SEPHARDIC WINTER FILM SERIES
AT
CONGREGATION AHAVATH ACHIM
3225 SW Barbur Boulevard
Portland, OR 97239
(For information, call David 503-892-6634)
Films are shown the second Tuesday of each month at 7PM. Admission & refreshments are Free.
Sponsors: Ruben & Elizabeth Menashe, Barry & Susan Menashe, Jerry & Helen Stern, Albertsons, Charles & Jo Levy, Richard & Judi Matza, Ron & Pam Sidis, Jewish Federation of Portland.
November 13, 2012
Turkish Passport: This film tells the story of diplomats posted to Turkish Embassies and Consulates in several European countries, who saved numerous Jews during WWII. Based on the testimonies of witnesses, the film uses written historical documents and archival footage to tell the story of rescue and bring to light the events of the time. They also rescued foreign Jews condemned to a certain death by giving them Turkish passports. In this dark period of history, their actions lit the candle of hope and allowed these people to travel to Turkey, where they found light.
Director: Burak Arliel, French language w/English subtitles, 2011, 91minutes.
Speaker: Professor Tugrul Keskin, Center for Turkish Studies at PSU
December 11, 2012 (Hannukah)
My Sweet Canary: Roza Eskenazi sang songs in the 30s and 40s, and lived life with passion, fire and love. This is the story of three young musicians from Greece, Turkey and Israel that embark on an exciting musical journey, to reveal for the first time, the story of the first and most famous Greek Rebetiko singer. Roza’s personal story spread from her Jewish Sephardic origin in Istanbul and Thessaloniki, and on to Athens where she rose to fame at the end of the 20′s, becoming the first and most recorded Rebetiko singer with more than 500 recorded songs in Greek, Turkish, Armenian and Ladino - and up to the tragic end of her life, will be told by her friends, family members, the musicians who followed her and, for the first time, her biographer.
English, French, Ladino, Turkish, w/English subtitles, 2011, 89 minutes.
Speaker following the film – during the dessert reception
January 8, 2013
Every Time We Say Goodbye: An American flyer, who joined the RAF before his country was in the war, is recovering from a leg injury in Jerusalem. Through an English friend, he meets a quiet Jewish girl whose close-knit family originally came from Spain. The two are attracted to each other but she is convinced their diverse backgrounds mean it could never work: not only is he a gentile, but his father is a protestant minister. So though they keep running into each other in the small community, they find themselves just as frequently parting again.
Written by Jeremy Perkins, Starring Tom Hanks, 1986, English and Ladino languages, 95minutes.
Speaker: Rabbi Michael Kaplan and dessert reception
February 12, 2012 (Double Feature)
The Life Of Frank Iny: A Granddaughter’s Journey: This film tells the story of a man whose search for religious freedom took him from Baghdad to India, Belgium, Berlin, Israel and New York. Frank Iny was a highly respected Iraqi-Jewish businessman, philanthropist and leader. He established a very successful school for the children of his community in 1941, when Jews were no longer welcome in the state run schools. He spoke 11 languages and believed that a good education, good health and peace should be the cornerstones of Jewish Life.
Produced by Carole Basri, English, 2001, 35 minutes.
Searching for Baghdad: A Daughter’s Journey: Iraqi Jews can trace their history to 586BCE. At their peak, they numbered 300,000. Now, with their community destroyed, the producer searches out their descendants in the Far East, including India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Myanmar. What she finds is more than just history of her people.
Produced by Carole Basri, English, 2002, 48 minutes.
Speaker following the film – during the dessert reception
March 12, 2013
Empty Boxcars: This film tells the amazing story of the survival of over 50,000 Jews in WWII, and the mass murder of 22,393 Jews from territories under Bulgarian control in Greece and Macedonia. The plot to murder all the European Jews was marked “Top Secret” but was brazenly public. Footage of the trains renders the crime visible. When the plot is exposed, Bulgarians from many walks of life rose to protest.
Directed & Produced by Ed Gaffney, English, 2012, 83 minutes.
Speaker: Shoshanna Antonovic, family member of story survivors.
April 9, 2013
Nora’s Will: A Jewish family in Mexico is turned upside down when a long-held family secret is uncovered in this comedy-drama from director Mariana Chenillo. Nora is in poor health, and with Passover coming up, she decides she wants to end her life so that her family can come together for the funeral and the Passover holiday at the same time. Nora’s former husband Jose (Fernando Lujan) is forced into handling the details of her funeral and bringing together her friends and family for the occasion, a task Jose isn't very enthusiastic about, given some unresolved issues between them and his ambivalence about Jewish rituals. Jose discovers a hidden photograph among her effects which leads to a surprising revelation about Nora that changes everyone's perspective on the late lamented. Cinco Dias Sin Nora (aka Nora's Will) was an official selection at the 2009 Miami International Film Festival.
Directed by: Mariana Chenillo, Spanish language w/English subtitles, 2010, 92 minutes.
Speaker: Ivonne Saed – during the dessert reception
FILMS ARE SHOWN EVERY SECOND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH AT 7PM
CONGREGATION AHAVATH ACHIM
3225 SW BARBUR BLVD. PORTLAND, OR 97239