Spring 2013 learning dance music art film literature The Photo League’s New York The Last Flight of Petr Ginz The Sousa Mendes Story Seymour Schwartz: Ordinary Miracles: A Bottle intheGaza Sea Disobedience: Besa: The Promise Home Movie Hitler’s Children Numbered All In

ON DOCUMENTARY AND FEATURE FILMS WITH FILMS FEATURE AND DOCUMENTARY ON N I P S H S E R F A MEANINGFUL JEWISH / ISRAELI CONTENT ISRAELI / JEWISH MEANINGFUL MARCH 6 –17 6 MARCH Annual 9th The Day ISaw Your Heart Hava Nagila(The Movie)

The Flat AKA DocPomus The OtherSon The Cantor’s Son Remembrance Life inStills Prisoners of War An unlikely blues singer. You know hissongs… AKA DOCPOMUS Now hear hisstory. ON THECOVER: elcome to the 9th Annual Houston Jewish Film Festival, a collaboration between the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston and the Museum of Fine WArts, Houston, with Holocaust Museum Houston as a longstanding venue.

A big thanks to our dedicated film committee volunteers, who spend dozens of hours screening films to select the best ones from around the world that tell stories of Jewish significance, with poignancy and creativity, and reflect the values that shape Jewish life. This year we are pleased to have two filmmakers and one actor to introduce their films and lead post-screening discussions.

We are grateful to our underwriters, sponsors, community partners, and patrons for their generous support. Enjoy the Festival and spread the word!

Barbara Bronstein, Chair

9th Diane Lee, Co-Chair Annual Doreen Joffe and Sharon Kagan, Honorary Chairs

2012-2013 Film Committee: Community Partners: The American Public Affairs Committee Congregation Beth Yeshurun Sisterhood Neil Aussenberg Marisa Katz Congregation Or Ami Margie Beegle Eve Lapin Holocaust Museum Houston National Council of Jewish Women Nada Chandler David Mendel – Greater Houston Section Joyce Cramer Miriam Pacht United Orthodox Synagogues Yiddish Vinkel John Dreyfus Paula Siegel Shelby Goodman Stefani Twyford HJFF Staff: Amy Rahmani, ERJCC Sue Goott Helen Wils Marian Luntz, MFAH Ellen Hamburg Tamara Savage, HMH

Supporters:

Official Hotel of the ERJCC

Tango & Malbec Fleischer Wines: The Jewish Jenny Tavor Restaurant A division of Mexcor Herald Voice Custom Catering Media Sponsor: 9th ANNUAL HOUSTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL ||| MARCH 6 – 17

