CJLL 2013 Winter/Spring Brochure

Sprin

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music

dance

learning

9thAnnual

A F R E S H S P I NON DOCUMENTARY AND FEATURE FILMS WITH

MEANINGFUL JEWISH / ISRAELI CONTENT

MARCH 6 –17

The Day I Saw Your Heart

The Flat

The Other Son

Remembrance

Prisoners of War

Life in Stills

The Cantor’s Son

AKA Doc Pomus

Hava Nagila (The Movie)

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea

Besa: The Promise

All In

Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story

Seymour Schwartz: Home Movie

The Last Flight of Petr Ginz

Ordinary Miracles: The Photo League’s New York

Hitler’s Children

Numbered

ON THE COVER:AKA DOC POMUS

An unlikely blues singer.You know his songs…

Now hear his story.

elcome to the 9th Annual Houston Jewish Film Festival,

a collaboration between the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish

Community Center of Houston and the Museum of Fine

Arts, Houston, with Holocaust Museum Houston as a longstanding venue.

A big thanks to our dedicated film committee volunteers, who spend dozens

of hours screening films to select the best ones from around the world that

tell stories of Jewish significance, with poignancy and creativity, and reflect

the values that shape Jewish life. This year we are pleased to have two

filmmakers and one actor to introduce their films and lead post-screening

discussions.

We are grateful to our underwriters, sponsors, community partners, and

patrons for their generous support. Enjoy the Festival and spread the word!

Barbara Bronstein, Chair

Diane Lee, Co-Chair

Doreen Joffe and Sharon Kagan, Honorary Chairs

W

9thAnnual

2012-2013 Film Committee:

Supporters:

Media Sponsor:

Neil Aussenberg

Margie Beegle

Nada Chandler

Joyce Cramer

John Dreyfus

Shelby Goodman

Sue Goott

Ellen Hamburg

Marisa Katz

Eve Lapin

David Mendel

Miriam Pacht

Paula Siegel

Stefani Twyford

Helen Wils

Official Hotel of the ERJCC

Tango & MalbecRestaurant

Fleischer Wines:A division of Mexcor

The Jewish Herald Voice

Jenny Tavor Custom Catering

Community Partners:

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee

Congregation Beth Yeshurun Sisterhood

Congregation Or Ami

Holocaust Museum Houston

National Council of Jewish Women

– Greater Houston Section

United Orthodox Synagogues

Yiddish Vinkel

HJFF Staff:

Amy Rahmani, ERJCC

Marian Luntz, MFAH

Tamara Savage, HMH

A BOTTLE IN THE GAZA SEA

(UNE BOUTEILLE À LA MER)

Wednesday, March 6 • 7:30 PM • ERJCC

Saturday, March 16 • 6:00 PM • MFAH

Directed by Thierry Binisti

France, Israel, 2011, 99 min

French, Hebrew, Arabic with English

subtitles

Drama

“A gripping, unsentimental drama with

a lot of action and a pacifist message of

hope and reconciliation. A Bottle in the

Gaza Sea is must-viewing.’’

—Montreal Gazette.

Tal is a 17-year-old French woman who

has settled in Jerusalem with her family.

She writes a letter expressing her refusal

to accept that only hatred can reign be-

tween Israelis and Palestinians. She slips

the letter into a bottle, and her brother

throws it into the sea near Gaza where

he is carrying out his military service. A

few weeks later, Tal receives an e-mail

response from a mysterious “Gazaman,”

a young Palestinian named Naïm. And

thus begins a turbulent but tender long-

distance friendship between two young

people who are separated by a history

they are trying both to understand and

change. Hiam Abbass (Lemon Tree) and

Mahmoud Shalaby (Free Men; The Other

Son) star in this internet-age Romeo-

and-Juliet drama set in a troubled re-

gion. Based on the award-winning novel

by Valerie Zenatti.

Suitable for ages 15 and above.

