – EDCJCC

Sunday, May 14, 4:00 PM – Bethesda Row

Friday, May 12, 4:00 PM – EDCJCC

REGIONAL PREMIERE Documentary

REGIONAL PREMIERE Documentary

Concerned Citizen

Dir. Idan Haguel | 82 min | Narrative | Israel | 2022

Hebrew/English/French w/ English subtitles

A fantastic — “satirical parable on the insidious ways in which privilege can unleash the prejudice within, centers on Ben, who thinks of himself as a liberal and enlightened gay man, living in the perfect apartment with his boyfriend Raz. All that’s missing to complete the picture is a baby, which the couple are trying to make a reality.” — Variety

Exodus ’91

Dir. Micah Smith | 90 min | Narrative | Israel | 2022

Hebrew/Amahric/English w/ English subtitles

This extraordinary docu-narrative film follows North African Israeli diplomat Asher Naim, taking viewers behind the scenes – and behind the spin – of Operation Solomon, the diplomatic and military mission to bring 15,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel during Ethiopia’s brutal civil war.

Monday, May 15, 6:00 PM – EDCJCC

Wednesday, May 17, 6:30 PM – Bethesda Row

Thursday, May 11, 6:00 PM – Bethesda Row

Thursday, May 18, 8:00 PM – Cinema Arts Theatre

REGIONAL PREMIERE Narrative

NORTHEAST PREMIERE Documentary

Farewell, Mr. Haffmann

Dir. Fred Cavaye | 115 min | Narrative | France/Belgium | 2022

French w/ English subtitles

Legendary French actor Daniel Auteuil gives one of his best performances in this gripping new historical drama. In 1941 occupied Paris, jewelry store owner Joseph Haffmann (Auteuil) is forced to seek his assistant Francois’s protection for himself and his family. It’s a risk for both men, and one of which Francois’s wife (played by celebrated French actress Sara Giraudeau) is skeptical.

Haute Couture

Dir. Sylvie Ohayon | 100 min | Narrative | France | 2022

French w/ English subtitles

“Esther (veteran French film star Nathalie Baye) is nearing the end of her career as Head Seamstress at Dior. When her handbag gets stolen by two young women, she decides to take one of them, Jade, under her wing and teach her trade...Living up to its title, this thoughtful drama is as captivating as the latest collection from the luxury fashion house that inspired it.”

— UK Jewish Film

Saturday, May 13, 8:20 PM – Bethesda Row

Sunday, May 14, 3:00 PM – EDCJCC

Monday, May 15, 5:30 PM – Bethesda Row

REGIONAL PREMIERE Narrative

REGIONAL PREMIERE Narrative

Homeboys

Dir. Tamar Goren | 59 min | Documentary | Israel | 2022

Hebrew/English/Arabic w/ English subtitles

This poignant and powerful musical-documentary film follows Samuel and Isaac, South-Sudanese teenagers deported from Israel who dream about becoming musicians, and their Israeli instructor Amir, who they meet at a refugee camp in Uganda. Through rhythm and sound, the film follows Samuel and Isaac through the hardships, hopes, dreams, and realities of the lives of young refugees.

Karaoke

Dir. Moshe Rosenthal | 100 min | Narrative | Israel | 2022

Hebrew w/ English subtitles

A bittersweet comedy superbly acted by audience favorites (Lior Ashkenazi and Sasson Gabay), this film follows a middleclass suburban couple in their 60s who are drawn to their new neighbor, a charismatic bachelor who hosts karaoke evenings at his apartment.

Saturday, May 20, 5:30 PM – EDCJCC

Thursday, May 11, 8:00 PM – Bethesda Row

Thursday, May 18, 6:00 PM – EDCJCC

US PREMIERE Documentary

REGIONAL PREMIERE Documentary

Kosher Rehab

Dir. Anna Oliker | 65 min | Documentary | Israel | 2021

Hebrew w/ English subtitles

A gritty, gripping, award-winning documentary about fifteen young American drug addicts, abandoned by their Hassidic families. Under the care of their leader, the charismatic and former addict Eric, the film follows these men and their last chance at winning their battles against addiction over the course of the eight-month program.

March ‘68

Dir. Krzysztof Lang | 117 min | Narrative | Poland | 2022

Polish w/ English subtitles

An under-told, powerful love story set in 1960s Poland.

