JCC Jewish Film Festival Returns to the Michigan Theater
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Washtenaw Jewish News Presort Standard In this issue… c/o Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor U.S. Postage PAID 2939 Birch Hollow Drive Ann Arbor, MI Ann Arbor, MI 48108 Nazi Voices Nahalal– Permit No. 85 Propaganda of Youth A2 Student and Exchange Present Day Anti-Semitism Page 8 Page 14 Page 21 April 2010 Nisan/Iyar 5770 Volume XXXIV: Number 7 FREE JCC Jewish Film Festival returns to the Michigan Theater Remembering the fallen Halye Aisner, special to the WJN Elliot Sorkin, special to the WJN The Community-Wide Yom Hazikaron he ninth annual Lenore Marwil Jewish of the largest and most important city in Israel, The program on Wednesday, April 28, will Ceremony for Greater Ann Arbor, hosted by Film Festival will return to Ann Arbor is a Steven Spielberg Jewish Archive production. feature a discussion on the Michigan Film Beth Israel Congregation, will take place on April 25–29. The Jewish Community This year’s event will Industry. Thursday, April 29, the program will T Monday, April 19, from 7–8 p.m. Center of Greater Ann Arbor, in association with feature two new feature Leila Ferault and Michael Levine, with Yom Hazikaron, which is often translated the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Lunch and Learn a discussion on “Jewish Genealogy—How to as Israel Remembrance Day, is a time for Detroit and the Michigan Theater, will showcase programs at the Find the Family You Never Knew You Had.” Israelis and Jews the world over to take a 14 films over five days at the Michigan Theater Michigan Theater. The cost for each program is $8 for JCC moment to mourn the loss of Israeli soldiers on East Liberty. members and $10 for non-members. and victims of terror. Coming as it does just The festival will open at 8 p.m. with a The festival will conclude on April 29 with before Israeli Independence Day, this one showing of the Lenore Marwil 2010 Feature the showing of the Australian comedy, Hey! hour ceremony can provide a very powerful Film winner, A Matter of Size, which tells the Hey! It’s Esther Blueburger, starring Toni emotional experience to everyone present. story of an overweight chef who discovers Collette and Keisha Castle-Hughes. This is In the ceremony in Ann Arbor, volunteers the fine art of Sumo wrestling. Film the hilarious story of the unending quest from the community will present memo- sponsors are invited to a pre-film spon- to fit in, and the girl who solves it by rial poems and songs (with instrumental sor’s reception catered by Lori Shepard completely breaking out. accompaniment) in Hebrew and English, of Simply Scrumptious Catering. The Jewish Film Festival is made and a PowerPoint presentation which Of the 14 films, eight of the films possible thanks to the Michael and memorializes the lives of some of the fallen. are foreign, including five from Israel. Patricia Levine Philanthropic Foundation, Rabbis from each of the congregations in The Israeli films, The Debt, A Matter the Charles and Rita Gelman Educational Ann Arbor will read biblical or religious of Size and For My Father have all been Foundation, and the many generous selections. Many of the works to be included nominated for multiple Israeli Academy sponsors of the event. Additionally, the mirror those used in Israeli ceremonies. Awards. Leaving the Fold won the award Ann and Jules Doneson Film Festival En- for best documentary at the International dowment Fund was established by Shira and Festival of Cinema and Religion in Steve Klein to help insure the festival’s longevity. Rome, and Tel Aviv Jaffa, which depicts the remarkable, moving and humorous story Scene from the film Hello Goodbye continued on page 6 Sixth Annual Celebrate Israel salutes Israeli innovation Eileen Freed, special to the WJN s an Innovation Nation, Israel has more with Israeli merchandise. This year’s theme: will develop an exhibit focusing on innovation companies listed on the NASDAQ than Innovation Nation, will offer new twist to pro- in Israel’s agricultural sector. The 22,570 Israeli soldiers killed in the Aany other foreign country and boasts gramming with a puzzle station, other hand-on Tickets for Celebrate Israel are $5/individual line of duty and 1,723 civilian terror victims the largest number of start-up companies per activities, and displays of some of the inventions and $10/family. Pre-registration is highly en- are remembered on this day. The ceremony capita in the world! The Ann Arbor community that have come from Israel’s hi-tech and green couraged. For more information or to register, this year is taking place just before the eve of will gather to celebrate Israel’s 62nd birthday and tech industry. volunteer or sponsor Celebrate Israel, visit www. Israeli Independence Day. Malli Holoshitz, to applaud Israeli innovation