Sponsored by June and Leonard Goldberg

ALL IN

(LA SUERTE EN TUS MANOS)

Thursday, March 7 • 7:30 PM • ERJCC

Directed by Daniel Burman

Argentina, 2012, 107 min

Spanish, French with English subtitles

Drama

In this witty, romantic comedy, Uriel,

a Jewish divorced father of two and

a professional gambler is in the habit

of finessing his way through life. He

decides to get a vasectomy and enter

into a new life of freedom and romance.

On the very day he decides to have the

operation, his ex-girlfriend Gloria shows

up, having returned to Buenos Aires

after years of living in France. Uriel

learns that a poker face may not be the

most effective way to pursue romance.

Based on events in 1940 Bordeaux, this film tells the story of Portuguese Consul

Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who defied Dictator Antonio Salazar’s directive to forbid

the entry of “undesirables,” particularly Jews, into Portugal. Against Salazar’s orders,

Sousa Mendes issues approximately 30,000 Portuguese visas allowing people to

escape to Portugal. This film is a portrait in courage, relaying the story of a man

who chose to live by his convictions despite danger and hardship. After his death,

Sousa Mendes was declared to be among the righteous of nations and posthumously

promoted to the rank of Ambassador.

Underwritten by The Maurice Amado Foundation

9 t h A N N U A L H O U S T O N J E W I S H F I L M F E S T I V A L | | | M A R C H 6 – 1 7

OPENINGNIGHT

BESA: THE PROMISE


Directed by Rachel GoslinsUSA, 2012, 86 minEnglish with subtitlesDocumentary

“Besa,” a code of honor, requires that all Albanians, most of whom are Muslim, protect refugees. Rexhap Hoxho is the son of an Albanian Muslim who protected a Jewish family during the Holocaust and retained their prayer books after the family’s departure, as it was too dangerous for a Jewish family to travel with prayer books. Until the fall of communism in 1991, Hoxho had no way of searching for the family, but yet, he felt that “besa” demanded he find and return the books to their rightful owners. His journey eventually leads him and his son to Jerusalem, documented by Jewish-American photographer Norman Gershman.

DISOBEDIENCE:

THE SOUSA MENDES STORY

Friday, March 8 • 1:00 PM • ERJCC


Guest Speaker: Sousa Mendes Visa

Recipient Sarah Tanne Tillis

Directed by Joël Santoni

France, 2008, 104 min

French with English subtitles

Drama

erjcchouston.org/filmfestmfah.org/film


THE LAST FLIGHT OF PETR GINZ

Sunday, March 10 • 1:00 PM • MFAH

Tuesday, March 12 • 2:00 PM • MFAH

Directed by Sandy Dickson

and Churchill Roberts

USA, 2012, 66 min

English

Documentary

A story of celebration and tragedy, The

Last Flight of Petr Ginz is a whimsical

and fantastical journey through one

boy’s imagination. Combining animation,

art, and live action, the documentary

is a testament to how a boy’s creative

expression represents the best of what

makes us human. By fourteen Petr Ginz

had written five novels and penned

a diary about the Nazi occupation of

Prague. By sixteen he had produced

more than 170 drawings and paintings,

edited an underground magazine in

the Theresienstadt Ghetto, written

numerous short stories, and had walked

to the gas chamber at Auschwitz.

ORDINARY MIRACLES: THE PHOTO

LEAGUE’S NEW YORK

Sunday, March 10 • 3:00 PM • MFAH

Introduced by Anne Tucker

Directed by Daniel Allentuck

and Nina Rosenblum

USA, 2012, 74 min

English

Documentary

The story of the rise and politically

motivated fall of the Photo League,

(1936–1951) which for fifteen

years served as the center of the

documentary movement in American

photography at a time when the camera

was held to be, in James Agee’s words,

“the central instrument of our time.”

The Photo League’s membership roster

included Sid Grossman, Aaron Siskind,

Jerome Liebling, Dan Weiner, Morris

Engel, Walter Rosenblum, Weegee,

Lisette Model, and W. Eugene Smith.