Two young students—Hania (Vanessa Aleksander, Wartime Girls) and Jane—meet and fall in love amid social turmoil and Jewish discrimination in 1960s Warsaw and come to learn that freedom comes at a high price.

Sunday, May 21, 1:20 PM – Cinema Arts Theatre

Saturday, May 13, 6:00 PM – EDCJCC

Thursday, May 18, 8:00 PM – Bethesda Row

REGIONAL PREMIERE Documentary

REGIONAL PREMIERE Narrative

Pocket Full of Miracles

Dir. Aviva Kempner | 60 min | Documentary United States | 2022

Pocket Full of Miracles is the story of director Aviva Kempner’s mother, Hanka Ciesla, who survived the Holocaust as a Polish Catholic and her uncle, Dudek Ciesla, who survived Auschwitz.

After liberation, they miraculously found each other in Berlin. American Jewish military journalist Harold Kempner witnessed and wrote about their reunion, and eventually fell in love with and married Hanka. The film depicts how the survivors rebuilt their lives and how their descendants felt the need to share their stories.

Queen of the Deuce

Dir. Valerie Kontakos | 78 min | Documentary | Greece/Canada 2022 | English and Greek w/ English subtitles

Chelly Wilson was a Christmas-celebrating Jewish grandma, a lesbian who married men, and a proud owner of porn theaters in 1970s NYC. Through audio recordings, Chelly recounts her pre-war escape from Greece up through her unlikely motherhood and rise to wealth as a shrewd businesswoman on “The Deuce,” aka New York’s infamous 42nd Street. Fascinating WWII and NYC archival footage illustrate this entertaining story of a family and its matriarch, a truly unique character with chutzpah in spades.

Sunday, May 21, 12:00 PM – EDCJCC

Thursday, May 16, 6:30 PM – EDCJCC

Tuesday, May 18, 6:00 PM – Bethesda Row

REGIONAL PREMIERE Narrative

WORLD PREMIERE Documentary

Narrative

Sponsored by Sara Cohen and Norm Rich

Schächten

Dir. Thomas Roth | 110 min | Narrative | Austria | 2022

German w/ English subtitles

Q&A with Director Thomas Roth

A young Jewish businessman’s son, Victor Dessauer, seeks just punishment for former SS officer Kurt Gogl, who tortured his parents. When he fails, he resolves to take the law into his own hands.

“Much of this story radiates into our present society and how quickly the cycle of hatred can re-emerge in all of us.” —Director Thomas Roth.

Shttl

Dr. Ady Walter | 114 min | Narrative | Ukraine/France | 2022

Yiddish w/ English subtitles

One of the most spell-binding films of this year’s Festival, Shttl beautifully captures the lives and loves of a Yiddish-speaking village on the eve of the Nazi invasion of Soviet Ukraine.

“Unravelling the simmering tensions between tradition and modernity, director Ady Walter’s debut masterpiece, which is filmed in one extraordinary long shot, recreates a world on the precipice of disaster.” — UK Jewish Film

Saturday, May 20, 8:00 PM – EDCJCC

Thursday, May 18, 8:00 PM – EDCJCC

REGIONAL PREMIERE

REGIONAL PREMIERE Narrative

The Camera of Dr. Morris

Dir. Tamar Alcalay and Meital Zvieli | 74 min

Documentary | Israel | 2022 | Hebrew w/ English subtitles

Winner at this year’s Tel Aviv International Documentary Film Festival. An eccentric pilot in the British Armed Forces and his young wife flee a devastated post-World War II Europe and arrive in the Israeli desert where they settle down, raise their children, and keep crocodiles as family pets. Through the archives of fully lived and filmed lives, combined with recounting from Morris family members themselves, their unusual and absorbing story unfolds.

The Other Widow

Dir. Ma’Ayan Rypp | 85 min | Narrative | Israel/France | 2022

Hebrew w/ English subtitles

Ella, a theatre dresser and mistress, experiences the sudden death of her lover and eventually demands her legitimate right to mourn.

