Houston Jewish Film Festival MARCH 5-20, 2016

EVELYN RUBENSTEIN JCC HOUSTON

Connect Magazine

See page 21 for Children’s Scholarship Ball and other programs

TICKET INFORMATION Don’t miss out! Films sell out. Buy individual tickets early to guarantee a seat.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS FESTIVAL PASS See page 16 for individual ticket prices. $80 Member | $110 Public $10 discount for Students and Seniors 60+ Festival and Patron Passes provide entry for films only at the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC. Patrons of the Arts and Festival Pass seats will be released 15 minutes prior to each film at the J. Make sure to arrive early to guarantee your seat.

To purchase tickets and passes, visit erjcchouston.org/filmfest.

Get member pricing to HJFF plus programs throughout the year! Membership starts as low as $180/year! For more detailed information on membership categories and rates, please visit us online at erjcchouston.org/join or call 713.729.3200.

VENUES

Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Houston The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Holocaust Museum Houston 5601 South Braeswood . Houston, TX 77096 1001 Bissonnet St. . Houston, TX 77005 Morgan Family Center 713.551.7255 . erjcchouston.org/filmfest 713.639.7515 . mfah.org/films 5401 Caroline St. . Houston, TX 77004 713.942.8000 . hmh.org

2 LETTER FROM THE CHAIR

Welcome to the 12th Houston Jewish Film Festival presented by the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC.

Our distinguished list of 26 features and documentaries includes 13 Israeli films. Isaac Zablocki, the Director of the Israel Film Center, describes this years’ crop of Israeli films as offering “a new development in Israeli cinematic language.” He cites our opening film, The Man in the Wall, for its “groundbreaking methods of presentation, taking innovation to a new level.” The Man in the Wall Our features include many Ophir (Israel’s version of the Academy Awards) Photo by: Ziv Berkovich winners and nominees, including Best Picture Winner Baba Joon and Best Actress Winner, Moran Rosenblatt in Wedding Doll (see cover). Additionally, films from Canada, Germany, France, Bulgaria, Denmark, Argentina, Great Britain, the U.S. and Hungary will be presented.

This is our second year to offer a Chairman’s Choice. Everything is Illuminated is one of those rare films as engaging as its critically acclaimed source material, a novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. It features humor, sadness, beauty and an unforgettable tour guide. Please join me in this journey of discovery of Jonathan (Elijah Wood) as he searches for his family’s history in the Ukraine. Baba Joon Joel Dinkin, the J’s Executive Vice President, challenged me on more than one occasion to “offer some comedies.” I think Joel and our many viewers will enjoy some lighter fare: Very Semi Serious, Serial Bad Weddings, and our closing film, Dough. The icing on the comedy cake is one of my personal favorites, the Marx Brothers’ A Night at the Opera. I encourage you to get reacquainted with the Marx Brothers and to bring someone who is unfamiliar with them. This 80 year plus classic is a comedy they will not forget.

Thanks to the members of the film committee (see page 17) a tireless group of knowledgeable cinemaphiles including Festival Founders Doreen Joffe and Sharon Kagan plus former chairs Sue Goott, Diane Lee Kraitman and Helen Wils. My special appreciation goes to Miriam Pacht, Joyce Cramer and A Night at the Opera Nada Chandler for pre-screening more films than you can imagine. Finally, I would also like to personally thank the Amazing Amy Rahmani, Arts & Culture Program Coordinator, who makes it all happen. Finally the Festival would not be possible without the financial support of our Patrons of the Arts, underwriters, community and corporate sponsors. We appreciate your commitment and dedication to the Festival.

I look forward to seeing you again and again at the Festival.

John Dreyfus Film Committee Chair

Dough

3 OPENING NIGHT The Man in the Wall Saturday, March 5 | 8:00 PM Tuesday, March 15 | 5:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC

Photo by: Ziv Berkovich Opening Night festivities begin at 7:00 PM.

Shir awakens one night to discover that her husband Rami is missing; his phone, his clothing, his wallet and all of his possessions are in their apartment. Shir panics. Directed by Evgeny Ruman Israel, 2015, 92 min She calls his best friend; she calls the police. Rami’s whereabouts are unknown. And Hebrew with English subtitles so begins a dark evening of revelations, half-truths and lies as unexpected guests, Houston Premiere acquaintances, friends and relatives show up throughout the night, each with a Thriller different tale, each adding a dark layer to the mystery. This psychological thriller draws the audience into Shir’s crisis and her marriage until the twisted end.

For Opening Night only: all tickets are reserved seating. Buy your ticket early to ensure a seat. Patrons and Festival pass holders RSVP to [email protected] or call 713.551.7215.

Sponsored by June and Leonard Goldberg Patron Sponsor: Joyce Cramer 4 Afternoon of Shorts Sunday, March 6 | 1:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC

Ave Maria Directed by Basil Khalil France, Germany, Palestine, 2015, 15 min The silent routine of five nuns living in the West Bank is disturbed when an Israeli settler’s car breaks down outside their convent just before Shabbat. Ave Maria was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the Oscars.

Kapunka Directed by Tal Greenberg Israel, 2015, 12 min When Israeli law pushes Shmulik’s back to the wall, he decides to take matters into his own hands. If only he knew how funny it would turn out.