Ordinary Miracles is built around a

handpicked selection culled from

hundreds of images, fashioned into

sequences designed around various

subjects of League focus (Harlem, the

Lower East Side, children at play, Coney

Island, WWII). The rich and evocative

soundtrack is a blend of contemporary

and vintage music: The Mills Brothers,

The Ink Spots, Django Reinhardt, The

Andrews Sisters, Fats Waller, Coleman

Hawkins, and Philip Glass.

March 12 screening is free with Museum admission

Eat at Café at the J during HJFF! The Café is open until 7:30 PM every night

of an ERJCC screening.

SEYMOUR SCHWARTZ:

HOME MOVIE


Guest Speakers: Filmmaker Jon

Schwartz and Newton Schwartz Sr.

Directed by Jon Schwartz

USA, 2012, 89 min

English

Film essay

A Houston story with universal appeal,

this film essay is a character study

of the filmmaker’s father, as well as a

chronicle of a Houston Jewish family

spanning the 20th century. Interviews

with the outspoken Seymour (1919-

2008) frame a family history richly

illustrated by photographs, letters

and historical materials. The story is

rounded out by poignant recollections of

Seymour’s marriage and unlikely role as

a community activist late in his life. 25

years after his first film, the acclaimed

documentary This Is Our Home: It Is

Not For Sale about Houston’s Riverside

neighborhood, Jon Schwartz delivers a

riveting family portrait.

A reception in the Museum galleries follows the screening.

COMING THIS

THE YELLOW TICKET

NOVEMBER

Presented by the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston, the Houston Cinema Arts Society, and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

THE YELLOW TICKET: A live

multimedia concert event featuring a

new score by violinist Alicia Svigals that

reanimates a silent cinema classic. Set

in Poland and Tsarist Russia, the 1918

film – starring legendary actress Pola

Negri – portrays a woman’s struggle to

overcome adversity in a story of secret

identities, heroic measures, and trium-

phant love. Svigals has crafted a lush

composition, which she performs with

live jazz piano virtuoso

Marilyn Lerner.

Post-film discussion with Jon Schwartz

Bring your ticket or pass to the café for 10% off.

Pre-order your meal and it will be ready for you!

713.729.3200 ext. 3232.


HITLER’S CHILDREN

Sunday, March 10 • 6:00 PM • HMH

Directed by Chanoch Ze’evi

Germany, Israel, 2011, 80 min

English, German, Hebrew with English

subtitles

Documentary

Hitler’s Children is a unique documen-

tary film about the descendants of some

of the most powerful figures in the Nazi

regime: Himmler, Frank, Goering, Hoess,

men and women who inherited a legacy

that permanently associates them with

one of the greatest crimes in history.

Director and producer, Chanoch Ze’evi,

himself a third generation descendant

of Holocaust survivors, used detailed

and intensive research to create this in-

depth documentary. His interviews with

the descendants are mesmerizing as he

explores the effects of the Holocaust

from a different view point.

NUMBERED

Monday, March 11 • 5:00 PM • ERJCC

Talkback follows screening

Directed by Uriel Sinai, Dana Doron

Israel, 2012, 60 min

Hebrew with English subtitles

Documentary

Auschwitz prisoners were denied their

names and tattooed with numbers. In

this engrossing film, survivors discuss

what the numbers mean to them: a tat-

too is a sign of shame, a badge of honor,

or something else entirely? “Today, it

is a sign of prestige; I have a number. It

gives me a kind of superiority,” says one

survivor. Another will not wear short

sleeves. A daughter has her father’s

number tattooed to her ankle as a sign

of remembrance and solidarity with her

deceased father; a grandson takes his

grandfather’s number as a sign of sur-

vival and continuity. Am Yisroel Chai.

