Upheaval

The documentary Upheaval on the Israeli Prime Minister Menahem Begin will be available for streaming October 20-24. Begin’s career spanned several decades, we have invited two speakers to cover the central events of his life:

• The Early Days through the mid-1970s with historian Fred Rosenbaum on Sunday, October 23, 7:00 PM PDT

• His Life as Prime Minister with journalist Avi Shilon, author of a biography on Begin, on Thursday, October 27, 7:30 PM PDT

Both the film and lectures are part of IJWC year-round programming. 

The lectures and the streaming of the film Upheaval are sponsored by the EBIJFF in partnership with the CCJCC and Congregation B'nai Shalom.

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Underwritten by the Goodman Family Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, Sandy & Dave Anderson, Marty Aufhauser, Beth Hoenninger, Jo-Ann & Arnold Jacobson, Susan & Moses Libitzky, Carol & Ken Ogren, Mary Anne & Hugh Winig, and Martha Ann & Sanford Wishnev.

Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story

The powerful drama Disobedience will be available for streaming November 3 through November 7. The former director of the JCRC of the East Bay, Robert Jacobvitz, and Sheila Abranches, a descendant of Portuguese Consul General Aristides de Sousa Mendes, will explore the life of the late diplomat and his courageous efforts during WWII in to save Jewish lives. This presentation will take place on Sunday, November 6, 7:00 PM PDT. Both the film and presentation are part of the IJWC year-round programming 2022-23.   

The streaming of the film and the speakers are sponsored by the EBIJFF in partnership with the CCJCC, Cong. B'nai Shalom, and Diablo Valley Hadassah.

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Underwritten by the Goodman Family Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund.

"Anton" & Around the World with Fred: Ukraine

On Sunday, December 11, award-winning author and historian Fred Rosenbaum will dig deep into the century-old tensions between Ukraine, Russia and the region’s Jewish population in preparation for the streaming of the powerful drama Anton. The 2019 drama Anton will be available for streaming December 12 through December 16. Both the film and Fred's talk are part of the IJWC year-round programming 2022-23.   

The program is sponsored by the EBIJFF in partnership with the CCJCC, Cong. B'nai Shalom, and Diablo Valley Hadassah.

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Underwritten by the Goodman Family Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund.

50 Years After Munich

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Munich Olympics during which Israeli athletes were murdered, SFSU Professor Eran Kaplan gave a lecture on Thursday, September 8. This lecture was accompanied by the documentary After Munich which will be available for streaming on Vimeo, September 7 through 11. Both the film and lecture are part of IJWC year-round programming. 

The lecture and the streaming of the film After Munich are sponsored by the EBIJFF in partnership with the CCJCC and Congregation B'nai Shalom.

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Underwritten by the Goodman Family Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, Sandy & Dave Anderson, Marty Aufhauser, Beth Hoenninger, Jo-Ann & Arnold Jacobson, Susan & Moses Libitzky, Carol & Ken Ogren, Mary Anne & Hugh Winig, and Martha Ann & Sanford Wishnev.

Will the Real Ari Ben Canaan Please Stand up?

On Thursday, August 18, 3 PM PDT, EBIJFF Director Riva Gambert shared the true story of "Ari" (not his real name) and the ship Exodus's mixed crew of Palestinian Jews and American former soldiers who hoped to sail a battered, vastly overcrowded ship from a French port to post-WWII Palestine despite Great Britain's decision to hunt it down. This was part of IJWC year-round programming.

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The bibliography for "Will the Real Ari Ben Canaan Please Stand Up" includes several excellent books (names in blue font in the document) on the voyage/history of the ship Exodus 1947 as well as other books on Aliyah Bet in general and on the pre-WWII, WWII and post-WWII foreign policies that impacted Jewish immigration from Europe to British-mandated Palestine. Many of these books discuss US immigration policies prior to WWII, the 1938 Evian Conference and the history of the British mandate for Palestine.  For more information on this subject, please contact: rivagambert@gmail.com.

The lecture and the streaming of the film Exodus 1947 are sponsored by the EBIJFF in partnership with the CCJCC and Congregation B'nai Shalom.

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Major underwriting provided by the Goodman Family Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund.

Around the World with Fred: Shangai & The Jews

On Sunday, July 17, noted historian and author Fred Rosenbaum examined how the then international city of Shanghai opened its doors to thousands of European Jews seeking refuge from the winds of war and persecution. This is a powerful story of resilience at a time when most countries around the world were closing their doors to Jews. Rosenbaum explored what happened to these refugees after WWII ended.This lecture was part of IJWC Year-round programming.

