Day 1: Sunday, March 23

1:00 PM | Seven Blessings (Dir. Ayelet Menahemi, Israel, 2023) | 1hr 48mins

In Israel’s official entry for the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film, Ayelet Menahemi’s 7 Blessings revolves around an eventful Jewish Moroccan family wedding and the traditional blessings that are pronounced during the ceremony, again at the reception, and then again for the next seven nights with loved ones hosting special dinners in the couple’s honor. Behind the facade of joie de vivre and togetherness, there are secrets, lies, and a painful old wound that forces them to confront the past while wrecking the present, all entwined in this acclaimed story about fury, forgiveness, and food.

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3:00PM | Reception

Sponsored by Lawrence Yanover and Frances Cohen

4:00 PM | Outsider Freud (Dir. Yair Qedar, Israel, Austria, Germany, 2024) | 1hr 6mins

A new creative documentary film that takes us on a journey into the life and work of Freud in four acts - a combination of animations, dreams, leading psychoanalysts in the world, in a thought-provoking journey about Judaism, biography, psychoanalysis, and the role of marginalization as a strategy of power in shaping one of the most influential figures in modern times.

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 Followed by a pre-recorded Q&A with director Yair Qedar

6:00 PM | Bliss (Dir. Shemi Zarhin, Israel, 2024) | 2hrs 5mins

Sassi and Efi are hard workers, struggling with the debt left by Sasai's son before he left for Brussels. Though there is quite an age gap between them, their love and humor keep them from life's weariness and despair. When two youngsters - Omri, Sassi's hormonal and kind-hearted grandson, and David, Efi's former student - appear in their lives, their carefully kept routine breaks, and the couple's love is tested. Eighteen years after Aviva, My Love, Sasson Gabai and Asi Levi collaborate once again with director Shemi Zarhin to showcase their unique talents. Sassi and Efi's love story is both funny and touching. It illuminates in its unique way issues of relationships, family, and loyalty and sends a painful but also warm and optimistic look at the social realities of today.

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Day 2: Monday, March 24

6:00PM | Thirteen (Dir. Allison Norlian, United States, 2023) | 18mins 

Confronting her disabled daughter's terminal diagnosis, a mother fights to have her become a Bat Mitzvah in their synagogue, which refuses to break from tradition.

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Tickets for the two short films are sold as a bundle

Mother (Dir. Iris Zaki, Israel, 2024) | 18mins

In the famously fertile nation of Israel, three childfree women face a daunting task: explaining their life choices to their mothers. In a unique twist, they swap seats, each meeting their friend’s mother for an intimate dialogue.

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Tickets for the two short films are sold as a bundle

7:00PM | Rabbi On The Block (Dir. Brad Rothschild, United States, 2023) | 1hr 18mins

Tamar Manasseh, the charismatic rabbi and community activist from the south side of Chicago, wants African Americans and Jews to become closer allies. With one foot firmly in each of these two communities, Black Jews like Tamar are the natural bridge to help overcome decades of fear, misunderstanding, and lack of communication. 

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The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Beth Tikvah Synagogue executive director, Rivka Campbell, a Jew of Jamaican descent who fosters dialogue within the Jewish community about the intersectional experiences of Jews of colour. 

Day 3: Tuesday, March 25

7:00 PM |  We Will Dance Again (Dir. Yariv Mozer, Israel, 2024) | 1hr 30mins

A harrowing documentary about the October 7th Hamas attack on the Nova Music Festival, a celebration of music, peace and freedom that turned into a killing field as 400 festival-goers were slaughtered or abducted. Two dozen survivors tell unimaginable stories of courage, humanity and heroism illustrated by the actual cell phone footage they recorded while fleeing or hiding.

Special post-screening program to follow

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