THE DAY I SAW YOUR HEART

(ET SOUDAIN TOUT LE MONDE

ME MANQUE)

Monday, March 11 • 7:30 PM • ERJCC

Directed by Jennifer Devolère

France, 2011, 98 min

French with English subtitles

Drama

In this French comedy, Eli, celebrating

his 60th birthday, announces that his

42-year-old wife is pregnant. Justine, a

daughter from a prior marriage thinks

this is a mistake considering Eli’s previ-

ous experience as a father. Eli is an

unusual father; he keeps in touch with all

of Justine’s many former boyfriends and

makes outrageous suggestions regard-

ing the pending birth. But what can you

expect from a father who promised his

daughter a toy store, and when one

doesn’t materialize, explains that as “a

good Jewish father” he wanted to pre-

pare her for disappointment.

When Israeli director Arnon Goldfinger’s grandmother Gerda Tuchler died at 98, she

left behind a flat filled with books, works of art, photographs, and memorabilia. His

findings lead him to explore his grandparents’ history, including a long-term friendship

with a Nazi officer that survives the war. Zionists traveling with Nazis to Palestine?

Unbelievable, and yet, it happened. The relationship was unknown to the family, nor

were many other aspects of the Tuchlers’ history until Goldfinger contacted people

who knew his grandparents, reviewed archives, and traveled to Germany in an attempt

to understand their story.

LUNCH

MOVIEAND A

For Adults 60+

THE FLAT$8 Member/$10 Public

Friday, March 15 • 1:00 PM

RSVP REQUIREDwith 24hr advance notice.

Call Esther Bethke forreservations 713.595.8186.

THE FLAT

Tuesday, March 12 • 5:00 PM • ERJCC

Friday, March 15 • 1:00 PM • ERJCC

Directed by Arnon Goldfinger

Israel, 2011, 97 min

Hebrew, German, English with English

subtitles

Documentary

erjcchouston.org/filmfestmfah.org/film


REMEMBRANCE

(DIE VERLORENE ZEIT)


Directed by Anna Justice

Germany, 2011, 105 min

German, Polish, English

with English subtitles

Drama, Thriller

In 1944, Anna, a Jewish prisoner in a

concentration camp, and Tomasz, her

Polish prisoner-of-war lover, manage a

harrowing escape from the camp. She

takes refuge with Tomasz’s sister-in-law,

a Polish partisan, while he goes in search

of his brother. In the ensuing chaos at

the end of the war, the two are sepa-

rated, each believing that the other is

dead until 30 years later when Hannah,

happily married and a mother in New

York, believes she has seen Tomasz be-

ing interviewed on television about his

war experiences and renews her search

for him.

PRISONERS OF WAR

(HATUFIM)


Created by Gideon Raff

Israel, Pilot episode 60 min (2010)

Hebrew with English subtitles

TV Series, Drama

Addicted to Homeland? Wait until you

see the original Israeli series upon which

Homeland is based, even more engross-

ing and powerful than its U.S. offspring.

Prisoners of War begins with the return

of three soldiers who had been in captiv-

ity for 17 years. Two of them - Nimrod

and Uri - come back alive; one - Amiel

- returns in a coffin. The series follows

Nimrod and Uri and the people closest to

them as they attempt to go back to the

lives they were yanked out of 17 years

ago. Hatufim, Hebrew for “kidnapped,”

has been rated Israel’s all-time highest-

rated drama. LIFE IN STILLS


Guest Speaker: Film Subject Ben Peter

Directed by Tamar Tal

Israel, Germany, 2011, 58 min

Hebrew, German with English subtitles

Documentary

7:00 PM Happy Hour Reception

Exclusively for ages 20s and 30s

$5 for Happy Hour and Screening

THE OTHER SON(LE FILS DE L’AUTRE)

Tuesday, March 12 • 7:30 PM • ERJCCThursday, March 14 • 5:00 PM • ERJCCDirected by Lorraine LevyFrance, 2011, 105 minHebrew, Arabic, French with English subtitlesDrama

When Joseph, the 18-year-old son of a

high ranking Israeli officer in Tel Aviv,

reports for his physical prior to na-

tional service, his blood test shockingly

indicates he is not his parents’ biological

son. Further investigation reveals he was

accidentally switched at birth with Yas-

sin, a Palestinian raised in Gaza. Follow

this dramatic, compelling story of two

loving families, whose lives are turned

upside-down, forcing them to confront

each other and examine their own iden-

tities, values, and attitudes.