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Before or after the lecture, we invited you to watch the 1999 documentary The Port of Last Resort, which details the lives of the nearly 20,000 European Jews who found refuge in Shanghai from 1938 to 1941. It features rare and remarkable film footage of this "lost world." It is free for Amazon Prime members. If you don't have Prime membership, you may rent it for $1.99. For the link to the film, please click here. You can also rent the film on Vimeo for $3.99 through this link here.

This program was sponsored by the EBIJFF in partnership with the CCJCC and Congregation B'nai Shalom.

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Underwritten by the Goodman Family Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, Sandy & Dave Anderson, Marty Aufhauser, Beth Hoenninger, Jo-Ann & Arnold Jacobson, Susan & Moses Libitzky, Carol & Ken Ogren, Mary Ann & Hugh Winig, and Martha Ann & Sanford Wishnev.

Cinema at War (Part I)

On July 14, in Part I of Cinema at War, EBIJFF Director Riva Gambert revealed the different attitudes expressed in1930s Hollywood as Hitler's threat loomed over Europe and antisemitism rose in the U.S. On one hand, Hollywood's Hays Office "Censorship Czar," Joseph Ignacious Breen, red-lined scripts that tried to portray the Nazis in a realistic light. On the other hand, many of the studio heads financially supported a Southern California committee that sent undercover agents to spy on pro-Nazis organizations that sided with The Third Reich. We will also took a look at the 1941 Senate hearings, which alleged that the mostly Jewish moguls were using their films to push America into war out of a selfish desire to help relatives in Europe. This lecture was part of IJWC Year-round programming.

Sponsored by the EBIJFF in partnership with the CCJCC and Congregation B'nai Shalom.

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Major underwriting provided by the Goodman Family Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund.

Deconstructing "Sunset Boulevard"

Film "enthusiast" and historian LynneThorner joined us online for an in-depth "deconstruction" of Billy Wilder's 1950 masterpiece Sunset Boulevard. Thorner teaches two film classes in the East Bay and loves showing other film enthusiasts the ins and outs of how a film was made and what makes it "work. This was an IJWC Year-round program.

This program was part of From Europe with Film series sponsored by the EBIJFF in partnership with the CCJCC and Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation.  

Erik Preminger on "Preminger"

On Sunday, June 12, Erik Preminger, Otto Preminger's son, gave an insider's view of the famous director's life. He also touched on some of his movies, one of which was the Hitchcock-like thriller, Bunny Lake is Missing. This was an IJWC Year-round program.

This program was part of From Europe with Film series sponsored by the EBIJFF in partnership with the CCJCC and Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation.  

Deconstructing "Casablanca"

Film "enthusiast" and historian Lynne Thorner joined us online for an in-depth "deconstruction" of Michael Curtiz's 1942 masterpiece Casablanca. Thorner teaches two film classes in the East Bay and loves sharing the ins and outs of how a film was made and what makes it "work" with other film enthusiasts. This was an IJWC Year-round program.

This program was part of From Europe with Film series sponsored by the EBIJFF in partnership with the CCJCC and Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation.  

Transkids Panel Discussion

This panel conversation is on the personal and social effects of youth gender reassignment in present-day Israel, and on how families learn to accept and navigate this complex and delicate process of gender transitioning. Panel includes Hilla Medalia, the director of the film Transkids, Noam Kaniel and Ofri Shemesh, two of the teenagers featured in the film, and Tracy Fiske, a member of the Alliance of Lionesses, a community of families for transgender and gender non confirming children. The conversation moderator will be Nate Loony, the Director of Community Safety and Belonging at The Jewish Federations of North America). May 17, 2022 is International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia.

Sponsors: A Wider Bridge, The Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest, and The East Bay International Jewish Film Festival

Around the World with Fred on "Gentleman's Agreement"

On Sunday, May 15, author/historian Fred Rosenbaum put the film Gentleman's Agreement, which won the Best Picture Oscar in 1947, into its historic and societal context. Gentleman's Agreement had beaten out the similarly-themed movie Crossfire. Both films deal with antisemitism in America--the first to do so--with Crossfire released just a few months before Gentleman's Agreement. The film, stars Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and John Garfield. In it, Peck plays a non-Jewish journalist, David Green, who tells people that he is Jewish to investigate antisemitism in the U.S. Elia Kazan (On the Waterfront) directed this popular film from a screenplay by Jewish writer Moss Hart.

Underwritten by Sandy & Dave Anderson, Marty Aufhauser, Beth Hoenninger, Jo-Ann & Arnold Jacobson, Susan & Moses Libitzky, Carol & Ken Ogren, Mary Anne & Hugh Winig, and Martha Ann & Sanford Wishnev.

Sponsored by EBIJFF.

Prof. Eran Kaplan on the Documentary "Angelica"

SFSU Professor Eran Kaplan talks on the history of the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and the art culture in pre-state Israel.