“ This impressive debut from Ma’ayan Rypp is an elegant and empathetic portrait of that most vilified of female characters, ‘the other woman.’” — Screen Daily

Sunday, May 21, 2:50 PM – Cinema Arts Theatre

Wednesday, May 17, 8:20 PM – Bethesda Row

Saturday, May 20, 7:30 PM – Cinema Arts Theatre

EAST COAST PREMIERE Documentary

REGIONAL PREMIERE Narrative

The Seven Years of Absalon

Dir. David Ofek and Amit Azaz | 60 min | Documentary

Israel | 2022 | Hebrew and French w/ English subtitles

In this Doc Aviv winner, 22-year-old Israeli Meir Eshel reinvents himself in Paris as the artist Absalon, quickly rising to stardom and showcased by prestigious museums around the world. After his sudden death more than 25 years later, his brother’s first assignment as an estate manager is to sell Absalon’s final art piece.

The Shadow of the Day

Dir. Giuseppe Piccioni | 125 min | Narrative | Italy | 2022

Italian w/ English subtitles

A dramatic love story set during World War II between Luciano (Riccardo Scarmarcio), a respected restauranteur, and Anna (Benedetta Porcaroli), an out-of-town woman looking for work.

“It’s an understated study of live and survival...all of the characters draw you fully into their world, and I didn’t want the film to end.” — Alexis, Dallas, Brisbanista, Australia

Wednesday, May 17, 8:20 PM – EDCJCC

Saturday, May 20, 6:00 PM – Cinema Arts Theatre

Sunday, May 14, 7:30 PM – EDCJCC

Monday, May 15, 8:00 PM – Bethesda Row

US PREMIERE Documentary

REGIONAL PREMIERE Narrative

Sponsored by Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt

The Wild One

Dir. Tessa Louise-Salomé | 94 min | Documentary | France | 2022

Narrated by Willem Dafoe and blending film clips, photos, and commentary from friends and family, The Wild One celebrates the life and contributions of Jack Garfein, a Holocaust survivor and controversial director.

“The Wild One is both educational and emotionally compelling... Blending old film clips and photos with commentary from Jack Garfein’s friends and family, this work celebrates the controversial filmmaker with grace and style.” —Brittany Witherspoon, Film Threat.

Valeria is Getting Married

Dir. Michal Vinik | 76 min | Narrative | Israel/Ukraine | 2022

Russian/Hebrew w/ English subtitles

Nominated for 14 Ophir Awards (Israeli Oscars), this must-see film follows a day in the lives of two Ukrainian sisters: one living in Israel in a marriage arranged online, the other arriving for a similar arrangement. Over the course of the day, both sisters begin to see the consequences of their choices.

Thursday, May 18, 6:00 PM – Cinema Arts Theatre

Sunday, May 14, 6:00 PM – Bethesda Row

Sunday, May 21, 3:00 PM – EDCJCC

REGIONAL PREMIERE Documentary

REGIONAL PREMIERE Narrative

Where Life Begins

Dir. Stéphane Freiss | 100 min | Narrative | Italy/France | 2022 Italian/French w/ English subtitles

An ultra-orthodox Jewish family comes to a farm in Calabria every year to carry out a sacred mission: harvesting citrons for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. It is here that Elio, the farm owner, meets Esther, the rabbi’s daughter, both of whom feel trapped in their circumstances. A tender, bittersweet film that helps the audience realize the importance of following your own path.

Shorts Program: Women

Filmmakers of the DMV

JxJ presents Washington, DC Female Filmmakers Shorts Program. From fiction to documentary and horror to refugee stories, from three talented, local directors, Hannah Dweck, Beth Mendelson, and Abigail Tannebaum Sharon, are sure to mesmerize and thrill our audiences.

Shorts include Deliver, The Business Meeting, Rudy and Neal Go Fishing, and Symphony of Courage.

Saturday, May 13, 8:30 PM – EDCJCC

Tuesday, May 16, 7:30 PM – Bethesda Row

Monday, May 15, 8:15 PM – EDCJCC

REGIONAL PREMIERE Narrative

From Sudan to Argentina

Dir. Ricardo Preve | 52 min | Documentary

Argentina/Sudan/U.S. | 2022

Spanish and Arabic w/ English subtitles

In the 1960s, the Ancient Egyptian monuments of Nubia were saved from the threat of destruction by an international coalition of archeologists.