OPENING NIGHT

A BOTTLE IN THE GAZA SEA BESA: THE PROMISE ALL IN (UNE BOUTEILLE À LA MER) (LA SUERTE EN TUS MANOS) Thursday, March 7 • 5:00 PM • ERJCC Wednesday, March 6 • 7:30 PM • ERJCC Directed by Rachel Goslins Thursday, March 7 • 7:30 PM • ERJCC Saturday, March 16 • 6:00 PM • MFAH USA, 2012, 86 min Directed by Daniel Burman Directed by Thierry Binisti English with subtitles Argentina, 2012, 107 min France, Israel, 2011, 99 min Documentary Spanish, French with English subtitles French, Hebrew, Arabic with English Drama subtitles “Besa,” a code of honor, requires Drama that all Albanians, most of whom are In this witty, romantic comedy, Uriel, Muslim, protect refugees. Rexhap a Jewish divorced father of two and “A gripping, unsentimental drama with Hoxho is the son of an Albanian Muslim a professional gambler is in the habit a lot of action and a pacifist message of who protected a Jewish family during of finessing his way through life. He hope and reconciliation. A Bottle in the the Holocaust and retained their prayer decides to get a vasectomy and enter Gaza Sea is must-viewing.’’ books after the family’s departure, as it into a new life of freedom and romance. —Montreal Gazette. was too dangerous for a Jewish family On the very day he decides to have the to travel with prayer books. Until the operation, his ex-girlfriend Gloria shows Tal is a 17-year-old French woman who fall of communism in 1991, Hoxho had up, having returned to Buenos Aires has settled in with her family. no way of searching for the family, after years of living in France. Uriel She writes a letter expressing her refusal but yet, he felt that “besa” demanded learns that a poker face may not be the to accept that only hatred can reign be- he find and return the books to their most effective way to pursue romance. tween Israelis and . She slips rightful owners. His journey eventually the letter into a bottle, and her brother leads him and his son to Jerusalem, throws it into the sea near Gaza where documented by Jewish-American erjcchouston.org/filmfest he is carrying out his military service. A photographer Norman Gershman. mfah.org/film few weeks later, Tal receives an e-mail response from a mysterious “Gazaman,” a young Palestinian named Naïm. And thus begins a turbulent but tender long- DISOBEDIENCE: distance friendship between two young THE SOUSA MENDES STORY people who are separated by a history they are trying both to understand and Friday, March 8 • 1:00 PM • ERJCC change. (Lemon Tree) and Wednesday, March 13 • 7:30 PM • ERJCC (Free Men; The Other Guest Speaker: Sousa Mendes Visa Son) star in this internet-age Romeo- Recipient Sarah Tanne Tillis and-Juliet drama set in a troubled re- Directed by Joël Santoni gion. Based on the award-winning novel France, 2008, 104 min by Valerie Zenatti. French with English subtitles Suitable for ages 15 and above. Drama Based on events in 1940 Bordeaux, this film tells the story of Portuguese Consul Sponsored by June and Leonard Goldberg Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who defied Dictator Antonio Salazar’s directive to forbid the entry of “undesirables,” particularly Jews, into Portugal. Against Salazar’s orders, Sousa Mendes issues approximately 30,000 Portuguese visas allowing people to escape to Portugal. This film is a portrait in courage, relaying the story of a man who chose to live by his convictions despite danger and hardship. After his death, Sousa Mendes was declared to be among the righteous of nations and posthumously promoted to the rank of Ambassador.

Underwritten by The Maurice Amado Foundation 9th ANNUAL HOUSTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL ||| MARCH 6 – 17

Post-film discussion with Jon Schwartz

SEYMOUR SCHWARTZ: THE LAST FLIGHT OF PETR GINZ ORDINARY MIRACLES: THE PHOTO HOME MOVIE LEAGUE’S NEW YORK Sunday, March 10 • 1:00 PM • MFAH Saturday, March 9 • 7:00 PM • MFAH Tuesday, March 12 • 2:00 PM • MFAH Sunday, March 10 • 3:00 PM • MFAH Guest Speakers: Filmmaker Jon Directed by Sandy Dickson Introduced by Anne Tucker Schwartz and Newton Schwartz Sr. and Churchill Roberts Directed by Daniel Allentuck USA, 2012, 66 min March 12 and Nina Rosenblum Directed by Jon Schwartz screening USA, 2012, 89 min English is free with USA, 2012, 74 min Museum A reception in the Documentary English English admission Museum galleries Documentary Film essay follows the screening. A story of celebration and tragedy, The A Houston story with universal appeal, Last Flight of Petr Ginz is a whimsical The story of the rise and politically this film essay is a character study and fantastical journey through one motivated fall of the Photo League, of the filmmaker’s father, as well as a boy’s imagination. Combining animation, (1936–1951) which for fifteen chronicle of a Houston Jewish family art, and live action, the documentary years served as the center of the spanning the 20th century. Interviews is a testament to how a boy’s creative documentary movement in American with the outspoken Seymour (1919- expression represents the best of what photography at a time when the camera 2008) frame a family history richly makes us human. By fourteen Petr Ginz was held to be, in James Agee’s words, illustrated by photographs, letters had written five novels and penned “the central instrument of our time.” and historical materials. The story is a diary about the Nazi occupation of The Photo League’s membership roster rounded out by poignant recollections of Prague. By sixteen he had produced included Sid Grossman, Aaron Siskind, Seymour’s marriage and unlikely role as more than 170 drawings and paintings, Jerome Liebling, Dan Weiner, Morris a community activist late in his life. 25 edited an underground magazine in Engel, Walter Rosenblum, Weegee, years after his first film, the acclaimed the Theresienstadt Ghetto, written Lisette Model, and W. Eugene Smith. documentary This Is Our Home: It Is numerous short stories, and had walked Ordinary Miracles is built around a Not For Sale about Houston’s Riverside to the gas chamber at Auschwitz. handpicked selection culled from neighborhood, Jon Schwartz delivers a hundreds of images, fashioned into riveting family portrait. sequences designed around various subjects of League focus (Harlem, the Lower East Side, children at play, Coney Island, WWII). The rich and evocative THE YELLOW TICKET: A live soundtrack is a blend of contemporary multimedia concert event featuring a and vintage music: The Mills Brothers, COMING THIS new score by violinist Alicia Svigals that The Ink Spots, Django Reinhardt, The reanimates a silent cinema classic. Set Andrews Sisters, Fats Waller, Coleman NOVEMBER Hawkins, and Philip Glass. in Poland and Tsarist Russia, the 1918 film – starring legendary actress Pola Negri – portrays a woman’s struggle to overcome adversity in a story of secret Bring your ticket identities, heroic measures, and trium- or pass to the café for 10% off. phant love. Svigals has crafted a lush THE YELLOW TICKET composition, which she performs with Pre-order your meal and it will live jazz piano virtuoso be ready for you! Presented by the Evelyn Rubenstein Marilyn Lerner. Jewish Community Center of Houston, 713.729.3200 the Houston Cinema Arts Society, and ext. 3232. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Eat at Café at the J during HJFF! The Café is open until 7:30 PM every night of an ERJCC screening. 9th ANNUAL HOUSTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL ||| MARCH 6 – 17

