Lift me up

Tyme Khleifi (L) and Avri Levitan playing Ross Birrell’s “Lift Me Up For I Am Dying” in Berlin. Photo from ASU Museum in Tempe.

Our daughter Jennifer, who studies cultural anthropology at ASU in Tempe, recently asked what I thought of the film “La Rafle,” which dramatizes a roundup of Jews living in Paris during the Holocaust. “It has a happy ending,” I told her. There’s nothing happy about recounting the horrors of the Holocaust, but too many people shy away from films on the subject for fear they’ll see only cruelty and death.

I should have explained instead that the film has a “hopeful” ending. There are survivors, including children. And there are people who risked their own lives, and those of family members, to fight evil with courage and compassion. Reflecting on the Holocaust is an act of remembrance and a call to action. Individuals can make a difference, even in the face of mass murder. It’s one of many insights conveyed by “La Rafle” filmmakers.

“La Rafle” is currently showing at Harkins Theatres Camelview 5 in Scottsdale

I’m hoping to see two additional films with Jewish themes this week, both on ASU’s Tempe campus. Tonight ASU Jewish Studies is screening “The Miracle of Purim,” which imagines an anti-semitic Catholic with Jewish ancestry, who learns he’ll receive an inheritance only if he returns to his Jewish roots.

“The Miracle of Purim” is part of ASU’s current “Polish-Jewish Film Series.” Tonight’s 7pm screening in Cottonwood Hall (room 103) at Barrett, The Honors College, also features a discussion with faculty members Daniel Gilfillan and Anna Cichopek-Gajraj. The film was made in Poland, is directed by Izabella Cywinska, features English subtitles and runs just 57 minutes.

ASU Art Museum presents the premiere of Ross Birrell’s short film “Duet: Lift Me Up For I Am Dying” through Saturday, Nov. 24. The museum, always closed on Sundays and Mondays, will be closed Nov. 22 and 23 for the Thanksgiving holiday — so you have just Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday of this week to see it. The film runs continously during museum hours, and museum admission is free.

“Life Me Up For I Am Dying” was composed by Birrell using the last spoken words of poet English romantic poet John Keats. The film “Duet” combines separate individual performances of the piece by Palestinian violinist Tyme Khleifi and Israeli violinist Avri Levitan. Each plays a different tempo, so the combination results in dissonance imbued with the possibility of harmony.

Folks who plan ahead can mark their calendar now with dates for next year’s Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival, taking place at three Harkins Theatres — Camelview 5 in Scottsdale, Crossroads 12 in Chandler and Arrowhead 18 in Peoria — Sunday, Feb. 10 to Sunday, Feb. 24.

Additional Jewish film festivals taking place next year include the New York Jewish Film Festival (Jan.) and the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (July/Aug.). Learn more about Jewish films by visiting The National Center for Jewish Film at Brandeis University in Massachusetts.

— Lynn

Note: GPJFF films for 2013 were originally listed incorrectly in this post–so watch for updates as 2013 film titles are confirmed.

Coming: Lightning strikes in Scottsdale, Journalist faces ethical dilemma

Museum explores Jewish holidays

The shofar is used during Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur

My last trip to the Jewish Children’s Museum in Brooklyn took place between Rosh Hoshana and Yom Kippur, and included time exploring an exhibit titled “Jewish Holidays.”

It’s located on the museum’s third floor, which features an “Exploring Jewish Life” theme. Other exhibits in this part of the museum include “6 Days of Creation,” “Shabbat,” “Kosher Supermarket,” “Kosher Kitchen” and “World of Good.”

As Jews the world over celebrate Yom Kippur, it’s an especially fitting day for others to pause and learn more about Jewish faith and traditions.

Enjoy these photos from the museum’s “Jewish Holidays” exhibit…

Portion of “Jewish Holidays” exhibit featuring Shavu’ot

Section of “Jewish Holidays” exhibit featuring Pesach

The Purim portion of the exhibit features this Scroll of Esther

The Chanukkah portion of the exhibit includes these oil presses

Click here to learn more about the Jewish Children’s Museum, and here to explore offerings at The Jewish Museum in NYC.

— Lynn

Note: Learn more about Jewish arts and culture in Arizona by exploring the Arizona Jewish Historical Society in Phoenix and the Jewish History Museum in Tucson.

Coming up: A big brother tale

A celebration of Jewish life

A celebration of Jewish life — that’s what the Jewish Children’s Museum in Brooklyn is all about. Think Jewish history, culture and traditions brought to life through exhibits and programs featuring hands-on learning and contemporary technology.

Museum materials note that it’s “a setting for children of all faiths and backgrounds to gain a positive perspective and awareness of the Jewish heritage, fostering tolerance and understanding.” The diversity of Jewish culture is well-represented by a giant face on the front of the museum — a composite of smaller photographs of vastly different faces.

The museum has welcomed more than 500,000 visitors since opening in April 2005 — and is “dedicated to the memory of Ari Halberstam, the 16-year-old Yeshiva student who was shot and killed by a terrorist on the Brooklyn Bridge in 1994.”

I toured all but the fourth floor during a recent visit to NYC, because new “Voyage through Jewish History” exhibits were under construction. They’ll debut during an April 9 grand opening celebration. These new exhibits include “Patriarchs and Matriarchs,” “Mount Sinai Experience,” “Temple and Tabernacle,” “Land of Israel,” “Sages through the Ages,” “Jewish World Today,” “The Holocaust” and “One Good Deed.”

I first explored the second floor, where dozens of elementary-age school children with chaperones were enjoying interactive activities. While there, I lingered to admire the remarkable details of a 20-foot original mosaic by Chassidic artist Michoel Muchnik — plus a Michael Schwartz work featuring 387,000 letters in the Hebrew alphabet.

Next I headed to the third floor, home to exhibits titled “6 Days of Creation,” “Shabbat,” “Kosher Supermarket,” “Kosher Kitchen” and “World of Good.” Also “Jewish Holidays” — where I walked through the replica of an old-fashioned shtetl (village) in which children explore the Jewish holiday cycle through hands-on activities like retelling the Purim story with puppets or reading about Passover while exploring a giant Seder plate.

Finally, I made my way to the fifth floor, where I discovered a miniature golf area dubbed “Six Holes of Life” and a “Gallery of Games” with giant wall-mounted activity boards that let children search for hidden Jewish treasures, create images of Jewish objects with light and more.

The Jewish Children’s Museum makes clear the power of coupling education with entertainment in the service of understanding and appreciating history, culture and tradition. I can’t help wondering what it might be like to explore a children’s museum spotlighting the art, history, beliefs, practices and people of all the world’s religions.

— Lynn

Note: The Jewish Museum New York invites you to celebrate Passover by exploring their online collection — which you can click here to enjoy.

Coming up: Quilting for justice, What’s new at Valley museums?