Underwritten by

The Maurice Amado Foundation

At the age of 96, photo shop owner Miriam Weissenstein never imagined that she

would be facing a new chapter in her life. But when the shop – her late husband Rudi’s

life’s work – was destined for demolition, even this opinionated and uncompromising

woman knew she needed help. Under the cloud of a family tragedy, a special relation-

ship is forged between Miriam and her grandson, Ben, as they join forces to save the

shop and its nearly one million negatives that document Israel’s defining moments.

Despite the generation gap and many conflicts, Ben and Miriam embark on a heart-

wrenching journey, comprising many humorous and touching moments – a journey

that requires a lot of love, courage, and compassion.

Presented in collaboration with the Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest.

did you know?EVERY MOVIE TICKET AT THE

MFAH GETS YOU 10% OFF AT

CAFE EXPRESS IN THE MUSEUM

MAKE IT A “DINNER AND A

MOVIE” KIND OF NIGHT!

erjcchouston.org/filmfestmfah.org/filmTO PURCHASE TICKETS VISIT:


AKA DOC POMUS

Sunday, March 17 • 4:00 PM • ERJCC

Directed by Peter Miller and Will Hechter

Canada, USA, 2012, 99 min

English

Documentary

Paralyzed by polio as a child, and confined

to crutches and a wheelchair, Doc Pomus,

a white Jewish Brooklynite born Jerome

Felder, becomes an unlikely blues singer

performing in various musical venues in

NYC, having obtained his first gig as a re-

sult of sheer chutzpah. Subsequently, Doc

Pomus traded his singing career for that

of a song writer, composing “Save the Last

Dance for Me,” “A Teenager in Love,” and

“This Magic Moment.” The film includes

interviews with his many friends and those

songwriters and singers he taught and

influenced as dean of the live music scene

in NYC. In 1992, he was posthumously in-

ducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

HAVA NAGILA (THE MOVIE)


Guest Speaker: Filmmaker

Roberta Grossman

Directed by Roberta Grossman

USA, 2012, 73 min

English

Documentary

Ever wonder about the origins and

history of the tune that is played at

almost every Bar Mitzvah party and

Jewish wedding? Then don’t miss Hava

Nagila, The Movie. Black, Italian, and

Irish Americans all connect to and per-

form “Hava Nagila,” a tune recognizable

all over the world, having traveled from

the Ukraine to YouTube. But then, who

would not like a song whose title means

“Let us rejoice?”

Patron Sponsors: Bunny and Perry Radoff

THE CANTOR’S SON


Introduced by Hazzan David Propis

Directed by Ilya Motyleff

USA, 1937, 90 min

Yiddish with English Subtitles

Drama

Moishe Oysher (1907-1958), a can-

tor and singing star whose repertoire

ranged from the cantorial to the oper-

atic stars in this restored 1937 Yiddish

language film as Shloimele, a young

man who leaves his family and Polish

shtetl and endures a life of poverty until

he is finally discovered washing floors

in a nightclub. After he attains stardom,

Shloimele is torn between his desire for

his shtetl and family and the attractions

of the New World. The film is based in

part on Moishe Oysher’s life.

This exhibition is organized by Venetian Heritage Inc., and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in collaboration with the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation. The objects were restored with the support of Maison Vhernier.

Generous funding is provided by Joan and Stanford Alexander; Julie and Drew Alexander; Joyce Z. Greenberg; Barbara and Gerry Hines; Shirley Toomim; Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff; Helaine and David Lane; Jeri and Marc Shapiro; Nancy and Scott Atlas; Nancy Beren and Larry Jefferson; Paula and Irving Pozmantier; Regina Rogers in honor of Holocaust survivor Stefi Altman; Glen Rosenbaum; and Shirley and Marvin Rich.