HITLER’S CHILDREN NUMBERED THE DAY I SAW YOUR HEART (ET SOUDAIN TOUT LE MONDE Sunday, March 10 • 6:00 PM • HMH Monday, March 11 • 5:00 PM • ERJCC ME MANQUE) Directed by Chanoch Ze’evi Talkback follows screening Germany, Israel, 2011, 80 min Directed by Uriel Sinai, Dana Doron Monday, March 11 • 7:30 PM • ERJCC English, German, Hebrew with English Israel, 2012, 60 min Directed by Jennifer Devolère subtitles Hebrew with English subtitles France, 2011, 98 min Documentary Documentary French with English subtitles Drama Hitler’s Children is a unique documen- Auschwitz prisoners were denied their tary film about the descendants of some names and tattooed with numbers. In In this French comedy, Eli, celebrating of the most powerful figures in the Nazi this engrossing film, survivors discuss his 60th birthday, announces that his regime: Himmler, Frank, Goering, Hoess, what the numbers mean to them: a tat- 42-year-old wife is pregnant. Justine, a men and women who inherited a legacy too is a sign of shame, a badge of honor, daughter from a prior marriage thinks that permanently associates them with or something else entirely? “Today, it this is a mistake considering Eli’s previ- one of the greatest crimes in history. is a sign of prestige; I have a number. It ous experience as a father. Eli is an Director and producer, Chanoch Ze’evi, gives me a kind of superiority,” says one unusual father; he keeps in touch with all himself a third generation descendant survivor. Another will not wear short of Justine’s many former boyfriends and of Holocaust survivors, used detailed sleeves. A daughter has her father’s makes outrageous suggestions regard- and intensive research to create this in- number tattooed to her ankle as a sign ing the pending birth. But what can you depth documentary. His interviews with of remembrance and solidarity with her expect from a father who promised his the descendants are mesmerizing as he deceased father; a grandson takes his daughter a toy store, and when one explores the effects of the Holocaust grandfather’s number as a sign of sur- doesn’t materialize, explains that as “a from a different view point. vival and continuity. Am Yisroel Chai. good Jewish father” he wanted to pre- pare her for disappointment.

THE FLAT

Tuesday, March 12 • 5:00 PM • ERJCC LUNCHAND A Friday, March 15 • 1:00 PM • ERJCC Directed by Arnon Goldfinger Israel, 2011, 97 min MOVIE For Adults 60+ Hebrew, German, English with English subtitles Documentary THE FLAT $8 Member/$10 Public When Israeli director Arnon Goldfinger’s grandmother Gerda Tuchler died at 98, she Friday, March 15 • 1:00 PM left behind a flat filled with books, works of art, photographs, and memorabilia. His findings lead him to explore his grandparents’ history, including a long-term friendship RSVP REQUIRED with a Nazi officer that survives the war. Zionists traveling with Nazis to Palestine? with 24hr advance notice. Unbelievable, and yet, it happened. The relationship was unknown to the family, nor Call Esther Bethke for were many other aspects of the Tuchlers’ history until Goldfinger contacted people reservations 713.595.8186. who knew his grandparents, reviewed archives, and traveled to Germany in an attempt to understand their story. mfah.org/film erjcchouston.org/filmfest 9th ANNUAL HOUSTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL ||| MARCH 6 – 17