Ischler Directed by Attila Hartung Hungary, 2014, 16 min Evil comes from unexpected places as three Jewish sisters seek shelter in the Budapest apartment of a highly regarded doctor during the Holocaust.

Lookout Directed by Noa Gusakov Israel, 2014, 18 min Serving as a lookout in the Israeli military, Timmy distracts herself from the tiring work by creating her own imaginary world. Then one day something happens in front of her eyes, shattering her protective bubble.

YidLife Crisis Directed by Eli Batalion & Jamie Elman Canada, 2015, 6 min Chaimie and Leizer, best friends and debating adversaries, tackle life, love, and lactose intolerance in this hilarious foodie-centric short series done entirely in their grandparents’ Yiddish.

Lost Paradise Directed by Oded Binnun & Mihal Brezis France/Israel, 2009, 10 min A man and a woman are making love in a one-star hotel room. A moment later, when both are dressed, the idyll that seemed authentic is now gone in this present-day Adam and Eve story.

Dear God Directed by Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv Israel, 2014, 13 min Aaron cleans up the messages that people place into the historic Wailing Wall. One day a beautiful, mysterious woman leaves a note and Aaron decides to fulfill her deepest wish.

5 Very Semi-Serious: A Partially Thorough Portrait of New Yorker Cartoonists Sunday, March 6 | 4:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Sunday, March 13 | 6:00 PM* Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Some subscribers admit the first thing they do when a new issue of The New Yorker arrives is look at the cartoons which are always hilarious and topical. Very Semi-Serious, an offbeat meditation on humor, art, Directed by Leah Wolchok and the genius of the single panel USA, 2015, 83 min English comic, reveals the meticulous and Documentary often infuriating process of selecting and creating the magazine’s popular cartoons. The film follows cartoon editor Bob Mankoff as he reviews submissions from aspiring hopefuls as well as magazine icons including Roz Chast Photo by: Kirsten Johnson and Sam Gross.

The Kind Words Phoenix Monday, March 7 | 5:00 PM (Hamilim Hatovot) Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Sunday, March 6 | 7:30 PM Germany, mid 1940s. A figure appears in a vehicle, her Evelyn Rubenstein JCC face covered with blood- Following their mother’s death, soaked bandages. Nelly Directed by Christian Petzold Germany, 2015, 99 min Directed by Shemi Zarhin three Israeli siblings learn that is being transported to a English, German with English Israel/Canada, 2015, 118 min subtitles the Jewish man who raised Hebrew with English subtitles plastic surgeon for facial Drama them is not their biological Houston Premiere reconstruction. So begins a Drama father; their biological father tale of identity, illusion, and is a Muslim. In turmoil, they deception as Nelly, face rebuilt, similar but not identical set out for France in search of him. Dorona is angry and to her disfigured one, tracks down her husband who dissatisfied. Her brothers grapple with how to define may or may not have shopped her to the Nazis in this themselves as men, fathers and Israeli Jews. Fast paced and Hitchcock style modern masterpiece. Time Magazine and wryly humorous, the film examines our ideas of identity and The A.V. Club ranked this film the 2nd best film of 2015.

the tightrope that exists between truths and lies. * Festival and Patron Passes are not accepted. 6 Apples from the Desert (Tapuchim Min Hamidbar) Monday, March 7 | 7:30 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC The only child of ultra-religious parents, Rebecca (Moran Rosenblatt from Wedding Doll) is controlled by her cold, iron-fisted father. Restricted to returning home at the end of the Directed by Arik Lubetzky and Matti Harari day, whereabouts checked, Rebecca breaks taboos and sneaks off to folk-dancing classes Israel, 2014, 87 min where she meets a secular kibbutznik. The conflict between Rebecca and her parents Hebrew with English subtitles Houston Premiere culminates in a moment of truth and forces each of them to confront their beliefs and one Drama another. An adaptation of the award-winning Israeli play, Apples from the Desert poignantly explores themes of love and reconciliation.

Preceded by the short film, Dear God

Patron Sponsors: Helen Wils and Leonard Goldstein

A Nazi Legacy: What Our Fathers Did* Tuesday, March 8 | 5:00 PM & 7:30 PM Holocaust Museum Houston Philippe Sands, a human rights lawyer, conducts Directed by David Evans conversations with two UK, 2015, 92 min English men whose fathers were Houston Premiere indicted as Nazi war Documentary criminals. The two sons have starkly contrasting attitudes towards their fathers; one can’t bring himself to condemn his father while the other despises his father. The three men travel together across Europe on a challenging journey. For Sands, it means visiting the place where much of his own Jewish family was destroyed. In an emotional, psychological exploration, three men wrestle with their pasts and conflicting versions of the truth. * Festival and Patron Passes are not accepted. 7 CHAIR’S CHOICE Everything Is Illuminated Wednesday, March 9 | 7:30 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC

Join us for Everything is Illuminated, a favorite of our Film Chair, John Dreyfus.

A young man takes a strange and unexpectedly funny journey in search of a family heroine he’s never known in this screen adaptation of the novel by Jonathan Safran Directed by Liev Schreiber USA, 2005, 106 min Foer. Jonathan (Elijah Wood) is a lifelong collector of any and all objects pertaining to English his family who has become obsessed with a woman he’s never met. On his journey to Drama Ukraine he encounters an unforgettable tour guide and his taciturn grandfather. Join us on this poignant road to discovery.