on Sunday, May 2, For the third year in a row, Ann Arbor will jewishannarbor.org/celebrateisrael or contact originally from Israel, chairs the commit- from 12:30–3:30 p.m., at the Jewish Community host a delegation from its Partnership 2000 Eileen Freed at celebrateisrael@jewishannarbor. tee that plans this community-wide event. Center of Greater Ann Arbor. This event brings community, Moshav Nahalal. The delegation org or 677-0100. n Holoshitz teaches adult Hebrew at Beth Israel together representatives from Greater Ann Ar- Congregation and is a Hebrew instructor at the bor’s Jewish communal organizations to conceive, Frankel Jewish Academy in West Bloomfield. program and implement a joyous celebration of Israeli innovation, creativity and culture for over 600 celebrants of all ages. As in previous years, participants can en- Mark your calendar joy Israeli dancing, tasty Israeli street food and March 29–April 7: Passover top-notch entertainment. Opening and closing ceremonies featuring Temple Beth Emeth’s Shir April 12: Yom Hashoah Chadash and Ann Arbor’s own Ricardo Seir will April 19: Yom Hazikaron take place at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. There will be fun Israel-themed activities for the entire family, a April 20: Yom Ha’Atzmaut children’s carnival, and a shuk (marketplace) Delegation from Moshav Nahalal with Ann Arbor hosts I Community 2935 Birch Hollow Drive Ann Arbor Film Festival lineup includes three Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108 voice: 734/971-1800 Jewish-related movies fax: 734/971-1801 e-mail: [email protected] Becca Keating, special to the WJN www.washtenawjewishnews.org The 48th Ann Arbor Film Festival, March 23–28, will host 170 films from 20 countries over six days. Films in this year’s festival span all genres, narrative, documentary, animation, ex- perimental and music video. With 40 programs, 10 that are free to the public, there is some- thing for everyone at this year’s festival. Editor and Publisher Three feature documentary films playing at this year’s festival examine cultural aspects of Susan Kravitz Ayer Judaism and how many Jewish people live in today’s world. These films are:City of Boarders; Calendar Editor Expansive Grounds; and Off and Running. Claire Sandler City of Boarders will play as part of the Out Night films in competition on March 25, at 7 p.m. In the heart of Jerusalem stands an unusual symbol of unity that defies generations of seg- Advertising Manager regation, violence and prejudice: a gay bar called Shushan. This compelling and intimate Gordon White documentary goes inside this underground sanctuary where people of opposing nationali- Design and Layout ties, religions and sexual orientations create an island of peace in a land divided by war. Dennis Platte Screening Sunday, March 28, at 1 p.m., will be the feature documentary Expansive Grounds. This documentary explores the filmmaker’s discussion about her identity as a Ger- Staff Writers man caused by the Berlin Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Observations during Noa Gutterman, Sandor Slomovits the time of 2003–2007 from the installment of the first slabs until two years after the opening Contributing Writers of the memorial to the public and many dialogs lead the filmmaker to a new reflection about Mara Abramson, Aura Ahuvia, Halye Aisner, her family’s role during Nazi time and about the significance of collective guilt. A German Melissa Apter, Gal Beckerman, Mari Cohen, story of every day life, Expansive Grounds is sponsored by Detroit Public Television and co- Leonard A. Cole, Laura Croff, Rabbi Lisa Delson, presented by The Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus. Noreen DeYoung, Annette Fisch, Eileen Freed, Off and Running is another feature documentary in this year’s festival screening Saturday, Florence Gerber, Hillary Handwerger, Bob March 27, at 5 p.m. With white Jewish lesbians for parents and two adopted brothers—one Hoffman, Deborah Huerta, Ron Kampeas, mixed-race and one Korean—Brooklyn teen Avery grew up in a unique and loving house- Becca Keating, Adam Kirsch, Jonathan Kirsch, Abbie Lawrence-Jacobson, Diego Melamed, hold. But when her curiosity about her African-American roots grows, she decides to contact Marcy Oster, Merrill Poliner, Dina Shtull, Efri- her birth mother. This choice propels Avery into her own complicated exploration of race, on Smith, Elliot Sorkin, Leslie Susser, Rabbi identity, and family that threatens to distance her from the parents she’s always known. Off Eliyahu Touger, Maia Volk and Running is sponsored by The Chronicle and co-presented by the Neutral Zone. n The Washtenaw Jewish News is a free and inde- Tickets to the festival are $9 for general admission $7 for students. To view the full festival pro- pendent newspaper. It is published monthly, gram or purchase tickets go to www.48.aafilmfest.org.