THE OTHER SON REMEMBRANCE PRISONERS OF WAR (LE FILS DE L’AUTRE) (DIE VERLORENE ZEIT) (HATUFIM)

Tuesday, March 12 • 7:30 PM • ERJCC Wednesday, March 13 • 5:00 PM • ERJCC Thursday, March 14 • 5:00 PM • ERJCC Directed by Anna Justice Directed by Lorraine Levy Germany, 2011, 105 min 7:00 PM Happy Hour Reception France, 2011, 105 min German, Polish, English Hebrew, Arabic, French with English subtitles Exclusively for ages 20s and 30s with English subtitles Drama $5 for Happy Hour and Screening Drama, Thriller Thursday, March 14 • 8:00 PM • ERJCC When Joseph, the 18-year-old son of a In 1944, Anna, a Jewish prisoner in a Created by Gideon Raff high ranking Israeli officer in Tel Aviv, concentration camp, and Tomasz, her Israel, Pilot episode 60 min (2010) reports for his physical prior to na- Polish prisoner-of-war lover, manage a Hebrew with English subtitles tional service, his blood test shockingly harrowing escape from the camp. She TV Series, Drama indicates he is not his parents’ biological takes refuge with Tomasz’s sister-in-law, son. Further investigation reveals he was a Polish partisan, while he goes in search Addicted to Homeland? Wait until you accidentally switched at birth with Yas- of his brother. In the ensuing chaos at see the original Israeli series upon which sin, a Palestinian raised in Gaza. Follow the end of the war, the two are sepa- Homeland is based, even more engross- this dramatic, compelling story of two rated, each believing that the other is ing and powerful than its U.S. offspring. loving families, whose lives are turned dead until 30 years later when Hannah, Prisoners of War begins with the return upside-down, forcing them to confront happily married and a mother in New of three soldiers who had been in captiv- each other and examine their own iden- York, believes she has seen Tomasz be- ity for 17 years. Two of them - Nimrod tities, values, and attitudes. ing interviewed on television about his and Uri - come back alive; one - Amiel war experiences and renews her search - returns in a coffin. The series follows Underwritten by for him. Nimrod and Uri and the people closest to The Maurice Amado Foundation them as they attempt to go back to the erjcchouston.org/filmfest lives they were yanked out of 17 years TO PURCHASE TICKETS VISIT: mfah.org/film ago. Hatufim, Hebrew for “kidnapped,” has been rated Israel’s all-time highest- rated drama. LIFE IN STILLS

Saturday, March 16 • 8:00 PM • MFAH did you know? Guest Speaker: Film Subject Ben Peter Directed by Tamar Tal EVERY MOVIE TICKET AT THE Israel, Germany, 2011, 58 min MFAH GETS YOU 10% OFF AT Hebrew, German with English subtitles CAFE EXPRESS IN THE MUSEUM Documentary

At the age of 96, photo shop owner Miriam Weissenstein never imagined that she would be facing a new chapter in her life. But when the shop – her late husband Rudi’s life’s work – was destined for demolition, even this opinionated and uncompromising woman knew she needed help. Under the cloud of a family tragedy, a special relation- ship is forged between Miriam and her grandson, Ben, as they join forces to save the shop and its nearly one million negatives that document Israel’s defining moments. Despite the generation gap and many conflicts, Ben and Miriam embark on a heart- wrenching journey, comprising many humorous and touching moments – a journey MAKE IT A “DINNER AND A that requires a lot of love, courage, and compassion. MOVIE” KIND OF NIGHT!

Presented in collaboration with the Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest. 9th ANNUAL HOUSTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL ||| MARCH 6 – 17

“Save the Last Dance…” for our music-themed closing day!

