By Jon Moskin
“How often do you have the opportunity not only to see great films but to talk about them with the filmmakers?” asked Ed Kaplan.
Well, if you are a member of the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living community, like Ed, the answer is at least two more this season. The Campus will continue its partnership with the Jewish Film Institute to host two upcoming screenings and filmmaker Q&As in the Osher Performance Center on November 6 and December 9.
“This is the second year we’ve done it, and it has been incredibly fun,” said Katherine Tick, Donor Relations & Jewish Initiatives Officer at the Campus for Jewish Living. “Our first screening this year—a short documentary called Thanks, Bab—was so moving and hilarious that residents have already asked to show it again.”
But before that happens, there are two more films lined up in the queue. Next up, Among Neighbors (November 6) and Labors of Love: The Life and Legacy of Henrietta Szold (December 9).
The series is a collaborative effort co-sponsored by Congregation Beth Sholom and the Jewish Film Institute (JFI), whose mission is to “champion bold films and filmmakers that expand and evolve the Jewish story for audiences everywhere.” It’s also supported by the Bernard Osher Jewish Philanthropies Foundation, which helps bring high-quality Jewish content and filmmaking to senior residential communities across the Bay Area—because “all communities should have access to great storytelling.”
“We want everyone to come,” said Katherine. “Patients, residents, friends, Jewish, non-Jewish—everyone is welcome. Events like this bring people together to learn, to laugh, and to connect.”
For Katherine, Campus programs like the film series are intentionally designed to be active. “These partnerships are meant to enhance, enrich, and stimulate the lives of our community,” she said.
The next screening, Among Neighbors, uses creative hand-drawn animation to explore the complex history of a small Polish town where centuries of coexistence between Jewish and Polish neighbors were ruptured by World War II. The concluding film, Labors of Love, chronicles the life of Henrietta Szold, the Jewish American humanitarian and founder of Hadassah, whose visionary leadership saved thousands of Jewish children during the rise of Nazism and promoted cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians.
Both films will feature Q&A sessions with the filmmakers and promise to be as thought-provoking and moving as the first in the series.
While we all know there is a time and a place to sit back on the couch and fall asleep to a mindless movie, that place will be nowhere near the Campus for Jewish Living as the JFI Film Series kicks into gear. Come join us!