Chanu (one of a pair), Venetian, 19th century, bronze, Jewish Community of Venice 1001 Bissonnet at Main • 713.639.7300 • mfah.org

Lost Treasure of the Jewish Ghetto of Venice Restored by Venetian Heritage Inc.

THROUGH APRIL 28

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The film has been provided and restored with

new English subtitles by The National Center

for Jewish Film, www.jewishfilm.org

Patron Sponsor:

KENNY KENNY ZIGGY S ZIGGY S & N E W Y O R K D E L I C A T E S S E N R E S TA U R A N T

/ Ziggy Gruber

Ph

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Cre

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: J

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Jim

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$5 @ 5:00!ALL FIVE O’CLOCK MOVIES AT THE

ERJCC ARE ONLY FIVE DOLLARS!

HJFF RESTORATION HIGHLIGHT

“Save the Last Dance…” for our music-themed closing day!

Closing Night reception follows screening.

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Dr. Robert Zaretsky is a professor of modern French history at the Honors College of the

University of Houston. Dr. Zaretsky is a frequent contributor to The New York Times,

International Herald Tribune, The Forward, Los Angeles Times and Le Monde Diplomatique.

His lectures will address the history of the Jews of France from the French Revolution to the

modern period, focusing on the Dreyfus Affair, the Jews in Occupied France, and the relationship

between the French, the Jews, and the State of Israel after 1967.

From the Second World War to the Second Intifada: France and the Jews TodayThursday, May 2 7:30 PM

In 1967, the great political theorist (and secular Jew) Raymond Aron, upon hearing President Charles De Gaulle’s remark that the Jews were an “elite people, sure of themselves and domineering,” wondered if this opened “a new chapter in Jewish his-tory and perhaps anti-Semitism.” With the surge of violence in North African quarters against Jews, climaxing in the horrific mas-sacre at Toulouse, French Jews now ask themselves if they can remain both fully French and fully Jewish.

Vichy Then and Now: The Jews of France in the Second World War Thursday, April 18 7:30 PM

France’s military defeat in 1940 heralded the birth of the Vichy regime, which sought to turn the clock back to pre-revolutionary France. Central to this reactionary agenda was the regime’s battery of anti-Semitic laws—initiated without the slightest of nudges from the Nazis. Beginning in 1942, these laws enabled Nazi Germany’s application of the Final Solution to France, leading to the murder of nearly 75,000 Jews, both foreign and native-born. We shall discuss the motivations of the bureaucracy that created and applied these laws and reflect on those institutions and individuals that resisted them.

The Dreyfus Affair: How An “Affaire Française” Became Our Affair Thursday, March 217:30 PM

In 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, an officer in the French Army’s High Command, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island for acts of treason. As disturbing details emerged concerning the case—it happened that Dreyfus was Jewish—the nation was sundered in half between those who reminded France of its revolutionary ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity and those who insisted that Jews could never be fully French.

F R E N C H J E W R Y T H E N A N D N O W

Center for Jewish L iv ing and Learn ing Scho lar Ser ies

From Enlightenment to Intifada:

Register online at erjcchouston.org/frenchjewry$10 Member / $15 Public (per lecture)$27 Member / $36 Public (series pass)

These lectures are made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Thanks to our community partner:

ARTS, CULTURE, EDUCATION | ADULTS | SENIORS | KIDS & FAMILY | HEALTH & WELLNESS

Level 1 - Beginning Hebrew Instructor: Karen Greenspan10 Wednesdays April 3 – June 12 No class May 157:00 – 8:30 PM$190 Member/$240 Public

This introductory course is a program of letter recognition, reading proficien-cy, building vocabulary, and learning ba-sic phrases using the Hebrew textbook series Aleph Isn’t Tough.

Reading The Book of RuthInstructor: Karen Greenspan10 Mondays April 8 – June 107:00 – 8:30 PM$190 Member/$240 Public

This class will develop Hebrew comprehension and grammar skills through a close reading of the Book of Ruth. Participants should be able to read Hebrew fluently and have a basic biblical Hebrew vocabulary. Please call before registering to determine if this class is suitable for you.