CLOSING HJFF RESTORATION HIGHLIGHT NIGHT Photo Credit: Jenny Jimenez Jenny Credit: Photo Photo credit: The National Center for Jewish Film Jewish for Center National The credit: Photo

THE CANTOR’S SON AKA DOC POMUS HAVA NAGILA (THE MOVIE)

Sunday, March 17 • 1:00 PM • ERJCC Sunday, March 17 • 4:00 PM • ERJCC Sunday, March 17 • 7:30 PM • ERJCC Introduced by Hazzan David Propis Directed by Peter Miller and Will Hechter Guest Speaker: Filmmaker Directed by Ilya Motyleff Canada, USA, 2012, 99 min Roberta Grossman USA, 1937, 90 min English Directed by Roberta Grossman Yiddish with English Subtitles Documentary USA, 2012, 73 min English Closing Night Drama reception follows Paralyzed by polio as a child, and confined Documentary screening. Moishe Oysher (1907-1958), a can- to crutches and a wheelchair, Doc Pomus, tor and singing star whose repertoire a white Jewish Brooklynite born Jerome Ever wonder about the origins and ranged from the cantorial to the oper- Felder, becomes an unlikely blues singer history of the tune that is played at atic stars in this restored 1937 Yiddish performing in various musical venues in almost every Bar Mitzvah party and language film as Shloimele, a young NYC, having obtained his first gig as a re- Jewish wedding? Then don’t miss Hava man who leaves his family and Polish sult of sheer chutzpah. Subsequently, Doc Nagila, The Movie. Black, Italian, and shtetl and endures a life of poverty until Pomus traded his singing career for that Irish Americans all connect to and per- he is finally discovered washing floors of a song writer, composing “Save the Last form “Hava Nagila,” a tune recognizable in a nightclub. After he attains stardom, Dance for Me,” “A Teenager in Love,” and all over the world, having traveled from Shloimele is torn between his desire for “This Magic Moment.” The film includes the Ukraine to YouTube. But then, who his shtetl and family and the attractions interviews with his many friends and those would not like a song whose title means of the New World. The film is based in songwriters and singers he taught and “Let us rejoice?” influenced as dean of the live music scene part on Moishe Oysher’s life. Patron Sponsors: Bunny and Perry Radoff in NYC. In 1992, he was posthumously in- The film has been provided and restored with ducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. new English subtitles by The National Center for Jewish Film, www.jewishfilm.org

Patron Sponsor:

KENNY & ZIGGY S / Ziggy Gruber NEW YORK DELICATESSEN RESTAURANT Lost Treasure of the Jewish Ghetto of Venice Restored by Venetian Heritage Inc. THROUGH APRIL 28

This exhibition is organized by Venetian Heritage Inc., and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in collaboration with the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation. The objects were restored with the support of Maison Vhernier. Generous funding is provided by Joan and Stanford Alexander; Julie and Drew Alexander; Joyce Z. Greenberg; Barbara and Gerry Hines; Shirley Toomim; Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff; $5 @ 5:00! Helaine and David Lane; Jeri and Marc Shapiro; Nancy and Scott Atlas; Nancy Beren and Larry Jefferson; Paula and Irving Pozmantier; Regina Rogers in honor of Holocaust ALL FIVE O’CLOCK MOVIES AT THE survivor Stefi Altman; Glen Rosenbaum; and Shirley and Marvin Rich. ERJCC ARE ONLY FIVE DOLLARS! Chanu (one of a pair), Venetian, 19th century, bronze, Jewish Community of Venice 1001 Bissonnet at Main • 713.639.7300 • mfah.org 9th Annual calendar MARCH 6 – 17, 2013

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

6 OPENING 7 8 9 legend 7:30 PM NIGHT 5:00 PM 1:00 PM 7:00 PM  ERJCC, KAPLAN THEATRE A Bottle in the Besa: The Promise Disobedience: Seymour Gaza Sea The Sousa Schwartz:  MFAH, BROWN AUDITORIUM THEATRE 7:30 PM Mendes Story Home Movie* All In  HMH, HERZSTEIN THEATRE * Includes filmmaker visit

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 1:00 PM 5:00 PM 2:00 PM 5:00 PM 5:00 PM 1:00 PM 6:00 PM The Last Flight of Numbered The Last Flight Remembrance The Other Son The Flat A Bottle in Petr Ginz of Petr Ginz the Gaza Sea 7:30 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 3:00 PM The Day I Saw 5:00 PM Disobedience: Prisoners of War 8:00 PM Ordinary Miracles: Your Heart The Flat The Sousa (Get Cultured) Life in Stills* The Photo League’s Mendes Story New York 7:30 PM The Other Son 6:00 PM Hitler’s Children