Director Ricardo Preve’s documentary explores and celebrates the legacy of just one of these archeologists, Dr. Abraham Rossenvasser, a self-taught Egyptologist who was born in a small Jewish colony in Argentina.

The Camera of Dr. Morris

Dir. Tamar Alcalay and Meital Zvieli | 74 min

Documentary | Israel | 2022

Hebrew w/ English subtitles

Winner at this year’s Tel Aviv International Documentary Film Festival, an eccentric pilot in the British Armed Forces and his young wife flee a devastated post-World War II Europe and arrive in the Israeli desert where they settle down, raise their children, and keep crocodiles as family pets.

Through the archives of fully lived and filmed lives, combined with recounting from Morris family members themselves, their unusual and absorbing story unfolds.

REGIONAL PREMIERE Documentary

EAST COAST PREMIERE Documentary

Teen Film Contest

2023 marks our first ever Teen Film Contest, where teenagers across the DMV area submit a 1–3-minute short film answering the question, “Where do you belong?” Two winners will receive a Visa gift card and will have their films premiered during the Festival’s Closing Night screenings!

A special thank you to Adas Israel, American Jewish Committee (AJC), Beth El, Bethesda Chevy Chase, Bowie High School, Charles E. Smith Day School, Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Girls Global Academy, James Hubert Blake High School, Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), Kesher Israel, Maret, Northwest High School, Operation Understanding DC, Paint Branch High School, Seneca Valley High School, Temple Emmanuel, Temple Sinai Dc, Temple Micah, Walter Johnson High School, and Washington Leadership Academy.

Sunday, May 21, 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM – EDCJCC

Sponsored by Ginny and Irwin Edlavitch

MUSIC

Atempo Trio

A-Tempo Trio is a modern and original Israeli jazz trio that recently released their first collaborative album and the JxJ Festival marks their first US tour.

“Spontaneous jazz is an absolute blast to listen to and is something that A-Tempo Trio are masters at. With their single ‘The Beginning of Everything’, the trio contrasts unsymmetrical grooves with chilled melodics, for a sound that is challenging and calms all at the same time. Modern, atmospheric and masterful, the single showcases the prowess of each band member, while letting listeners fall into the wonder of spiced jazz spontaneity.”

—The Other Side

Sunday, May 14, 7:00 PM – EDCJCC

The Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation is the Lead Sponsor of the Washington Jewish Music Festival

Strathmore @ JxJ

An eclectic evening of music from Jewish composers and songwriters featuring current and recent Artists in Residence (AIR) at Strathmore. Featuring current AIR’s Erin Murphy Snedecor (cello), Dominique Bianco (vocals), and recent AIR alum Alex Hamburger (flute/vocals). An exciting multi-genre evening featuring the stars of tomorrow!

Monday, May 15, 7:00 PM – EDCJCC

Daryl Davis Presents: Rock’n’Roll & The Jewish Connection

Award-winning musician Daryl Davis and his band present a special evening of story and song celebrating the Jewish songwriters and producers behind the scenes of the first decade of Rock’n’Roll. While none of the marquee names of the first decade of Rock’n’Roll were Jewish, many of the key figures behind the scenes were. Songwriters like Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Doc Pomus, Carole King, and Neil Sedaka. Producers like Leonard and Phil Chess, Jerry Wexler, and Phil Spector. And legendary DJs and promoters like Alan Freed. Daryl and his cadre of guest vocalists and instrumentalists will bring their stories to life through the music of Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, and more.

Tuesday, May 16, 7:00 PM – EDCJCC

Seth Kibel: “Clown With A Stick”

Album Release Concert

Seth Kibel celebrates the release of his brand-new album, “Clown With A Stick,” with a concert featuring the music and musicians on the new record. Seth is one of the MidAtlantic’s premier woodwind specialists, working with some of the best bands in jazz, swing, klezmer and more. Wowing audiences on clarinet, saxophone, and flute, Seth has made a name for himself in the Washington/Baltimore region, and beyond. He has been the featured performer with The Kleztet, Bay Jazz Project, Music Pilgrim Trio, The Natty Beaux, and more. Winner of 28 Washington Area Music Awards.