Advanced Conversational HebrewInstructor: Nomi Barancik9 Tuesdays April 9 - June 1110:45 – 11:45 AM$117 Member/$150 Public

This course is suitable for those who read and comprehend Hebrew at a more advanced level but wish to expand their vocabulary and develop their fluency.

language

The ERJCC is delighted to announce that Saranne and Livingston Kosberg have generously underwritten a new program to create richer Jewish experiences for Houston parents. En-titled Foundations of Jewish Family Living, this new course from the Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning provides parents with the skills and knowledge to practice the core values of Judaism at home with their families. Topics will include Essential Judaism, Words that Hurt and Honor Between Generations.

The Foundations program runs throughout the year. 20 sessions will be offered in 4-5 week blocks. The book for the course is $54. After paying the initial fee of $54, parents may partici-pate in as many sessions as they choose during the year at no additional charge. Facilitated

by local rabbis and Jewish educators.

UPCOMING SESSIONS: March 3, 10, 17, 24, April 14, 21, 28 and May 5

CLASSES TAKE PLACE AT THE ERJCC · CHILDCARE WILL BE PROVIDED

*This program is particularly appropriate for parents of children ages 2 through 8, but all parents are welcome.

For more information about Foundations, please contact Rabbi Samantha Safran Bodner at [email protected] or 713.729.3200 ext. 3322.

A N E W P R O G R A M F O R P A R E N T S O F Y O U N G C H I L D R E N

F O U N D A T I O N So f J e w i s h F a m i l y L i v i n g

What are the Jewish values you want to teach your child?

living

film

FRESH, LOCAL AND ORGANIC

PRODUCEAT THE ERJCC

Be good to your farmer, your family, and your environment, and join the Hazon Community Supported Agriculture program! Enjoy a weekly bounty of fresh, local, and organic vegetables delivered directly to the ERJCC from Home Sweet Farm in Brenham, Texas. Choose a full share (weekly), a half share (bi-weekly), or split a share with a friend!

A Fresh Take on Passover:

Tired of eating the same old matzoh crackers and kugel for eight days in a row? Join registered and licensed dietician Wendy Lusky Rosenfeld as she shows us how to make healthy, creative and delicious chametz-free food. Kosher-for-Passover never tasted so good!

HEALTHY NEW RECIPES FOR THE HOLIDAY!

Thursday, March 77:00 – 9:00 PM$15 Member / $20 Public Wednesdays, March 6 - July 24

$576 for 18 weeks / $288 for 9 weeks (bi-weekly)(NEW!)

PLUS $34 Member / $46 Public (one-time site fee)

Pick up at ERJCC Main Lobby or Bertha Alyce Center (NEW!)

To register or for more information contact Rabbi Samantha Safran Bodner

at [email protected] or 713.729.3200 ext.3322.

Jewish Film Club

$2 Member / $4 PublicAll screenings take place at 12:45 PM

The Jewish Film Club will feature monthly screenings of classic and contemporary films that highlight Jewish characters or themes. A discussion of each film, facilitated by Jonathan Fass or Rabbi Samantha Safran Bodner, will follow. Coffee and snacks will be provided for the discussion.

February 22 - For Your Consideration (2006)

March 29 - Partisans of Vilna (1986)

April 12 - Avalon (1990)

May 17 - Praying with Lior (2007)

To register for the lectures and classes included in this catalog please call Nomi Barancik at 713.729.3200, ext. 3288 or visit erjcchouston.org

Center for JewishLiving and Learning

An In-Depth InvestigationJudaism And Ethics:

M E C H O N H A D A R H O U S T O N S C H O L A R - I N - R E S I D E N C E P R O G R A M

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN PARTICULARISTIC

JEWISH VALUES AND MORE

GENERAL UNIVERSAL ETHICS?

ARE “BEING A GOOD

JEW” AND “BEING A GOOD

PERSON” SYNONYMOUS

TERMS?