CLOSING venues 17 NIGHT 1:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Holocaust Museum Houston The Cantor’s Son 5601 South Braeswood Houston, TX 77096 1001 Bissonnet Street Houston, TX 77005 Morgan Family Center 713.551.7255 erjcchouston.org/filmfest 713.639.7515 mfah.org/film 5401 Caroline Street Houston, TX 77004 4:00 PM 713.942.8000 hmh.org AKA Doc Pomus 7:30 Hava Nagila ticket information (The Movie)* INDIVIDUAL TICKETS: FESTIVAL PASS: $8 ERJCC Member/Patron of the Arts & MFAH Film Buff/Member/Students/Seniors (65+) Free for MFAH Film Buffs and ERJCC Patrons of the Arts who elect the Jewish Film Series $10 Public $50 ERJCC Member/Patron of the Arts & MFAH Film Buff/Member All 5:00 PM Movies at the ERJCC are $5 $70 Public $5 discount for students and seniors Center for Jewish Living and Learning Scholar Series From Enlightenment to Intifada: FRENCH JEWRY THEN AND NOW

Dr. Robert Zaretsky is a professor of modern French history at the Honors College of the University of Houston. Dr. Zaretsky is a frequent contributor to The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, The Forward, Los Angeles Times and Le Monde Diplomatique. His lectures will address the history of the Jews of France from the French Revolution to the modern period, focusing on the Dreyfus Affair, the Jews in Occupied France, and the relationship between the French, the Jews, and the State of Israel after 1967.

The Dreyfus Affair: Vichy Then and Now: From the Second How An “Affaire The Jews of France in World War to the Française” Became the Second World War Second Intifada: Our Affair Thursday, April 18 France and the Thursday, March 21 7:30 PM Jews Today 7:30 PM Thursday, May 2 France’s military defeat in 1940 heralded 7:30 PM In 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, an the birth of the Vichy regime, which officer in the French Army’s High sought to turn the clock back to pre- In 1967, the great political theorist (and Command, was sentenced to life revolutionary France. Central to this secular Jew) Raymond Aron, upon hearing imprisonment on Devil’s Island for reactionary agenda was the regime’s President Charles De Gaulle’s remark that acts of treason. As disturbing details battery of anti-Semitic laws—initiated the Jews were an “elite people, sure of emerged concerning the case—it without the slightest of nudges from themselves and domineering,” wondered if happened that Dreyfus was Jewish—the the Nazis. Beginning in 1942, these laws this opened “a new chapter in Jewish his- nation was sundered in half between enabled Nazi Germany’s application of tory and perhaps anti-Semitism.” With the those who reminded France of its the Final Solution to France, leading to surge of violence in North African quarters revolutionary ideals of liberty, equality the murder of nearly 75,000 Jews, both against Jews, climaxing in the horrific mas- and fraternity and those who insisted foreign and native-born. We shall discuss sacre at Toulouse, French Jews now ask that Jews could never be fully French. the motivations of the bureaucracy themselves if they can remain both fully that created and applied these laws French and fully Jewish. and reflect on those institutions and individuals that resisted them.

$10 Member / $15 Public (per lecture) $27 Member / $36 Public (series pass) Register online at erjcchouston.org/frenchjewry

These lectures are made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas, Thanks to our community partner: a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

ARTS, CULTURE, EDUCATION | ADULTS | SENIORS | KIDS & FAMILY | HEALTH & WELLNESS Reading The Book of Ruth Advanced Conversational Hebrew language Instructor: Karen Greenspan Instructor: Nomi Barancik 10 Mondays April 8 – June 10 9 Tuesdays April 9 - June 11 Level 1 - Beginning Hebrew 7:00 – 8:30 PM 10:45 – 11:45 AM Instructor: Karen Greenspan $190 Member/$240 Public $117 Member/$150 Public 10 Wednesdays April 3 – June 12 No class May 15 This course is suitable for those who 7:00 – 8:30 PM This class will develop Hebrew $190 Member/$240 Public comprehension and grammar skills read and comprehend Hebrew at through a close reading of the Book of a more advanced level but wish to This introductory course is a program Ruth. Participants should be able to expand their vocabulary and develop of letter recognition, reading proficien- read Hebrew fluently and have a basic their fluency. cy, building vocabulary, and learning ba- biblical Hebrew vocabulary. Please sic phrases using the Hebrew textbook call before registering to determine if series Aleph Isn’t Tough. this class is suitable for you. living FRESH, LOCAL A Fresh Take on Passover: AND ORGANIC PRODUCE HEALTHY AT THE ERJCC NEW RECIPES FOR THE HOLIDAY!

