Our Year-Round, virtual programming will include films and speakers each month (excluding March when our Virtual Festival will take place). Our upcoming line-up includes:

• January: Exodus 91 reveals the behind-the-scenes, true story of the massive 1991 airlift, Operation Solomon, that brought thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Also in January, a 60-minute documentary of the early career of Ethiopian-Israeli actor/dancer Tzivka Iskias along with an interview with him.

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• February: Breaking Bread: Hummus Has No Borders is a treat for the senses. This documentary explores the A-Sham Festival, a groundbreaking food festival where Arab and Jewish chefs work in tandem to create mouthwatering dishes in order to foster social change. The delectable showcase of culinary heritage gives hope to the idea that collaboration in the kitchen could be a bridge to mutual understanding and, perhaps, a first step toward a lasting peace. Also in February, a conversation with Greg Laemmle. 

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•  April:  Around the World with Fred goes to WWII Norway to dig deep into the back story of Betrayed, examining the history of the country’s Jewish community, both before, during and after WWII. Based on a true story, this haunting WWII saga follows the Braude family’s struggle as the life they knew and loved in Norway was ripped from them. Along with hundreds of other Norwegian Jews, they were rounded up and sent to work camps or in November 1942 to Auschwitz. Betrayed also presents an indictment of the Norwegian government and police in aiding the persecution of the country’s Jewish citizens. 

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• May: The Dove Flyer accompanied by a very personal presentation by Joseph Samuels. From 1950 to 1951, one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world ceased to exist. During that period, close to 130,000 Jews left Iraq for Israel, following a surge in antisemitism. This powerfully moving drama, based on a book by the same name, follows teenager Kabi in Baghdad, as he joins a Zionist underground group after his uncle his imprisoned by authorities. The Dove Flyer paints a complex portrait of an ancient and vibrant community that embraced the surrounding culture but at the same time feared for its safety. In partnership with JIMENA.

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• June: In Cinema at War (Part II), EBIJFF Director Riva Gambert examines how Nazi Germany used its film industry to propagandize before and during WWII. Plus, the documentary Speer Goes to Hollywood. There is certainly no “hero” in this hard-to-believe documentary as the main protagonist is Albert Speer, an architect and good friend of Adolf Hitler, who served as the Minister of Armaments and War Production of Nazi Germany. Although sentenced for his crimes at Nuremberg, in 1971 the now-released-from-prison Speer is approached by Paramount Studios. The Hollywood company wants to adapt his memoir for the screen. This documentary is based on 40 hours of recorded conversation between Speer and a screenwriter, with Speer whitewashing his involvement in Nazi atrocities and maintaining that he knew nothing of the Holocaust. Eventually, the movie was not made. Speer Goes to Hollywood premiered at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival, won a major award at the Jerusalem Film Festival and captured the 2021 Ophir Award for Best Documentary. It also screened at the Telluride Film Festival.

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• Summer: Comedies (from our Best of the Best series) In-person at several locations. 

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• September: Around the World with Fred goes to Atlanta in conjunction with the showing of the classic drama Driving Miss Daisy starring Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman and Dan Aykroyd. Also in September, A Celebration of National Dance Day, for six days, you can enjoy two films that will get you off your feet and onto the dance floor—even if it is in your living room.  The pulsing, innovative choreography of the world acclaimed Bat Sheva Dance Company is the focus of the Israeli documentary Mr. Gaga.  Also on our line-up is Fury and Forgiveness, performed by the Madison Ballet. This 15-minute performance is set to the Kol Nidre prayer, with post-commentary from choreographer Marika Brussel and Artistic Director/Co-Founder of Diablo Ballet, Lauren Jonas. 

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• Late October: In conjunction with the commercial release in theaters of Golda, we will co-sponsor a backgrounder presentation by SFSU Professor Eran Kaplan on Golda Meir. The historical drama stars the award-winning actress Golda Meir with Lior Ashkenazi (Karaoke, Walk on Water) playing the Israeli Chief of Staff David (Dado) Elazar; Ohad Knoller (Yossi and Jagger, Srugim) playing General Ariel Sharon, and Liev Schreiber (Defiance, Ray Donovan) playing Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The movie is a dramatization of events in Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Golda is remembered though not as a political trailblazer but rather by many Israelis as the country's worst Premier. Her legacy is tied to the debacle of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In this talk Kaplan will explore Meir’s political career and explore the historical context of the Yom Kippur War and its political and social aftermath.  

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COMING UP IN 2023-2024:

• November: Historian Fred Rosenbaum will take a deep dive into the history and society of Hungarian Jews, accompanied by the 5-day streaming of the riveting German drama Gloomy Sunday. This film, one of the best in our 28-year old history, is compelling, sensual and visually stunning. It is a must-see!

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• December: Barren - This 2022 Israeli drama captures the emotional turmoil of a young married couple who face a crisis after a traumatic treatment for barrenness. The family must deal with unresolved secrets that raise fundamental questions about religion and faith. Accompanied by an interview with the director, Rabbi Mordechai Vardi.

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• Dates TBD: Without Boundaries - In the midst of a war in Ukraine, an Israeli field hospital is established to provide medical care to those affected by the conflict. The documentary follows the challenges faced by the medical teams, many of whom are descendants of Holocaust survivors, as they treat Ukrainian patients who have lost everything. Amidst the chaos and destruction, the film highlights the humanity and compassion of those providing care, showcasing the power of small acts of kindness to bring people together.

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