Patron Reception underwritten by

Patron Sponsors: Dreyfus Family in loving memory of Jane Dreyfus Lynn and Armand Shapiro

8 Photo credit: Courtesy Fisk University, John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library, Special Collections Rosenwald Fire Birds Thursday, March 10 | 5:00 PM Thursday, March 10 | 7:30 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Evelyn Rubenstein JCC He never finished high school Starring two legends of Israeli Directed by Aviva Kempner but rose to become president film, Gila Almagor and Oded Directed by Amir Wolf USA, 2014, 90 min Israel, 2015, 112 min of Sears. He believed in Jewish English Teomi, and nominated for Hebrew with English subtitles Documentary values: tikkun olam, repairing 10 Ophir Awards, Fire Birds Houston Premiere the world, and tzedakah. He intertwines the tales of Drama built over 5,300 schools in the south in the early 20th century, Amikon, an 80 year old whose joining forces with African American communities to educate body is found with three stab wounds to the chest and youth and awarding fellowships to leading intellectuals and a number tattooed on his forearm, and Amnon, a police artists including Marian Anderson, James Baldwin, Julian detective who reluctantly accepts the case. Fast paced and Bond, Ralph Bunche, W.E.B. DuBois, Ralph Ellison, Langston intriguing, moving between past and present, this film will Hughes and a host of others. Meet Julius Rosenwald: keep you guessing until its final surprising moments. philanthropist, civil rights activist, Jewish idealist. Patron Sponsors: Doreen and Basil Joffe Film provided by The National Center for Jewish Film, www.jewishfilm.org

GET CULTURED: THE J’S ARTS & CULTURE EVENTS FOR PEOPLE IN THEIR 20s AND 30s Atomic Falafel Exclusively for Ages 21 to Thirty-Something Thursday, March 10 | 7:30 PM Sundance Cinemas | 510 Texas Avenue $10 | Advanced purchase recommended | Cash only at the door This hilarious satire has everything: intelligence and Directed by Dror Shaul Germany/Israel/New Zealand, 2015, 93 min military personnel who sit around English, Farsi, Hebrew with English subtitles a sandbox planning war maneuvers Houston Premiere while an assistant removes ever Comedy larger missiles from her purse; two teenaged girls, Israeli and Iranian, who spill their respective country’s valuable secrets on Facebook while trying to prevent a nuclear crisis; and the hottest falafel truck operator in the Middle East. She falls in love with the German inspector of nuclear plants and he breaks out in Photo by: Merav Maroody hives when he comes anywhere near enriched uranium.

9 The Muses of Isaac Bashevis Singer Friday, March 11 | 1:00 PM Saturday, March 19 | 6:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC In the mid 1960’s, Nobel Prize winning Yiddish author Isaac Bashevis Singer established an army of more than forty female translators who were vital sources of creative inspiration and helped expose his work to the world. This enchanting documentary shows the complex life of one of the world’s most celebrated literary figures through the eyes of the women who knew him best. Combining interviews with nine of his translators alongside exclusive archival Photo Credit: HRC footage, the film provides an original and captivating look at the famous writer.

Directed by Shaul Betser and Asaf Galay Israel, 2014, 72 min Lunch and a Movie for Adults 60+ English, Hebrew with English subtitles Friday March 11 | 12:00 PM Houston Premiere Documentary $8 Member | $12 Public | Price includes film and lunch RSVP REQUIRED by Monday, March 7 to Esther Bethke at 713.595.8186.

Remember* Saturday, March 12 | 6:00 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Remember, by critically acclaimed director Directed by Atom Egoyan Atom Egoyan, tells the story of Zev Guttman Canada, 2015, 95 min (Christopher Plummer), a 90-year-old struggling English, German with with memory loss. Following his wife’s death, English subtitles Houston Premiere Zev receives a surprising package from his Thriller close friend Max. Zev and Max are survivors of Auschwitz, and the same sadistic guard murdered both of their families – a guard who lives in the U.S. under an assumed identity. With Max’s guidance, Zev embarks on a journey to settle the score with the man who destroyed both their lives. Also starring Dean Morris (Breaking Bad).

Serial (Bad) Weddings* (Qu’est-Ce Qu’on a fait au Bon Dieu?) Saturday, March 12 | 8:00 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston In this smash hit comedy, a conservative Directed by Philippe de Chauveron France, 2014, 97 min Parisian couple have their lives turned upside French with English subtitles down when their three eldest daughters Comedy marry Jewish, Asian and Muslim men outside of their Catholic faith. When their youngest daughter announces her engagement to a Catholic man, the parents rejoice, but her fiancé’s father arrives from Africa with objections of his own. Back by popular demand, this movie sold out two screenings at the Museum in 2015’s Five Funny French Films series.