Wednesday, May 17, 7:00 PM – EDCJCC

Nefesh Mountain

Nefesh Mountain has been hailed as one of the formative boundary-pushing groups in roots music. The bands creators and husband and wife team Eric Lindberg and Doni Zasloff have created a world and sound all their own; blurring the lines between Bluegrass, Folk, Americana, Jazz and Blues with a masterful hand as songwriters, instrumentalists and composers alike. Called “a master class in string music” by Rolling Stone, and “arguably some of the best bluegrass ever made” by American Songwriter. Nefesh Mountain is a New York based progressive bluegrass band that bridges elements of American folk and Appalachian bluegrass with Celtic folk and Eastern European melodies.

Thursday, May 18, 7:00 PM – EDCJCC

Thank you to our generous JxJ donors.

PRESENTING SPONSOR ($100,000+)

Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation

LEAD SPONSOR ($75,000)

DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

MAJOR SPONSOR ($20,000)

The Morris and Gwendolyn

Cafritz Foundation

DC Government

Ginny and Irwin Edlavitch

Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation

Nussdorf Family Foundation

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ($10,000)

Anonymous

Dweck Philanthropy

Daniel Hirsch and Brenda Gruss

Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman

Foundation

Sid and Linda Moskowitz

National Endowment for the Arts

Deborah and Michael Salzberg

PRODUCER ($5,000)

Monica and Gavin Abrams

Michele and Allan Berman

Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt

Cyna and Paul Cohen, Sara C. Cohen and Norm J. Rich

Scott Eric Dreyer and Ellen Clare Gillespie

Dreyer

Morgan and Josh Genderson

Rena and Michael Gordon

Dan Mendelson and Jennifer

Loew Mendelson

Saul and Nancy Pilchen

Richard Solloway

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER ($3,000)

Janet B. Abrams

Deborah and Charles Both

Embassy of Israel

Dina Gold

Rae Grad and Manuel Schiffres

Dianne and Herb Lerner

Ilene and Steven Rosenthal

PATRON ($1,100)

Adas Israel Congregation

Dianne Adelberg

Alison Baraf and Aryeh Portnoy

Cheryl and Herbert Baraf

Ito Briones and Warren Coates

Dave Connick

Jessica Dodson and Jeremy Levine

Sonnie and William Dockser

Ilana Marcus Drimmer

Audrey Goldstein

Jill and Robert Granader

Judith Herr and Robert Samuelson

Sandra Hoexter

Rob Kallman

Aviva Kempner

Stacey Kluck

Kimberly and Bruce Levin

Carol Mates and Mark Kahan

Joan Nathan

Diane and Arnold Polinger

Joan and Barry Rosenthal

Rhea Schwartz and Paul Wolff

Mindy Strelitz and Andrew Cornblatt

Susan Rubin Suleiman

Mimi Tygier and Robert Rubin

Heidi Wachs

Susan Wedlan and Harold Rosen

Diane Abelman Wattenberg

Anita Wolke and Ken Brooks

Yiddish of Greater Washington

TASTEMAKER ($550)

Babs and Rabbi A.N. Abramowitz

Charlotte and Michael Baer

Sanders H. Berk, MD and Sally Berk

Susan Brett and Rob Shesser

Meg and Samuel Flax

Lorraine Gallard and Richard H. Levy

Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy

Ceceile Klein

Iris Lipkowitz

Linda Lipsett and Jules Bernstein

Dalya and Edward Luttwak

Miriam Morsel Nathan and Harvey Nathan

Lynn Levin Oshinsky and Stan Oshinsky

Joel and Nancy Poznansky

Elaine Reuben, The Timbrel Fund

Michael Singer and James Smith

Tina and Albert Small, Jr.

Deborah Tannen and Michael Macovski

Francine Zorn Trachtenberg and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg

Jeffery Yablon

FAN ($175)

