Ahavath Achim bills Sephardic Winter Film Series
By Jewish Review
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Congregation Ahavath Achim will host a Sephardic Winter Film Series the third Thursday of each month beginning Oct. 18.
The community is invited to view the films, enjoy refreshments, hear a speaker address the Sephardic themes in each film and participate in the discussion, which will follow each film and speaker. Admission is free.
Films will be shown at 7 p.m. at Ahavath Achim, 3225 SW Barbur Blvd.
The series begins Oct. 18 with “The Forgotten Refugees.” The film explores the history and destruction of Middle Eastern Jewish communities, many of which existed for more than 2,500 years. The film discusses how and why the Arab world’s Jewish population declined from one million in 1945 to several thousand today.
The 49-minute film was produced in 2005 by IsraTV Production, Tel Aviv, Israel, and directed by Michael Grynszpan and Ralph Avi Goldwasser.
Al Israel of Seattle’s Sephardic community will be the guest speaker for the evening.
The Nov. 15 film “Obsession” is a documentary about the threat of radical Islam to Western civilization. Using unique footage from Arab and Iranian television it compares the threat of radical Islamism with that of Nazism before World War II.
This 77-minute film, directed by Wayne Kopping, was named Best Feature Film at the 2005 Liberty Film Festival.
The evening’s guest speaker will be Rabbi Arthur Zuckerman of Congregation Shaarie Torah.
“Routes of Exile: A Moroccan Jewish Odyssey” will be on the screen Dec. 20. Routes of Exile traces the history of this branch of Jewry—from the first “Berber Jews” to the vast migration and new tensions set off by the creation of the state of Israel. The film looks into the recent stages of the journey, social and political changes in Israel, and the struggle for identity in France and Canada.
Ahavath Achim members Yossi Malka and Shmuel Eden will lead the discussion on this 90-minute film that was produced in 1982.
Jan. 17 will be a double feature of “Farewell My Island” and “The Last Greeks on Broome Street.”
“Farewell My Island” depicts the deportation of the Jews of Corfu, Greece, one of the last roundups of the Holocaust. This film includes interviews with survivors and is filmed on location. The film’s producer, Isaac Dostis, will be the evening’s guest speaker. The 22-minute film was produced in 2001.
“The Last Greeks on Broome Street” is a highly acclaimed documentary on the Romaniote Jewish community, culture and synagogue in New York City.
Another double feature is set for Feb. 21. “Café Noah” and “Taqasim,” two films directed by Duki Dror, are that evening’s fare.
After Israeli independence in 1948, Jewish musicians from Baghdad and Cairo immigrated to the new state. The Arab-Israeli wars put them in conflict with their cultural identity and Café Noah was the only place where their music continued.
Massoud Kahlil and Shmuel Eden will discuss the 27-minute film produced in 1996.
“Taqasim” was filmed in the streets of Cairo in 1999. It is a voyage to the hidden treasures of Middle Eastern music and to the participation of Jewish musicians.
For more information on the film series, call Ahavath Achim at 503-227-0010.