* Festival and Patron Passes are not accepted. 10 Carvalho’s Journey* Sunday, March 13 | 1:00 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Introduced by Malcolm Daniel, Curator in Charge, MFAH Department of Photography and Special Projects and a Specialist in 19th Century Photography This 19th-century American adventure Directed by Steve Rivo story illuminates the extraordinary life USA, 2015, 85 min and artistic career of Solomon Nunes English Houston Premiere Carvalho (1815-1897), a Sephardic Documentary Jew from Charleston, South Carolina Photo Credit: Courtesy of The National Center for Jewish Film whose family founded the first Reform congregation in the U.S. Portrait artist Carvalho accompanied famed explorer Colonel John Fremont on his 1853 expedition. Traveling alongside pioneers, Native Americans and Mormons, Carvalho produced beautiful art: daguerreotypes that became the lens through which the world experienced the American West. Carvalho’s experience as a Jew on the western trail was unprecedented.

Mountain* To Life! (Auf Das Leben!) Sunday, March 13 | 3:00 PM Monday, March 14 | 5:00 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Writer/director Yaelle Kayam Ruth, an aging former cabaret sets her feature debut in a Directed by Yaelle Kayam singer and Holocaust survivor, Directed by Uwe Janson Denmark/Israel, 2015, 83 min Germany, 2016, 86 min unique location: a family’s Hebrew with English subtitles has been evicted from her German with English subtitles home in the middle of the Houston Premiere apartment. She sees no Houston Premiere cemetery on Jerusalem’s Mount Drama other way out except suicide. Drama of Olives. Devout wife Tzvia Jonas, a young man with a (Shani Klein) spends her days cooking and cleaning while secret, a drifter fleeing from his future, arrives in Berlin her teacher husband and young children are at school. and saves Ruth’s life. As Jonas discovers Ruth’s past, he Lonely and puzzled by her husband’s lack of affection, she helps Ruth find her way to life; she helps Jonas find the takes walks at night, developing an unexpected connection strength to tackle his fears. Enjoy terrific Yiddish musical with the prostitutes and drug dealers who use the performances and the superb acting of grande dame of cemetery to conduct business. Ultimately Tzvia resolves her German cinema, Hannelore Elsner. inner turmoil with consequences that are quite shocking.

Hours Saturday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM Sunday: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM MFA Café * Festival and Patron Passes are not accepted. 11 Bulgarian Rhapsody Baba Joon Monday, March 14 | 7:30 PM Tuesday, March 15 | 7:30 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Bulgarian Rhapsody recreates Winner of the 2015 Ophir Directed by Yuval Delshad the vanished world of Directed by Ivan Nichev Award (Israel’s Academy Bulgaria/Israel, 2014, 108 min Israel, 2015, 91 min Bulgarian Jewish culture. Bulgarian, German, Ladino Awards) for best picture, Farsi, Hebrew with A tale of lost innocence and with English subtitles Baba Joon tells the story English subtitles Houston Premiere Houston Premiere first love set against the Drama of a traditional Iranian Drama backdrop of WWII, the film family living on a turkey deals with the friendship among three 17 year olds: farm in southern Israel. Almost entirely in Farsi, the Moni, a shy Jewish boy; Giogio, his worldly Bulgarian film examines the generational conflicts between a friend; and Shelly, a young woman whom both boys dictatorial grandfather, his two sons, Yitzhak and Darius, love. Complicating matters is Giogio’s father, an anti- and a grandson, Moti. Darius has escaped; Yitzhak runs semite working for a government department in charge the farm. To his father’s extreme displeasure, Moti of deportations. A warm and tender film, Bulgarian wants nothing to do with it. Navid Negahban, a Muslim Rhapsody was Bulgaria’s entry into the 2015 Oscars. from Iran and Homeland’s Abu Nazir, plays Yitzhak.

Patron Sponsors: Ellen and Daniel Trachtenberg

10% My Child Wednesday, March 16 | 5:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Nico, a 26 year-old would-be film maker, awakens one morning in his Directed by Uri Bar-on girlfriend’s bed to discover her 7 year- Israel, 2014, 84 min Hebrew with English subtitles old daughter Franny staring at him Houston Premiere from the bedroom’s doorway. He jumps Comedy out of bed and out of the window, half dressed. So begins a love/hate relationship between the two as Nico becomes Franny’s sometime babysitter and attempts to find common ground with her in order to have a better chance with her mom. Winner of the Best Independent Film Award at the Ophirs, this sweet film is Uri Bar-on’s directorial debut.

12 WOMEN’S NIGHT Make it dinner and a movie with your friends! Bring your dinner or buy from Laykie’s Gourmet Café at the J, and we’ll provide the French wine. RSVP for dinner by Sunday, March 13 to [email protected] or call 713.551.7215 A La Vie (To Life) Wednesday, March 16 | 7:30 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Visually stunning and beautifully acted, Directed by Jean-Jacques Zilbermann France, 2014, 104 min this film tells the story of three women, French with English subtitles Auschwitz survivors, who meet again in Houston Premiere 1962 at a seaside resort in France. Helene Drama (Julie Depardieu), organizer of the reunion, is trying to get back to normal and has married her childhood crush. Lily, Helene’s fellow kitchen worker, arrives at the resort with Rose, whom Helene thought had died. Painting a clear portrait of three very different women, filmmaker Jean-Jacques Zilbermann focuses not only on what unites them but also on what separates them.

