“The Galilee Eskimos”
Among the accomplishments of Israel, which turns 75 this spring (on the fifth of Iyar, according to the Hebrew calendar), is an active and vibrant film industry.
With an impact beyond its borders, Israel has been nominated for more Academy Awards for “Best Foreign Language Film” than any other country in the Middle East. Movies are produced in Hebrew but also in Arabic and English and sometimes are co-produced with filmmakers in other countries.
The influence of Israeli cinema is reflected in the high percentage of movies in Harrisburg’s Jewish Film Festivals that were made in Israel. This year’s festival—actually, mini-fest, since it lasts only four days and features just six movies—goes further.
“All but one of our films this year were produced in Israel,” said Julie Sherman, chair of the Edward S. Finkelstein Harrisburg Jewish Film Festival. “We chose each one to illuminate a touchstone in the country’s history and character.”
In both narrative and documentary forms, subjects include the kibbutz (collective settlement) movement, the British Mandate, 1948’s independence and the struggles that followed, and the lives and sacrifices of military families.
“We even have a comedy about modern-day matchmaking,” Sherman said.
In the opening night’s “Reckonings,” presented at the Alexander Grass Campus for Jewish Life, German and Jewish leaders from Israel and 23 international Jewish organizations secretly negotiate for reparations post-Holocaust, which leads to victims of persecution receiving material compensation from the perpetrators. This must-see film is followed by a pre-recorded interview with its award-winning director, Roberta Grossman, and a dessert reception.
When Israel’s Declaration of Independence was drafted in May 1948, every word, comma and concept led to hours of debate—somewhat akin to our own. In “Our Natural Right,” which begins a weekend of five festival films at Midtown Cinema, the grandchildren of the signers return to the hall in Tel Aviv where Israel’s document was signed. There, they reminisce about their grandparents and their stories and share their own feelings—often mixed—of pride and concern over the current state of their nation.
In the comedy, “Matchmaking,” it’s time for Moti Bernstein—a handsome, smart, ultra-Orthodox Ashkenazi from a “good family”—to get married. It would seem to be an easy task, if Moti hadn’t fallen for the one woman he can’t have—his sister’s friend Nechama, whose Moroccan Mizrahi roots make her as unthinkable to Moti’s parents as Juliet was to Romeo’s. Caught between his desire and the taboos of an “intermarriage,” Moti is forced to take drastic action.
“The Little Traitor,” a drama based on Amos Oz’s novel, “Panther in the Basement,” concerns 11-year-old Proffy Liebowitz, who has lived his entire life under the British Mandate. The youngster hates the British and even plots with his friends to terrorize or blow up British troops. Then, one evening, out after curfew, Proffy is seized by one (Alfred Molina), who returns him home rather than arresting him. A cherished friendship ensues, which Proffy must keep secret from his family and friends.
In the comedy-drama, “The Galilee Eskimos,” 12 senior citizen “kibbutzniks” awaken one morning to find themselves abandoned—left to fend for themselves and ward off the creditors who have come to take possession of their deeply indebted collective. But they’re not any old senior citizens; they founded the kibbutz decades before. Despite their age, it takes little to dust off their pioneer spirit to start to rebuild.
“Air Born” tells a fascinating, unexpected story of the children who grew up on Israeli Air Force bases in the 1960s and ‘70s. Director Yoram Ivry recalls a childhood where runways were for bicycling and fighter jets for climbing. He and his peers felt protected, secure and free. Other children from that time, now middle-aged or older, recount a darker reality—what it was like to grow up in the shadow of war, where heroic, larger-than-life, dashing pilot fathers took to the skies and sometimes didn’t come home.
After two years of virtual movie-going during the pandemic and a virtual/live “hybrid” season last May, this year’s mini-fest marks a return to a fully live event with no streaming component.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Sherman said. “My colleagues at other Jewish film festivals are reporting much-better numbers for their live screenings this year. People are beginning to remember how great it is to leave their homes, go to the theater, and share the movie experience.”
The Edward S. Finkelstein Harrisburg Jewish Film Festival takes place June 8 to 11.
Tickets for “Reckonings” are free, but registration is required at www.hbgjff.com. Tickets for the other films are available at www.midtowncinema.com or through the festival website, where trailers and more details can be found.
What’s Playing
At the Alexander Grass Campus for Jewish Life
2986 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg
“Reckonings”
Thursday, June 8, 7 p.m.
At Midtown Cinema
250 Reily St., Harrisburg
“Our Natural Right”
Friday, June 9, 5 p.m.
“Matchmaking”
Saturday, June 10, 9 p.m.
Book Club Event
Sunday, June 11
Bagel Nosh, 9 a.m.
“The Little Traitor,” 10 a.m.
Book discussion led by Dr. Helen Khanzhina, 11:30 a.m.
“The Galilee Eskimos”
Sunday, June 11, 3 p.m.
“Air Born”
Sunday, June 11, 7 p.m.
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