Be good to your farmer, your family, and your Tired of eating the same old matzoh crackers and kugel environment, and join the Hazon Community Supported for eight days in a row? Join registered and licensed Agriculture program! Enjoy a weekly bounty of fresh, local, dietician Wendy Lusky Rosenfeld as she shows us how to and organic vegetables delivered directly to the ERJCC make healthy, creative and delicious chametz-free food. from Home Sweet Farm in Brenham, Texas. Choose a full Kosher-for-Passover never tasted so good! share (weekly), a half share (bi-weekly), or split a share with a friend! Thursday, March 7 7:00 – 9:00 PM Wednesdays, March 6 - July 24 $15 Member / $20 Public $576 for 18 weeks / $288 for 9 weeks (bi-weekly)(NEW!) PLUS $34 Member / $46 Public (one-time site fee) Pick up at ERJCC Main Lobby or Bertha Alyce Center (NEW!)

To register or for more information contact Rabbi Samantha Safran Bodner To register for the lectures and classes included at [email protected] or 713.729.3200 ext.3322. in this catalog please call Nomi Barancik at 713.729.3200, ext. 3288 or visit erjcchouston.org film FOUNDATIONS of Jewish Family Living A NEW PROGRAM FOR PARENTS OF YOUNG CHILDREN

What are the Jewish values you want to teach your child?

The ERJCC is delighted to announce that Saranne and Livingston Kosberg have generously Jewish Film Club underwritten a new program to create richer Jewish experiences for Houston parents. En- titled Foundations of Jewish Family Living, this new course from the Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning provides parents with the skills and knowledge to practice the core values of $2 Member / $4 Public Judaism at home with their families. Topics will include Essential Judaism, Words that Hurt and All screenings take place at 12:45 PM Honor Between Generations. The Jewish Film Club will feature monthly screenings of classic and contemporary The Foundations program runs throughout the year. 20 sessions will be offered in 4-5 week blocks. The book for the course is $54. After paying the initial fee of $54, parents may partici- films that highlight Jewish characters or pate in as many sessions as they choose during the year at no additional charge. Facilitated themes. A discussion of each film, facilitated by Jonathan Fass or Rabbi Samantha Safran by local rabbis and Jewish educators. Bodner, will follow. Coffee and snacks will be provided for the discussion. UPCOMING SESSIONS: March 3, 10, 17, 24, April 14, 21, 28 and May 5 February 22 - For Your Consideration (2006) CLASSES TAKE PLACE AT THE ERJCC · CHILDCARE WILL BE PROVIDED March 29 - Partisans of Vilna (1986) April 12 - Avalon (1990) *This program is particularly appropriate for parents of children ages 2 through 8, May 17 - Praying with Lior (2007) but all parents are welcome.

For more information about Foundations, please contact Rabbi Samantha Safran Bodner at [email protected] or 713.729.3200 ext. 3322. MECHON HADAR HOUSTON SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM Judaism And Ethics: An In-Depth Investigation

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP THESE CHALLENGES WILL BE BETWEEN PARTICULARISTIC ARE “BEING A GOOD EXPLORED IN OUR IN-DEPTH JEWISH VALUES AND MORE JEW” AND “BEING A GOOD INVESTIGATION OF JEWISH ETHICS GENERAL UNIVERSAL ETHICS? PERSON” SYNONYMOUS WITH DR. RABBI ETHAN TUCKER OF TERMS? MECHON HADAR HOUSTON

Dr. Rabbi Ethan Tucker, Co-Founder and Rosh Yeshiva of Mechon Hadar, the only egalitarian yeshiva in the United States, returns to Houston for a four-day scholar-in-residence program from February 24 through February 27, 2013. Rabbi Tucker was ordained by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and earned a Ph.D. in Talmud and Rabbinics from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He was named one of News- week’s Top Fifty Rabbis in America in 2011 and 2012.