Patron Sponsors: Ilene and Larry Goldman

Sabena Hijacking: My Version Thursday, March 17 | 7:30 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Captivating, fast-paced, and utterly suspenseful, Sabena Hijacking: My Version recounts the dramatic events of May How To Win Enemies 8, 1972. Sabena Captain Reginald Levy, a British Jew (Como Ganar Enemigos) and war hero, addresses Thursday, March 17 | 5:00 PM the passengers twenty Evelyn Rubenstein JCC minutes after takeoff: “As Lucas, a lawyer with a you can see, we have friends Directed by Gabriel Lichtmann penchant for mystery writers aboard.” Four Palestinian Directed by Rani Sa’ar Argentina, 2015, 78 min Agatha Christie, Patricia terrorists, members of Black Spanish with English subtitles Israel, 2014, 100 min Houston Premiere Highsmith and his dog Hebrew, English, Arabic, French September armed with Comedy Sherlock, meets Barbara, an with English subtitles two handguns, two hand Houston Premiere attractive bookish blonde Docudrama grenades, and two explosion in a bar. The two hit it off but after a night together belts, are ready to take Lucas awakens to discover that Barbara has disappeared down the plane if their demands are not met. Among along with $50,000 he was saving for a house. Lucas is the rescuers are two future Israeli prime ministers, determined to solve the mystery and recoup his cash Ehud Barak and Benjamin Netanyahu. in this delightful film complete with lively dialogue and Supported by the Rosita and Albert Gaon what initially had appeared to be a Jewish family comedy. Sephardic Heritage Program Endowment Fund

13 Join us for drinks and snacks in the Joe Frank Theatre of the Arts. Relax in between the films: stay late after The Muses of Isaac Bashevis Singer or come early before Wedding Doll. Lounge open 7:30 – 8:45 PM. Your film ticket or pass provides entry. The Muses of Isaac Bashevis Singer Director Asaf Galay in Attendance Saturday, March 19 | 6:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Co-sponsored by the Minter Chair in the Humanities, the Program in Jewish Studies, and the Humanities Research Center at Rice University

Photo Credit: HRC See page 10 for description. Preceded by the short film, YidLife Crisis.

Pre Film Reception with Director | 5:15 PM Sponsored by the Program in Jewish Studies at Rice University

Wedding Doll (Chatona Meniyar) Saturday, March 19 | 8:45 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Moran Rosenblatt (Apples from the Desert) won the

Israeli Academy Award for her stunning portrayal of Directed by Nitzan Gilady an impossible dreamer who lives with her loving but Israel, 2015, 82 min Hebrew with English subtitles overprotective mother in a Negev desert town. Socially Houston Premiere alienated by a childhood brain injury, Hagit finds escape Drama in designing bridal gowns and dolls out of leftover materials from the toilet paper factory where she works. Despite her disabilities, Hagit is determined to map out a future in this sensitive and poignant film.

Photo by: Uriel Sinai Patron Sponsors: Joanne and Bruce Levy

A Night at the Opera Sunday, March 20 | 1:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC This classic 1935 Marx Brothers comedy has everything—romance, music, Directed by Sam Wood comedy, crazy antics, zany characters, USA, 1935, 92 min an ocean voyage, real opera singers, English Comedy and the incredible Groucho, Chico, and Harpo. The film contains some of comedy’s classic scenes. Written by George S. Kaufman, many Marx Brothers fans consider A Night at the Opera the team’s best film. Joins us for— a night at the opera!

Dress as your favorite Marx Brothers character for a free ticket to the film. 14 Fauda Sunday, March 20 | 4:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Breaking TV viewership records in Israel, this mind- Directed by Assaf Bernstein blowing action thriller has been compared to Israel, 2015, 40 min each The Wire, Homeland and The Hurt Locker. Fauda, Hebrew, Arabic with a faced-paced Israeli political action drama brings English subtitles Houston Premiere the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to TV Series, Thriller TV. Treading a fine line between fiction and reality as it depicts the tensions of war and the frailty of human life, the show has gripped Israeli television audiences and has struck a chord with the Israeli public, both left and right. We will be screening the first three episodes.

CLOSING NIGHT Dough Sunday, March 20 | 7:30 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC

Jonathan Pryce (Game of Thrones) stars as Nat Dayan, an old Jewish baker whose business is faltering; widowed, with sons who have no interest in the business, and customers dying off, he Directed by John Goldschmidt strives to keep his business afloat. Enter Ayyash, a Muslim boy from Darfur who sells cannabis UK, 2014, 94 min English on the side to help his struggling mother make ends meet. One day, Ayyash accidently drops Houston Premiere some product in the dough; the challah starts flying off the shelves and the two form an unlikely Comedy friendship. Dough is a warmhearted and humorous story about overcoming prejudice and finding redemption in unexpected places. You’ll get a rise out of Dough!

Closing Night reception follows film.