Prof. Eran Kaplan on the Film "Neighbours"  

SFSU Professor Eran Kaplan discusses the history and contemporary life of the Kurds.

Fred Rosenbaum on the Docudrama "Berenshtein" Based on a True Story

Award-winning author and historian Fred Rosenbaum examines the role of the partisans during World War II.

Underwritten by Elaine Gerstler & Booker Holton; Eve Gordon.

Fred Rosenbaum on the Danish Film "Into the Darkness"

Award-winning author and historian Fred Rosenbaum delves into the complex response of Danish citizens under Nazi occupation.

Underwritten by Sandy & Dave Anderson; Marty Aufhauser; Beth Harris Hoenninger; Karen & Jim Holtz; Jo-Ann & Arnold Jacobson, M.D.; Libitzky Family Foundation Fund; Carol & Ken Ogren; Mary Anne & Hugh Winig; Martha Ann & Sanford Wishnev.

Yonatan Eyov on the Documentary "With No Land"

Yonatan Eyov, an Israeli emissary (shaliach) serving at Stanford University, shares his own story of immigrating to Israel at the age of six from Ethiopia and the present situation facing the Beta Yisrael community.

Co-sponsor: Tri-Valley Cultural Jews

Steven Pressman on "The Levys of Monticello"

Director Steven Pressman talks about the film and how he came to make the documentary The Levys of Monticello about the Jewish family who not only owned but saved from ruin Thomas Jefferson's beloved house "Monticello" in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Underwritten by Cherie & Marc Hallert and Phyllis Hallert in memory of Steven Hallert, Z”L.

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Co-sponsor: JEICOR

Matan Zamir on the Film "Image of Victory"

Deputy Consul General Matan Zamir of the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest discusses the 1948 Battle of Nitzanim, during which Egyptian forces overwhelmed the Israeli seaside kibbutz, the 1947-1949 War of Independence, and the young fighters and their place in Israel's history.

Underwritten by the Consulate General of Israel; Fran Greenberg & Don Chaiken.

Akiva Naiman on the Film "200 Meters" and the Documentary "The Pianist from Ramallah"

West Coast NCSY Director and Director of CCJCC's Project Impact Rabbi Akiva Naiman provides the historic background for why the wall separating parts of Israel from the West Bank was erected.

200 Meters  underwritten by Marty Aufhauser in memory of Judy Aufhauser, Z"L.

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The Pianist from Ramallah underwritten by Jo Alice Canterbury.

Doug Seserman and Noam Weisbrod on "Dead Sea Guardians"

Doug Seserman, CEO, Americans for Ben-Gurion University and Professor Noam Weisbrod, Director, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research examine the environmental changes that have occurred in the Dead Sea region.

Co-sponsor: Americans for Ben-Gurion University

Yair Qedar on the Documentary "The Fourth Window"

Director Yair Qedar talks about his documentary The Fourth Window, a biographic look on the life and works of the award-winning Israeli author Amos Oz. The panel is presented and underwritten by the Sacramento Jewish Film Festival.

Co-sponsor: New Lehrhaus

Outing Lucy: When HUAC Cancelled Culture

The phenomenon of “cancel culture” existed long before the 21st century when HUAC, a Congressional committee, searched for members of and potential sympathizers with the Communist Party. One of the focuses of Aaron Sorkin’s Being the Ricardos (starring Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem) is on Lucille Ball’s being labeled a “Red” (and not for her hair color) by journalist Walter Winchell. On February 17, EBIJFF Director Riva Gambert explored how HUAC got started and the repercussions the film and TV industries experienced due to this earlier cancel culture onslaught. 

Sponsors: IJWC (Parent organization of EBIJFF) in partnership with CCJCC and Cong. B'nai Shalom.

Saving the Planet: A Conversation with Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed & Filmmaker Eliezer Yaari

Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed, the Executive Director of the world famous Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in the Negev, joined the filmmaker of the powerfully moving documentary The Optimists in a heartfelt conversation about his belief that there is an alternative path to peace. 

Sponsors: EBIJFF in partnership with CCJCC, Cong. Beth Emek, Cong. B'nai Shalom and Cong. B'nai Tikvah.

On Thursday, January 13, 2022 noted author/historian Fred Rosenbaum placed the German docudrama The Invisibles into its historic and cultural context, as he explored the Jews of Berlin and their plight to survive during WWII.

This program was underwritten by Sandy and Dave Anderson, Marty Aufhauser, Jo-Ann and Arnold Jacobson, Carol and Ken Ogren, Mary Anne and Hugh Winig, Martha Ann and Sanford Wishnev.

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Sponsors: EBIJFF and CCJCC in partnership with Cong. B'nai Shalom and Cong. Beth Emek.