Paula Bienenfeld and Emlen Myers

Nanci and Jim Bramson

Dr. Lois K. Cohen

Nadine Cohodas

Jeffrey Colman

Anne-Marie Deutsch and Steven Feldman

Thank you to our generous EDCJCC donors. DONORS

Alison Drucker and Tom Holzman

Seth R. Eaton and Karen Bonnie Eaton

Michael and Laurie Edberg

Stuart Eizenstat

Debra and Marvin Feuer

Dr. Stanley C. and Ronna L. Foster

Lori and Scott Gale

Mindy Gasthalter

Ann Gilbert

Debra Goldberg and Seth Waxman

Michael Goldstein

Francine Harris

Lisa Himmelfarb

Gilbert Holland

Jewish Fertility Foundation

Joy Lerner and Stephen Kelin

Jessica Pollner

Debby Prigal

Nancy L. Sanders and Jeffrey M. Sandman

Debbie Schwartz

Sheila Taube

Israel Wachs

Jill and Michael Weinstein

Rivka Yerushalmi

EDLAVITCH DCJCC FUND SUPPORT

Milton and Helen Covensky Fund

The Samuel and Marlene Halperin Fund

Chaim Kempner Fund

Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation Endowment

Max and Esther Ticktin Fund

The Arthur Tracy “The Street Singer” Fund

Marjorie Watson Serendipity Fund

The Edlavitch DCJCC wishes to thank the following donors who enable us to serve the community. This list includes all fiscal year 2023 (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023) donors who made commitments or donations of $1,000 or more. This list is current as of March 13, 2023.

The Edlavitch DCJCC would like to thank all of our donors for the important impact they have on our work.

$100,000+

Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation ◊

DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Jewish Federation of Greater Washington ◊

Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation ◊

Daniel Hirsch and Brenda Gruss ◊

Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

Washington Area Community Investment Funds

$50,000-$99,999

Covenant Foundation

DC Department of Homeland Security

Ginny and Irwin Edlavitch ◊

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Sari R. Hornstein

The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation

Nussdorf Family Foundation ◊

Saul and Nancy Pilchen ◊

$25,000-$49,999

Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt ◊

DC Government

Dweck Philanthropy ◊

Lois and Richard England Family Foundation

Rena and Michael Gordon ◊

Patti and Mitchell Herman ◊

Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg

The Kay Family Foundation ◊

The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation

Dianne and Herb Lerner

Amy and Alan Meltzer ◊

Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind ◊

Diane and Arnold Polinger ◊

Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation

Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan

Ilene and Steven Rosenthal ◊

Martha and Philip Sagon Family Foundation

Deborah and Michael Salzberg ◊

The Shubert Foundation

Listing as of March 19, 2023

$15,000-24,999

Dan Adler and Will Smith ◊

Michele and Allan Berman

Lisa and Josh Bernstein ◊

Pamela Bass-Bookey and Harry Bookey

Charitable Foundation

Bruce A. Cohen*

James A. Feldman and Natalie Wexler ◊

Susan Sachs Goldman ◊

Cheryl Gorelick

Jill and Robert Granader ◊

Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation

Sid and Linda Moskowitz ◊

Patricia Payne ◊

Bella Rosenberg

Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins

Helene and Robert Schlossberg

The Schoenbaum Family Foundation, Inc.