Sponsors: Kathy and Drew Berkman & Betsy and Ed Schreiber

Galveston Screening: Dough Sunday, March 6 | 2:00 PM Presented with Congregation Beth Jacob Congregation Beth Jacob | 2401 Avenue K | Galveston, TX 77550

15 Houston Jewish Film Festival Venues Legend Evelyn Rubenstein JCC, Kaplan Theatre Holocaust Museum Houston, March 5-20, 2016 5601 South Braeswood . Houston, TX 77096 Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater 5401 Caroline Street . Houston, TX 77004 Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Auditorium Theater Alternate Location Calendar of Events 1001 Bissonnet Street . Houston, TX 77005 See listing for address

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

28 29 1 2 3 4 5 8:00 PM OPENING NIGHT The Man in the Wall $15

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1:00 PM 5:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:30 PM 5:00 PM 1:00 PM 6:00 PM Afternoon of Phoenix A Nazi Legacy: CHAIR’S CHOICE Rosenwald The Muses of Isaac Remember Shorts $6 What Our Fathers Everything is $6 Bashevis Singer $8 | $10 $8 | $12 Did Illuminated $8 | $12 7:30 PM $8 | $10 $8 | $12 7:30 PM With Lunch and 8:00 PM 2:00 PM Apples from the Fire Birds a Movie for 60+ Serial Bad Dough Desert 7:30 PM $8 | $12 Weddings $8 $8 | $12 A Nazi Legacy: $8 | $10 What Our Fathers 7:30 PM 4:00 PM Did GET CULTURED Very Semi-Serious: $8 | $10 Atomic Falafel A Partially Thorough Exclusively for Portrait of New Ages 21 to Thirty- Yorker Cartoonists Something $8 | $12 $10

7:30 PM The Kind Words $8 | $12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 1:00 PM 5:00 PM 5:00 PM 5:00 PM 5:00 PM 6:00 PM Carvalho’s Journey To Life! The Man in the Wall 10% My Child How to Make The Muses of Isaac $8 | $10 $6 $6 $6 Enemies Bashevis Singer $6 $15 3:00 PM 7:30 PM 7:30 PM WOMEN’S NIGHT Director Asaf Galay Mountain Bulgarian Baba Joon 6:30 PM 7:30 PM in Attendance $8 | $10 Rhapsody $8 | $12 Women’s Night Sabena Hijacking: $8 | $12 Dinner My Version 7:30 PM–8:45 PM 6:00 PM $8 | $12 Lounge Open Very Semi-Serious: 7:30 PM A Partially Thorough A La Vie 8:45 PM Portrait of New $8 | $12 Wedding Doll Yorker Cartoonists $15 $8 | $10

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CLOSING DAY 1:00 PM A Night at the Opera Every movie ticket from the J gets you 10% off $8 | $12 at Laykie’s Gourmet Café at the J 4:00 PM Hours During Film Festival Fauda $8 | $12 Mon-Thurs: 9:00 AM – 7:30 PM Friday: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM 7:30 PM Dough Sunday: 12:00 PM – 7:30 PM on March 6 & 20 $8 | $12

Price: Member | Public Member price includes Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Member/Patron of the Arts/MFAH Film Buff/HMH Member/Students/Seniors 60+

16 Holocaust Museum Houston, COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND STAFF Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater 5401 Caroline Street . Houston, TX 77004 Alternate Location 2015-2016 Film Committee See listing for address John Dreyfus, Chair Doreen Joffe and Sharon Kagan, Founding Chairs

Marc Bronsweig Jerry Greenspan Diane Lee Kraitman Stefani Twyford Nada Chandler Ellen Hamburg Eve Lapin Joyce Wilkenfeld Joyce Cramer Lindy Kahn Joanne Levy Helen Wils Beverly Fanarof Diane Kaplan Miriam Pacht Sue Goott Marisa Katz Emory Skolkin

Evelyn Rubenstein JCC of Houston

Debbie Kaplan Joel Dinkin Marilyn Hassid Amy Rahmani President Executive Vice President Assistant Executive Director Arts & Culture Program Coordinator

Jasmine Ross Maxine Silberstein Jerry Lynch and Lee Snyder Arts & Culture Assistant Dance Director Projectionists

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Holocaust Museum Houston Marian Luntz Tamara Savage Curator, Film and Video Managing Director/Director of Public Programs

SPONSORS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS Supporters Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Patrons of the Arts Official Hotel of the ERJCC The Maurice Amado Foundation

Media Sponsor Director In-Kind Brian Gavin Diamonds Fleischer Wine: A Division of Mexcor Jenny Tavor Custom Catering

Community Partners

AIPAC – American Israel Public Consulate General of Israel to the Jewish Feminist Reading Group Affairs Committee Southwest Jewish War Veterans – Post 547 Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Hebrew Speakers Professional National Council of Jewish Women American Jewish Committee Organization Greater Houston Section Congregation Beth Israel’s Miriam Holocaust Museum Houston Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care Browning Jewish Learning Center Houston Chapter of Hadassah Services Congregation Brith Shalom Houston Congregation for Reform United Orthodox Synagogues of Congregation Shma Koleinu Judaism Houston Jewish Family Service 17 rt creates a strong sense of community, bringing empathy, joy and satisfaction. It can help children with impulse control Resident and problem solving and give adults a new sense of purpose. ACarolyn Catlos brings all these benefits to the J as the new Visual Arts Artist Creates Program Coordinator. “Art, service and teaching are three things I am very passionate about,” said Carolyn. “Ever since I was a young girl I have found joy, appreciation Community and understanding through art. I love working in a field that allows me to develop relationships with others, by sharing with them the skills, through experiences and activities that have been most meaningful in my life.” Carolyn moved to Houston from Detroit two years ago. She received a Creativity Bachelor of Fine Arts from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Her major area of study was crafts, with a concentration in fiber design. Her work has been featured in national and regional group shows and solo exhibitions.

