Jewish Documentary Film Series

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Stephanie Wheeler

Jewish Documentary Series poster

Chattanooga Jewish Documentary Film Series Begins January 7

In-Person and Virtual Screenings Available

Four Jewish-themed, award-winning documentary films produced in Israel, the United States, Netherlands, Lithuania will be screened in person and virtually beginning January 7, for four consecutive weeks. All films have received recognition at festivals throughout the United States, Europe and Israel. The Series is brought to the community by the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga and in-person screenings will take place at the Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 North Terrace Road. All in-person events will begin at 3:00 p.m.. Free popcorn and a drink are available at each in-person screening. A subscription to all four films is $36. Purchase of one film at a time is $12. The films will be available virtually from Sunday noon to Friday noon. Tickets are available on-line at www.jewishchattanooga.com or in person at the Jewish Cultural Center.

The Series schedule is as follows:

Generation 1.5 In person January 7 / Virtual January 7-12 The massive Aliyah, immigration, from the former USSR in the 1990s left an indelible mark on Israeli society. The film documents those who were born in the USSR and immigrated to Israel as children or teenagers. Now adults, they grapple with their identity and sense of belonging in their adopted homeland. 80 minutes, Russian, Hebrew, English subtitles. No trailer available.

Broken Dolls In person January 14/ Virtual January 14-19 1939: a seven-year-old girl flees Nazi Germany on a ship bound for Shanghai. Eighty years later in America, her daughter fights to reinstate her mother's lost German citizenship, and plans a trip to the country that tried to eliminate her. One last journey revealing not only resilience and strength - but deeply buried family secrets. 81 minutes, English Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5xuw87RrdY

Spinoza, Six Reasons for the Excommunication of the Philosopher In person January 21/ Virtual January 21 – 26 The excommunication of Baruch Spinoza, the Dutch Jewish philosopher who revolutionized modern thought, is a formative, mysterious event in the understanding of his work. Director David Ofek takes us on an intercontinental journey tracing six reasons for Spinoza’s excommunication. He makes some surprising discoveries. 55 minutes, Hebrew, English, subtitles Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtF90ev7b_o

J’Accuse! In person January 28/ Virtual January 28 - February 2 The Lithuanian Jewish community was decimated in the Holocaust: over 220,000 Jews, more than 95% of the population, were murdered. Grant Gochin, whose family was murdered and Silvia Foti, a Lithuanian woman fighting for those who died, push against Lithuania's systemic Holocaust denial. 87 minutes, English Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnwoP2TrrvU

To purchase a subscription or pay for one-film-at-a time, register and make payment on the Jewish Federation’s website www.jewishchattanooga.com Payment will trigger the ability to link you to each film as well as capture your e-mail address in order to send you the viewing codes. Following each film, you will be sent an evaluation to complete.

Both the Chattanooga Jewish Film Series and the Chattanooga Documentary Film Series are made possible by our corporate sponsors Apogee Wealth partners, Chattanooga Allergy Clinic, Market Street Partners/Smith + Howard, Barnett& Company Investment Counsel, Patton Albertson & Miller, Chambliss, Kleen-A-Matic and First Horizon.

An average of 30 films are reviewed by a committee of dedicated volunteers for both the feature film series and the documentary film series in order to choose a minimum of four films for each documentary series. Films screened at major national and international film festivals, those recommended by peers throughout the United States, and those brought to the committee’s attention by filmmakers are included in the selection process. Past selections have included Academy Award nominees and winners, as well as Israeli Ophir Award winners.

The Jewish Cultural Center, funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, offers programs, classes and exhibits, social services, and a preschool—all rooted in Jewish values. The facility enables the Jewish community to raise its visibility, foster relationships, and strengthen its identity in the Chattanooga area. Located at 5461 North Terrace, the Center and its programs are open to everyone regardless of religious affiliation.