Jewish Film Festival
March 15 – 19, 2023
Special thanks to our premiere sponsors:
BUD & CAROL SIMON
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2023 FESTIVAL PROGRAM.
Welcome to the 2023 Rehoboth Beach Jewish Film Festival. The Society produces this annual Festival in partnership with the Seaside Jewish Community. The mission of this event is to deepen awareness of Jewish cultures and experiences, and to explore community differences and commonalities through the art of film.
The individuals who make this event happen are the volunteer members of the Planning Committee who spend many hours watching numerous films, discussing each film’s suitability for this event, and then deciding on the final selection for your enjoyment. A special thanks to Helen Gates, Marty Rosensweig, Fran Saltzman, and Steven Schaffer for their commitment, time, and support.
Tickets: Tickets are $12/film and with much thanks to an anonymous donor, we will provide a limited number of FREE admission tickets to students (with valid ID). View the complete listing of films and purchase tickets at RehobothFilm.com. Students should reach-out to info@rehobothfilm.com to request free festival film passes.
“The JFF Planning Committee is excited to present this year’s slate of films that are sure to entertain, inform, and challenge the audience. Attendees will experience a greater understanding of how people from different times and backgrounds deal with today’s challenges. We look forward to post-film discussions and patron feedback.” As shared by Marty Rosensweig, JFF Planning Committee and RBFS Board of Director.
An expanded selection of nine films comprised of two documentaries and seven narrative/features along with the first-time addition of a series of five shorts are confirmed. “The program slate unites Jewish values with 21st Century contributions to music, fashion, culture and faith.” Said Helen Chamberlin, Executive Director of RBFS.
A FEW FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
At the conclusion of Saturday’s 7:00 PM screening of HAUTE COUTURE, the Society will host an after-party gathering post-screening in the CAT Lobby. The evening will be hosted by Fran Saltzman, Seaside Community and Festival Planning Committee member. To close out the Festival, on Sunday at 5:00 PM, DEDICATION, a narrative film will include a post-panel discussion with featured artist, director and producer, Roger Peltzman. This will truly be a celebration of Jewish culture here in Sussex County as the Society continue its efforts to reunite community around the art of film.
Click here to print the Jewish Film Festival Support Form!
Click here to view archives of RBJFF programs
Lost Transport
Lost Transport is an inspiring drama that takes place in the spring of 1945. A train deporting hundreds of Jewish prisoners gets stranded near a small German village occupied by the Red Army. Condemned to each other and in a context of deep mistrust, desperation and revenge, an unexpected friendship emerges between Russian sniper Vera, village girl Winnie and Jewish-Dutch woman Simone. [2022, Netherlands, 100 min, Rated: NR, in Dutch with English subtitles].
Location: Cinema Art Theater (CAT) in Lewes
Admission
- $12.00 RBFS Members
- $12.00 General
- $5.00 Student - With Student ID
Advance Sales are now closed. Tickets may be purchased at the door starting 30 minutes before screening time.
America
America is the engrossing story of an Israeli man who returns to Israel after 10 years in America. An encounter with a childhood friend and his future-wife will change everyone’s lives. A story set between a flower shop and an ancient monastery, a swimming pool and the Mediterranean Sea, life and death - and somewhere in the middle. After the success of "The Cakemaker", writer/director Ofir Raul Graizer returns with an affectionate tribute to 60s and 70s cinema in a film full of emotion, color and fragrance that pays homage to values such as friendship, love and moral responsibility. [2022, Israel, 127 min, Rated: NR].
Location: Cinema Art Theater (CAT) in Lewes
Admission
- $12.00 RBFS Members
- $12.00 General
- $5.00 Student - With Student ID
Advance Sales are now closed. Tickets may be purchased at the door starting 30 minutes before screening time.
The Narrow Bridge
The Narrow Bridge is a compassionate documentary that explores the journeys of four people who, after searing pain, develop strengths they never had before. Despite fierce opposition these Israelis and Palestinians, who lost a child in the conflict, are building a grassroots movement and transforming their grief into a bridge for understanding and reconciliation. [2022, Australia, 76 min, Rated: NR].