Rhea Schwartz and Paul Wolff ◊

The Abe & Kathryn Selsky Foundation ◊

Shapiro Family Foundation

The George Wasserman Family Foundation

$10,000-$14,999

Anonymous

Cathy S. Bernard

Cyna and Paul Cohen, Sara C. Cohen and Norm

J. Rich

Marion Ein Lewin

Stuart Eizenstat

Myrna Fawcett

Rae Grad and Manuel Schiffres

Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy ◊

Stuart S. Kurlander and David L. Martin

Karen Lehmann

Thelma Lenkin ◊

The Leshowitz Family Foundation, Terry Singer

The Morgan Fund at the Seattle Foundation

Norman Pozez and Melinda Bieber ◊

Janis and Philip Schiff ◊

Hank Schlosberg*

Share Fund

Richard Solloway

Patti and Jerry Sowalsky

Suevia and Rudolph B. Behrend Fund

Matthew Watson

$5,000-$9,999

Babs and Rabbi A.N. Abramowitz

Janet B. Abrams

Monica and Gavin Abrams

Joan and Alan Berman

Jordan Lloyd Bookey and Felix Lloyd

Susan and Dixon Butler

Charles E. Smith Family Foundation

Abby and Andrew Cherner ◊

Marcy and Neil Cohen, Ryna Cohen ◊

Rose and Robert Cohen ◊

Cozen O’Connor ◊

Eva Davis and Justin Kramer ◊

Scott Eric Dreyer and Ellen Clare Gillespie Dreyer

Jonathan Edelman

Embassy of Canada

Meg and Samuel Flax ◊

Jay Freedman

Mindy Gasthalter

Edith Gelfand, Jenny and Brian Gelfand ◊

Morgan and Josh Genderson

Ann Gilbert

Michael Glosserman ◊

GMP LLP ◊

Dina Gold

Debra Goldberg and Seth Waxman ◊

Michelle and Jonathan Grossman ◊

Harman Family Foundation ◊

Meg and John Hauge

Arlene and Martin Klepper

Sandra and Stephen Lachter

Joy Lerner and Stephen Kelin ◊

Ellen and Gary Malasky

Paul and Zena Mason

Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett

Dan Mendelson and Jennifer Loew Mendelson

Jeff Menick

Sherry Nevins

M. Craig Pascal

Elaine Reuben, The Timbrel Fund

Joan and Barry Rosenthal ◊

April Rubin and Bruce A. Ray

Lynn and John Sachs ◊

Mita M. Schaffer and Tina M. Martin

Les Silverman

Tina and Albert Small, Jr. ◊

David Bruce Smith

Dr. Stuart Sotsky

Manny Strauss and Betsy Karmin

Mindy Strelitz and Andrew Cornblatt ◊

The Tides Center Jews of Color Initiative

Francine Zorn Trachtenberg and Stephen Joel

Trachtenberg ◊

Mimi Tygier and Robert Rubin

Dr. Kathryn Veal

Diane Abelman Wattenberg

Eric Zelenko ◊

Judy and Leo Zickler

$2,500-4,999

Stephen $and Amy Altman

Lynn and Wolf Blitzer

Deborah and Charles Both

Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher

Nancy Taylor Bubes and Alan Bubes

Susan Cohn

Dave Connick

Cornerstone Research, Inc.