Among her many creative roles at the J, one of her goals is to position the J as a destination on the Houston arts scene. She will also coordinate exhibitions in the Deutser Art Gallery. But she is most excited about teaching and expanding art classes to children and teens.

“It’s has been several years since the J offered children’s art classes as an afterschool activity. We’re lucky to have found someone like Carolyn who has the experience and knowledge to re-imagine and rebuild the art program for children, teens and adults,” said Morgan Steinberg, Adult Program Director. “Art classes are for everyone regardless of age, ability and experience, which makes it that much more important that the J offers a vibrant, creative scene for our members to thrive in.”

Carolyn’s most recent professional experience includes serving as an instructor at M.E.C.A., Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts, in Houston. While residing in Michigan, she worked for the College for Creative Studies in Detroit and the Cranbrook Educational

Carolyn Catlos Community in Bloomfield Hills, teaching ceramics, metals, fiber, photography and sculpture.

“We’re so appreciative of the J’s support in expanding and upgrading the Arts program,” said Ellen Trachtenberg, chair of the J’s Adult committee and a participant in the ceramics class. “Carolyn is a wonderful teacher – organized, patient, accessible, innovative and motivating.”

Carolyn sees the true reward in watching her students grow in creativity, skills and confidence. She invites you to join a class and encourage your creativity to flourish.

18 Judaism Today – What is a life worth?

Is one life more important than another? That is the ethical The series opens Sunday, April question at the core of the Spring Scholars Series. The J’s Bobbi 3, with Andrew Fastow, Enron’s and Vic Samuels Center for Jewish Living and Learning presents former CFO, on “After Enron: Jewish Ethics & The Price of Life, April 3-10. What’s Legal & What’s Right in the Corporate Environment?” He will This year, the J invited three Houston scholars to lecture on be followed by Rebecca Lunstroth, contemporary ethical issues. Participants will explore the legal April 6, on “Reproductive Ethics: system and upholding its principals. The series includes discussion The Woman vs. the Fetus.” The about reproductive rights and what the Torah says about the death series concludes with David Dow, penalty. April 10, on “Does the Texas Death Andrew Fastow Penalty Violate Jewish Law?” “I am excited about the spring Scholars series because the essence of Judaism is behavior, not belief,” says Joe Pryzant, CJLL Chair. Each presenter will thoughtfully consider how Jewish values are “The series is an exploration of how one should act in challenging reflected in these important issues. Each lecture will take place situations when the “right” course of action is not clear. This at the J. For full class descriptions, presenter bios, or to register, program will be both provocative and informative and may well please visit www.erjcchouston.org/ethics. challenge your conventional beliefs.”

Helping All Children greater compassion and an appreciation for each classmate’s Reach for the contributions. Stigmas fade away. Plus, children receiving special STARS education services benefit from learning in the least restrictive For a decade, the J has enriched environment. the lives of children with learning disabilities through the As an inclusive preschool, BAS is committed to the right of all Karol Musher STARS program. children to be full members of their community, a place where The STARS classroom at the children with disabilities and developmental delays are valued Bertha Alyce School is a self- and welcomed. We use Jewish lenses to inform this vision of contained therapeutic program inclusion, including: for preschoolers with special • B’tezelem Elohim: each child has something to contribute and needs. Now, to further develop teach our community the social needs of students, the • Tikkun Olam: acts of kindness performed to repair the world staff is launching an initiative • D’rash: teaching to reach a diversity of learners to include STARS students in general education settings. The inclusion with nondisabled peers “Inclusion is our truest commitment to children,” said Rebecca could be anywhere from 1-3 hours per school day, depending on the Weiner, a STARS teacher. “Our children are developing language individual needs of the child and supported by STARS staff. with true communication partners, play skills with true friends and adaptability in real life.” “The J’s commitment to incorporate a culture of inclusion has already had some positive effects. Seeing the students learn, play As the only inclusive Jewish preschool in Houston, and one of the and build friendships together has been amazing,” said Michelle only inclusive preschools in Houston, our program will serve as an Muscat, STARS teacher. “Inclusion benefits both students and exemplar in the region. Now, with the STARS inclusion program, all teachers, as we all benefit from interacting with different people.” children can attend a Jewish preschool, receive therapy, special education services and develop friendships with peers. We invite Inclusion is an evidence-based practice shown to have benefits community members and professionals to learn more about our for all children, with and without disabilities. In inclusive settings, program, contact Bonnie Kasner at [email protected]. children’s learning is individualized and nondisabled peers develop

19 Live Up to Your Physical Potential

No matter where you start from or what your goals are, there is a No man has the right to be an form of body nourishment right for you. If you are a new mother who amateur in the matter of physical is keen to get back into exercising, try our Abdominal Connections course. If you are an avid athlete who needs deep stretching and training. It is a shame for a man to muscle elongation, try our Yamuna Body Rolling course. Perhaps grow old without seeing the beauty you want to try our Defense Fitness course and learn how fitness can be a tool for empowerment. At the J, you can find your path to and strength of which his body is reach your physical potential.