A post-panel discussion will be held with the Interfaith Sisters Group.
Location: Cinema Art Theater (CAT) in Lewes
Admission
- $12.00 RBFS Members
- $12.00 General
- $5.00 Student - With Student ID
Advance Sales are now closed. Tickets may be purchased at the door starting 30 minutes before screening time.
Farewell, Mr. Haffmann
Farewell, Mr Haffmann is a compelling drama that takes place in 1941 occupied Paris. All members of the Jewish community are instructed to come forward and identify themselves to authorities. Dedicated jeweler Joseph Haffmann (Daniel Auteuil), fearing the worst, arranges for his family to flee the city and offers his employee François Mercier (Gilles Lellouche) the chance to take over his store until the conflict subsides. But his own attempts to escape are thwarted, and Haffmann is forced to seek his assistant’s protection. It’s a risky proposition for both men, and one that Mercier’s wife Blanche (Sara Giraudeau) is skeptical of. As the couple move in to the Haffmann home, the agreement turns into a Faustian bargain, one that will forever change the fate of all. [2021, France/Belgium, 115 min, Rated: NR, in French with English subtitles].
Location: Cinema Art Theater (CAT) in Lewes
Admission
- $12.00 RBFS Members
- $12.00 General
- $5.00 Student - With Student ID
Advance Sales are now closed. Tickets may be purchased at the door starting 30 minutes before screening time.
Where Life Begins
Where Life Begins is a captivating drama about an ultra-orthodox Jewish family from Aix-les-Bains who visits a farm in Calabria for a brief stay every year to carry out a sacred mission: harvesting citrons. Elio, the farm owner, meets Esther, the rabbi’s daughter, who is tired of the constraints imposed by her religion. Through this relationship, Esther will understand the importance of freedom and find her path, and, in the same way, Elio will find the peace that has eluded him. [2022, Italy, 100 min, Rated: NR, in Italian with English subtitles].
Location: Cinema Art Theater (CAT) in Lewes
Admission
- $12.00 RBFS Members
- $12.00 General
- $5.00 Student - With Student ID
Advance Sales are now closed. Tickets may be purchased at the door starting 30 minutes before screening time.
The Jews and the Blues
The Jews and the Blues a musical and spiritual journey that along the way becomes something much more. Join Drew Stone, a documentary filmmaker, musician and talk show host as he follows his passion for music and adventure. In this film he travels to Israel and discover how the blues ties into this incredible mix of cultures. Arab, Ethiopian, Moroccan, all Jewish, all Israeli, united through the universal tie that binds us together.... Music. Experience the sights, sounds and the unexpected on this musical expedition into uncharted territory. [2022, US, 67 min, Rated: NR].
Location: Cinema Art Theater (CAT) in Lewes
Admission
- $12.00 RBFS Members
- $12.00 General
- $5.00 Student - With Student ID
Advance Sales are now closed. Tickets may be purchased at the door starting 30 minutes before screening time.
A Starry Sky Above the Roman Ghetto
A Starry Sky Above the Roman Ghetto is a riveting drama that takes us to the past and present where Christian and Jewish students will meet upon the discovery of an old, mysterious photograph that will end up tying them together in search of the truth. Trying to unravel the mystery behind the portrait, the boys embark on a journey through a night of horror that cannot be forgotten: the raid of the Roman Ghetto. Retracing these painful events will give them the chance to take a collective stance towards personal, existential, and cultural commitment. [2022, Italy, 100 min, Rated: NR, in Italian with English subtitles].
Location: Cinema Art Theater (CAT) in Lewes
Admission
- $12.00 RBFS Members
- $12.00 General
- $5.00 Student - With Student ID
Advance Sales are now closed. Tickets may be purchased at the door starting 30 minutes before screening time.