Bunny Dwin

Embassy of Israel

Leslie and Samuel Kaplan

Aviva Kempner

William Kreisberg

The Kresge Foundation

Brad and Ali Lackey

Louis Levitt, MD and Joan Bialek

Saskia and Benjamin D. Loewy

Johannah and Jeremiah Lowin

Meredith Margolis and Gary Goodweather

Philip Margolius

Carol Mates and Mark Kahan

Shannon and William Powers

Alyson Myers

Renay and Bill Regardie

Carol Risher

Trina and Lee G. Rubenstein

Peggy and David Shiffrin

Michael Singer and James Smith

Heidi Wachs

Joan S. Wessel

Carolyn and William Wolfe

World Bank Group

Yiddish of Greater Washington

$1,000-$2,499 Adas Israel Congregation

Dianne Adelberg

Clement and Sandra Alpert Designated Endowment Fund

Anonymous

John Ashley

Alison Baraf and Aryeh Portnoy

Cheryl and Herbert Baraf

Joy and Leonard Baxt

Dottie Bennett

Elaine and Richard Binder

Ito Briones and Warren Coates

Michael L. Burke and Carl W. Smith

Toby Dershowitz

Sonnie and William Dockser

Jessica Dodson and Jeremy Levine

Leif Dormsjo

Ilana Marcus Drimmer

Shelley and Adam Ducker

John Edelmann

The EJL98 Charitable Trust, on behalf of Edward Lenkin and Roselin Atzwanger

Margery and Mel Elfin

Suzanne and Enrique Fefer

Lois and Michael Fingerhut

David and Patricia Fisher

Samantha Galardi

Cathy and Michael Gildenhorn

Gail Ginsberg

Linda Goldsmith and Howard Berger

Lois and Hadar Granader

Judith Herr

Cragg Hines

Sandra Hoexter

Holland & Knight LLP

Rob Kallman

The S. Kann Sons Company Foundation, Inc

Irene and Lou Katz

Michael R. Klein and Joan Fabry

Stacey Kluck

Kimberly and Bruce Levin

Linda Lipsett and Jules Bernstein

Arleen Enid Lustig

Alan McAdams and Ellen Dykes

Mary Stuart McCamy

Cathy and Scot McCulloch

Michael B. Menaker

Sharon Menaker

Rona and Allan Mendelsohn

Morgan Stanley

Donald and Lynne Myers

Joan Nathan

Gayle and Steven Neufeld

Renay and Bill Regardie

Alan Roth and Michael Rodgers

Alfred Sanders

David Schnitzer and Claire Bergeron

Ann Schwartz

Barbara Silverstein and Alan Kirschenbaum

Susan Rubin Suleiman

Lise Van Susteren and Jonathan Kempner

Allison and Daniel Turner

Les and Lori Ulanow

United Way of the National Capital Area

Helene Weisz and Richard Lieberman

Jessika and David Wellisch

Janice White

Janet and Robert Wittes

Anita Wolke and Ken Brooks

◊ These Community Champions have supported the Edlavitch DCJCC's FY23 Annual Fund with generous contributions of $5,000 or more. With their support, the Center’s unique programs continue to grow and remain accessible to everyone in our vibrant community.

*of blessed memory

J AND EDCJCC LEADERSHIP

JxJ STAFF

Yael Luttwak, Artistic Director

Alexis Rodriguez, Managing Director

Lena Barkin, Arts Marketing Coordinator

Jacob Ettkin, Arts Outreach Coordinator

Elijah Jones, Program Coordinator

Tabitha Littlefield, Ticket Office Manager

Mariel Tabachnick, Festival Logistics Coordinator

JxJ COUNCIL

Sara Cohen, Chair

Janet Abrams

Alison Baraf

Charles Both

Ito Briones

Sonnie Dockser

Jessica Dodson

EDCJCC LEADERSHIP

Morgan Genderson

Audrey Goldstein

Ilana Marcus Drimmer

Dina Gold

Jennifer Loew

Mendelson

Joan Nathan

Donate to JxJ

Manny Schiffres

Richard Solloway

Susan Rubin Suleiman

Mimi Tygier

Heidi l. Wachs

Jennifer Zwilling, Chief Executive Officer

Craig Mintz, Chief Financial Officer

Bini Silver, Chief Operating Officer

Emily Jillson, Senior Director of Institutional Advancement

EDLAVITCH DCJCC 2022-2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Daniel Hirsch, President

Johanna Chanin, Vice President

Meredith Margolis, Vice President

Janis Schiff, Vice President

Barbara Abramowitz

Janet B. Abrams

Andrew Altman

Joan Berman

Michele G. Berman

Jordan Lloyd

Bookey

Jennifer Bradley

JxJ is made possible by generous patrons like you! Your support ensures that JxJ can continue to celebrate Jewish culture in the Greater Washington region via international contemporary cinema, and exciting new musical acts.

Support JxJ by visiting JxJDC.ORG/Donate.

Jonathan Grossman, Treasurer

David Goldblatt, Assistant Treasurer

Benjamin D. Loewy, Secretary

Sara Cohen

Jaclyn Lerner

Cohen

Eva Davis

Jonathan Edelman

Myrna Fawcett

Meg Flax

Brian Gelfand

Dina Gold

FOUNDING DIRECTOR

Ginny Edlavitch

DIRECTORS EMERITI

Stephen Altman

Rose H. Cohen

Jill Granader

Martha Winter

Gross

Stephen Kelin

William Kreisberg

Saul Pilchen

Deborah Ratner

Salzberg

Debra Goldberg

Rena Gordon

Brad Lackey

Sid Moskowitz

Alfred Munzer

Alyson Myers

Melanie Franco

Nussdorf

Arnold Polinger

Shannon Powers

Norm J. Rich

Ilene Rosenthal

Michael Salzberg

Rhea Schwartz

Michael Singer

Tina Small

Mimi Tygier

Diane Abelman

Wattenberg

Eric Zelenko

VICE PRESIDENT EMERITUS

Lee G. Rubenstein

John R. Risher, Jr.*

Lynn Skolnick

Sachs

Mindy Strelitz

Francine Zorn

Trachtenberg

Robert Tracy

Ellen G. Witman

Join us Year-Round

The show goes on even after the Festival ends! JxJ presents programs year-round, including weekly screenings and monthly concerts that take place at our state-of-the-art concert and cinema venue in the Edlavitch DCJCC on 16th and Q Streets.

Visit JxJDC.ORG after the Festival and sign up for our email newsletter to stay updated on upcoming shows.

Pro Tip: Keep an eye on our summer program for encore screenings of our Festival’s Audience Award Winners!

The Edlavitch DCJCC embraces inclusion in all its programs and activities.