THESE CHALLENGES WILL BE

EXPLORED IN OUR IN-DEPTH

INVESTIGATION OF JEWISH ETHICS

WITH DR. RABBI ETHAN TUCKER OF

MECHON HADAR HOUSTON

Dr. Rabbi Ethan Tucker, Co-Founder and Rosh Yeshiva of Mechon Hadar, the only egalitarian yeshiva

in the United States, returns to Houston for a four-day scholar-in-residence program from February

24 through February 27, 2013. Rabbi Tucker was ordained by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and earned

a Ph.D. in Talmud and Rabbinics from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He was named one of News-

week’s Top Fifty Rabbis in America in 2011 and 2012.

Between Wisdom and Honor: When Divine Commands Threaten Human DignitySunday, February 24 • 7:30 PM

Human beings are created in the divine image and the Torah is built on a foundation of basic human decency. How do we deal with situations where the observance of a commandment gets in the way of this larger vision? We will begin this series by exploring a Talmudic passage that addresses this tension and attempts to lay out a framework for integrating these sometimes competing impulses.

Ethical Norms as the Foundation of the TorahMonday, February 25 • 7:30 PM

This lecture will delve into a bold essay by R. Moshe Shmuel Glasner (19th-20th c., Hungary), who spells out a theory of how Judaism ought to relate to modern values. We will explore his text as a basis for rethinking the interrelationship of traditionally Jewish obligations with contemporary crusades for environmental and economic justice. Can we affirm the power of universal ethics without harming our commitment to Judaism?

Was Abraham asked to Sacrifice His Ethics?Tuesday, February 26 • 7:30 PM

This lecture will explore anew the classic conflict between ethical commitments and religious duty: the Binding of Isaac. This biblical narrative plays a central role in Jewish prayer, has inspired countless Jews throughout the generations, and continues to haunt us on Rosh Hashanah. In the modern period, the Binding of Isaac has been used for more dramatic effect: making true devotion to God dependent on transcending one’s own ethical instincts. We will reevaluate this reading in an effort to reclaim the Binding of Isaac without sacrificing our own ethics in the process.

Can Jewish Texts Be Unethical: Grappling with Difficult Sources Wednesday, February 27 • 7:30 PM

Sometimes we encounter a Jewish text that seems to say something offensive and contrary to our ethical sense. How do we respond as heirs to this tradition while being true to our ethical instincts? In this lecture, we will explore one 19th century rabbi’s attempt to deal with Talmudic statements that appear to speak disparagingly about Gentiles. Through his approach, we will investigate what it means to take ownership of a tradition that does not, at least at first glance, intuitively match our ethical instincts.

THIS PROGRAM IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CONGREGATION BRITH SHALOM,

CONGREGATION BETH YESHURUN, AND CONGREGATION OR AMI.

$15 per lecture. To register go to erjcchouston.org/hadar

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EVELYN RUBENSTEIN JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER5601 S. Braeswood | Houston, TX 77096erjcchouston.org

Mann Makht und Gott Lakht’: Man Makes, God LaughsAn exhibit of paintings by Uzi SilberFebruary 25 – April 5

Uzi seeks out the relics, images, symbols, scripts and patterns which have made us who we are, resuscitates and integrates them in a new yet timeless context as whimsical as it is seri-ous. Works available for purchase to benefit ERJCC.

Gallery HoursMonday-Thursday 10:00 AM – 10:00 PMFriday & Sunday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

J Teen Art SceneIsrael: Hope through TimeSunday, April 144th Annual Teen Visual Art ExhibitionApril 14 – May 24

For the 4th year, the ERJCC Deutser Art Gallery will exhibit original works by local Jewish teenagers. This exhibit will open with a Showcase, on all-day arts festival showcasing teenage artistic talents across many platforms.

Now accepting submissions in several arts categories until Monday, March 18. For information visit jtas.weebly.com.

CJLL 2013 Winter/Spring Brochure

Documents

Transcript of CJLL 2013 Winter/Spring Brochure