Haute Couture
Haute Couture is an irresistible drama about Esther who is at the end of her career as Head Seamstress at Dior Avenue Montaigne workshop. One day, she gets her handbag stolen in the metro by a 20-year-old woman, Jade. Instead of calling the police she decides to take care of Jade. She sees in her the opportunity to pass on her skills, the craft of dressmaking, her only wealth. In the frenetic world of Haute Couture, Esther will give Jade la beauté du geste, a way to reach beyond herself. [2022, France, 119 min, Rated: NR, in French with English subtitles].
Haute Couture ticketholders post-party reception will be held in the CAT Lobby
Location: Cinema Art Theater
Admission
- $12.00 RBFS Members
- $12.00 General
- $5.00 Student - With Student ID
Advance Sales are now closed. Tickets may be purchased at the door starting 30 minutes before screening time.
Film Shorts
FILM SHORTS – 93 minutes
Tattooed Torah
Over the last three decades, the beloved children's book by Marvell Ginsburg, The Tattooed Torah, has been a powerful resource for Holocaust education for children. The book recounts the true story of the rescue and restoration of a small Torah from Brno, Czechoslovakia, and teaches the Holocaust not only as a period of destruction but also as an opportunity for redemption. Narrated by the late-actor, Ed Asner, the film brings illustrator Martin Lemelman's rich artwork to life, and will allow this story to reach a much broader audience all over the world. Now more than ever, it is essential to continue teaching the lessons of the Holocaust to young children in an impactful and palatable way, so that such horrific events are never forgotten and never repeated.
A Kaddish for Selim
London 1912: A young Jew must change his name in order to join the British army. When war breaks out in 1914, he is sent to Egypt and then Gallipoli to fight for King and Empire. Assembled from recently discovered family photographs and a handful of letters, this short film tells the story of a child of immigrants who died for their adopted country. A story that is still familiar today: for what clearer sign of assimilation and loyalty is there than to volunteer to fight for one's country. The challenges Jews faced in Britain a century ago were a friction point in the First World War, yet many did serve loyally, and A Kaddish for Selim tells the story of one of the two thousand three hundred who died.
Ismael’s Dilemma
In Nazi occupied Albania, Ismail, a poor peasant, is torn between upholding Besa - the national code of honor and protecting his family or saving the two Jewish men he has been hiding for a year, as the Nazis arrive in his village.
Crumbs
Based on the true story of the last Passover Seder in the Warsaw Ghetto on April 19, 1943, the film is told from a perspective of a member of the hated "Judenrat," (Jewish Police), the audience will witness the intimate and volatile confrontations between Jews of different religious backgrounds, spanning three generations, as they try to find meaning in the Holiday of Freedom as their inevitable doom approaches.
The Shabbos Goy
In this delightful comedic short God forbids she turn off a vibrator gone rogue on Shabbos! So an Orthodox Jew sets out on a quest to find someone who can.
Location: Cinema Art Theater (CAT) in Lewes
Admission
- $12.00 RBFS Members
- $12.00 General
- $5.00 Student - With Student ID
Advance Sales are now closed. Tickets may be purchased at the door starting 30 minutes before screening time.
Dedication
Roger Peltzman transforms his one - man play, Dedication, into a deeply poetic, musical, and cinematic journey. Peltzman’s family fled Berlin for Brussels in 1933, and this story centers on his uncle Norbert — the finest pianist in Belgium, until he was murdered in Auschwitz at 21 years of age. A singular tale from the Shoah that is at once extraordinary and relatable, Dedication is also a coming to terms with second generation survivor trauma and the role of music in helping to manage wounds that will never fully heal. [2022, US, 67 min, Rated: NR].
A post-panel discussion will be held with featured artist, director and producer, Roger Peltzman.
Location: Cinema Art Theater (CAT) in Lewes
Admission
- $12.00 RBFS Members
- $12.00 General
- $5.00 Student - With Student ID
Advance Sales are now closed. Tickets may be purchased at the door starting 30 minutes before screening time.