capable. ― Socrates Fitness doesn’t always mean you need gym equipment. Dancing can burn 400 calories an hour. That’s a good reason to step into A member of the J Fitness Center mentioned this quote as our Cardio Dance class, or shimmy into one of our Zumba classes. inspiration for his exercising. He takes time each day to do some You can also get a great workout and mental boost practicing form of fitness, whether it’s cardio, weightlifting, stretching or Yoga, which tones the body and eases the mind. And for those strength conditioning. exemplifying the old adage that age is just a number you can continue to build strength, flexibility, and coordination in our Prime “Socrates might be on to something,” said Catherine Santamaria, Time Fitness 60+ exercise class. Health & Fitness Coordinator. “We should nourish, challenge and rejuvenate our bodies like we do our minds because if you don’t Exercise is wise wherever you are in life. Try a new group fitness use it, you lose it. And when you don’t have it, you miss it. Exercise class and find out just how capable you are. is an amazing way to see your physique’s true beauty and strength, throughout your life.”

There is no better example than long-time member Ruby Getz. She is 85 years old and a regular in the Fitness Center. She engages in everything from pumping iron to personal training to core- strengthening.

“I want to be able to take care of myself,” said Ruby. “I also thought that at my age, I would have limitations, but the more I exercise, the more I keep up with my targeted physical activity, those limitations are extended. And a massage here and there certainly helps!”

20 COMING SOON AT THE J

Wiesenthal Written by and starring Tom Dugan Directed by Jenny Sullivan By Special Arrangement with Daryl Roth and Karyl Lynn Burns Co-Presented with Holocaust Museum Houston March 29–April 3

Filled with hope, humanity and humor, Wiesenthal is the riveting true story of Simon Wiesenthal, an ordinary man who did extraordinary things, devoting his life to Keyboard Conversations® bringing more than 1,100 Nazi with Jeffrey Siegel war criminals to justice. Classics Go Pop! Sunday, February 21 | 4:00 PM Experience some of the most famous, beloved music ever written, melodies familiar to concert goers and non- concert goers alike.

Underwritten by the Barbara and Mark Paull Families

Palestina NobleMotion Dance Monday, February 29 | 7:30 PM Photo by: Lynn Lane Palestina is an overture NobleMotion Dance composed by Russian- Jewish composer Leo Zeitlin L’Dor Vador: Poetry and Dance from (1884-1930), a leading figure Three Generations of a Jewish Family in 20th century Jewish art April 9 & 10 music, in 1929 for New York’s Capitol Theatre. Under the Stars of David: Story to Song baton of Houston conductor Based on the Best-Selling Book by Abigail Pogrebin Robert Linder, Palestina By Special Arrangement with Daryl Roth will have its modern premiere in a concert that includes Directed by Luke Wrobel additional Zeitlin treasures. In Cooperation with Vital Arts Collaborative May 11–22 From Manuscript Scores to Orchestral Performance: An Introduction to Leo Zeitlin This new musical revue, based on Presented by Paula Eisenstein Baker and Robert S. Nelson the best-selling book by Abigail Wednesday, February 24 | 7:30 PM Pogrebin, celebrates the identity FREE of some of the most well-known Jewish personalities, including Leonard Nimoy, Andy Cohen, Kenneth Cole, Fran Drescher, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Tony Kushner, Aaron Sorkin, and Gloria Steinem with songs by some of Broadway’s best composers.

21 SAVE THE DATE

CHILDREN’S SCHOLARSHIP BALL BENEFITTING THE IRVIN KAPLAN CHILDREN’S SCHOLARSHIP FUND AT THE EVELYN RUBENSTEIN JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF HOUSTON

ROYAL SONESTA HOUSTON

For more information, to make a contribution to pay tribute to our Honorees, or to purchase tickets visit jcchouston.org/csb or contact Judy Weil at 713.551-7219

22 2016 HONOREES

Ann & J. Kent Friedman Erica & Benjy Levit

2016 HONORARY CHAIRS

Marci Rosenberg & Joyce & Arthur Schechter Cyvia & Melvyn Wolff Ben Samuels

2016 BALL CHAIRS Lauren Straus Sorkin • Amira Grinberg Staller • Jennifer Haikin Zach

2016 AUCTION CHAIRS Abby Ackerman • Melissa Goodman

The Irvin Kaplan Children’s Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance for children from six week old infants to teenagers, from all backgrounds, and with different abilities, so they can participate in early childhood care, educational activities, special needs programs and summer day camp at the J. The Evelyn Rubenstein JCC is committed to the needs of the family and provides childcare programs for hundreds of Houston’s youth. The proceeds from the Children’s Scholarship Ball will ensure that no family is turned away due to financial hardship.

23 Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Houston Non–Profit Org. 5601 S. Braeswood | Houston, TX 77096–3907 U.S. Postage 713.729.3200 | erjcchouston.org PAID Permit No. 6217 Houston, Texas

Houston Jewish Film Festival MARCH 5-20, 2016

erjcchouston.org/filmfest Everything is Illuminated