EXODUS 1947

Robby Henson & Elizabeth Rodgers, directors        

USA, 1996              English narration by Morley Safer                56 min.

The true story of the most infamous of 10 American ships that attempted to bring Jewish refugees to Palestine in 1947.  Using first-person accounts and archival footage, this is a behind-the-scenes look at the US investors and sailors who loaded up 4,500 Holocaust survivors and tried to break the British blockade of Palestine.  A richly layered program bringing to light many unknown facts!

Grand Benefactor:

The B and B Stern Foundation

Web design by Weisz Marketing Services • www.peterweisz.com

Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 7 pm

A MATTER OF SIZE

sponsored by the B and B Stern Foundation

Sharon Maymon & Erez Tadmor, directors

Israel, 2009

Hebrew w/Eng. subtitles

92 min.

In this touching, sweet comedy, four friends learn to be happy in a big way.   When four overweight men get tired of dieting, they decide to pursue an activity where their size is an asset: sumo wrestling.  While training under a Japanese ex-sumo coach (turned restaurant owner in Israel), they learn that love and success will only come from learning to accept who they are.  A feel-good, crowd-pleaser!

Sunday, December 4, 2011 at 7 pm

BROTHERS

sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Mitchell Josephs

Igaal Niddam, director

Switzerland/Israel, 2008 

Heb., Spanish w/ Eng. Subtitles

116 min.

Separated brothers Dan and Aaron meet in Israel and discover how different they’ve become.  Dan is a secular Jew working the land on a kibbutz while Aaron is an Orthodox lawyer  from the U.S. who’s come to defend the rights of Torah students.   The brothers’ personal conflict is echoed in the legal battle around the separation of state and religion in modern Israel—a film that will certainly provoke discussion!

Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 6 pm

MAN WITHOUT A CELL PHONE

sponsored by Joanne & Martin Cass, Marilyn & Richard Comiter

Sameh Zoabi, director

Israel, France

Palestine Territories, 2010

Heb./Arabic w/ English subtitles80 min.

In this clever, political comedy, twenty-something Israeli-Arab Jawdat just wants to talk on his cell phone and find love whether it’s with Muslim, Christian or Jewish girlfriends while he’s waiting to pass the entrance exams for a Hebrew college.   Meantime, his olive-farming father is in a fight against a nearby Israeli cell phone tower he fears is poisoning the villagers and their crops with radiation.  Reluctantly, Jawdat is drawn into the fight and grows up as a man.

Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 6 pm

MY AUSTRALIA

sponsored by Sandra and Bernard Meyer

Israel, 2011

Hebrew/Polish w/ English Subtitles

96 min.

Poland, in the mid-1960s and a single mother struggles to raise her two sons. When they are arrested as members of a neo-Nazi gang vandalizing Jewish neighborhoods, she tells them the truth—she is a Jewish Holocaust survivor. She informs them that they are going to immigrate to Australia, while in fact, they are moving to Israel. Once in Haifa, she searches for work and places the brothers on a kibbutz where culture shock sets in!  A touching drama about the struggles for self-identity as immigrants, while trying to build a new life in a foreign land.

A portion of the evening’s proceeds will benefit the Arthur I. Meyer Jewish Academy.

Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 7 pm

DOLPHIN BOY

sponsored by Drs. Daisy and John Merey

Dani Menkin, Yonatan Nir directors                   

Israel, 2011 

Hebrew/Arabic w/ Eng. Subtitles           

72 minutes

A true story about the healing power of nature! After being brutally attacked by his classmates, Morad - a teenage boy from an Arab village in the North of Israel – suffers from post-traumatic shock and disconnects from the world around him.  When told that dolphin-assisted therapy is the last treatment option, Morad's father leaves his job and family to move to Dolphin Reef on the Red Sea, vowing not to return unless the boy achieves full recovery.  Surrounded by a  dedicated  Jewish doctor, new friends, and a Jewish girlfriend, Morad and his father embark on a remarkable four-year journey of recovery.

The film’s Co-producer, Judith Manassen Ramon, has been invited to attend this screening.

Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 7 pm

Special Yom Ha’Atzmaut program sponsored by

Rhoda and Sy Cole and The Beth El Men’s Club

MY BROTHER’S KEEPER

Florida Premier!

Ira Feinberg, director          

USA, 2010          English                42 min.

The years 1947-1948 were the years that the Jewish people were waiting for. Using archival material and recent interviews, this fascinating documentary reveals one of the best kept secrets about the founding of State of Israel.  A small group of 4,400 volunteers from 56 countries, Jews and Christians, volunteered to join the fledgling Israel Defense Forces. These volunteers flew the planes that brought the armament, aircraft, weapons; they were commanders in the Navy, Army and Air Force and brought hope to Israel.

Ira Feinberg, the filmmaker, patriot and ardent Zionist (he was the first American to volunteer to serve in the Palmach) has been invited to speak.

Sunday, May 6, 2012 at 7 pm

Sponsored by Bonnie and Michael Patipa

SIXTY IN THE CITY

Nili Tal, director          

Israel, 2010 

Hebrew w/English subtitles        72 min.

Funny and touching, this personal documentary explores the new rules of dating for the over 50s.  Nili Tal has reached the grand age of 61 and is looking for love.  But the first photo she uploads to an online dating site looks too serious and no one responds. She goes on a journey to transform herself. In the process, she meets men from all over Europe and other older women also looking for love.

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IN BED AT 10 P.M.

Florida Premier!

Asaph Polonsky, director

Israel, 2010

Hebrew w/ English subtitles        15 minutes

Rachel and Motti, both in their seventies, are in bed at 10 pm.  When Motti’s wife calls him twice, a sign of urgency, Rachel realizes that no matter what, she will always be at a lower priority. Does she try to find a new partner or remain second fiddle?

Rhoda and Sy Cole

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