Between Wisdom and Honor: When Divine Commands Ethical Norms as the Foundation of the Torah Threaten Human Dignity Monday, February 25 • 7:30 PM Sunday, February 24 • 7:30 PM This lecture will delve into a bold essay by R. Moshe Shmuel Human beings are created in the divine image and the Torah Glasner (19th-20th c., Hungary), who spells out a theory of is built on a foundation of basic human decency. How do we how Judaism ought to relate to modern values. We will explore deal with situations where the observance of a commandment his text as a basis for rethinking the interrelationship of gets in the way of this larger vision? We will begin this series traditionally Jewish obligations with contemporary crusades by exploring a Talmudic passage that addresses this tension for environmental and economic justice. Can we affirm the and attempts to lay out a framework for integrating these power of universal ethics without harming our commitment to sometimes competing impulses. Judaism?

Was Abraham asked to Sacrifice His Ethics? Can Jewish Texts Be Unethical: Tuesday, February 26 • 7:30 PM Grappling with Difficult Sources Wednesday, February 27 • 7:30 PM This lecture will explore anew the classic conflict between ethical commitments and religious duty: the Binding of Isaac. Sometimes we encounter a Jewish text that seems to say This biblical narrative plays a central role in Jewish prayer, something offensive and contrary to our ethical sense. How has inspired countless Jews throughout the generations, do we respond as heirs to this tradition while being true to and continues to haunt us on Rosh Hashanah. In the our ethical instincts? In this lecture, we will explore one 19th modern period, the Binding of Isaac has been used for more century rabbi’s attempt to deal with Talmudic statements that dramatic effect: making true devotion to God dependent on appear to speak disparagingly about Gentiles. Through his transcending one’s own ethical instincts. We will reevaluate approach, we will investigate what it means to take ownership this reading in an effort to reclaim the Binding of Isaac without of a tradition that does not, at least at first glance, intuitively sacrificing our own ethics in the process. match our ethical instincts.

$15 per lecture. To register go to erjcchouston.org/hadar

THIS PROGRAM IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CONGREGATION BRITH SHALOM, Center for Jewish CONGREGATION BETH YESHURUN, AND CONGREGATION OR AMI. Living and Learning literature film Spring 2013 - PAID

U.S. Postage art Nonprofit Org . Houston, Texas Permit No. 6217

music dance learning ON THE COVER: AKA DOC POMUS An unlikely blues singer. You know his songs… Now hear his story.

9th Annual

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea The Day I Saw Your Heart

Mann Makht und Gott Lakht’: Man Makes, God Laughs God Makes, Man Lakht’: Gott und Makht Mann Silber Uzi by paintings of An exhibit April 5 – 25 February and patterns scripts symbols, images, out the relics, seeks Uzi and integrates resuscitates are, we made us who which have as it is seri as whimsical context timeless yet new them in a ERJCC. benefit to purchase for available Works ous. Gallery Hours PM 10:00 AM – 10:00 Monday-Thursday PM 9:00 AM – 5:00 & Sunday Friday Besa: The Promise The Flat

All In The Other Son

EVELYN RUBENSTEIN JEWISH5601 COMMUNITYS. Braeswood CENTER |erjcchouston.org Houston, TX 77096 Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story Remembrance

Seymour Schwartz: Prisoners of War Home Movie

The Last Flight of Petr Ginz Life in Stills

Ordinary Miracles: The Cantor’s Son The Photo League’s New York

Hitler’s Children AKA Doc Pomus

Numbered Hava Nagila (The Movie) Now accepting submissions in several in several submissions accepting Now 18. March Monday, until arts categories visit jtas.weebly.com. information For with a Showcase, on all-day arts festival arts festival on all-day with a Showcase, artistic talents teenage showcasing platforms. many across For the 4th year, the ERJCC Deutser Art Deutser the ERJCC the 4th year, For local by original works Gallery will exhibit will open exhibit This teenagers. Jewish Sunday, April 14 April Sunday, Exhibition Art Visual Teen Annual 4th 24 May – 14 April J Teen Art Scene Art Teen J Time through Hope Israel: MARCH 6 –17