Temple Beth Sholom Sisterhood’s Molly Chernofsky Community Cinema Series 2020 will feature four films of Jewish interest on select Thursday nights this winter at 7:45 p.m.: Jan. 16 and 30; Feb. 27; March 12; and a snow make-up date of April 23.
Tickets are $54 for the series; $15 for individual films. Cinema snacks will be included. The public is welcome to attend: women, men and teens.
Become a sponsor and you’ll be rewarded with reserved seat(s) for $144 (two tickets) or $72 (1 ticket) for the series. Please make checks payable to TBS Sisterhood and earmark selected films on the check memo.
Then mail to Temple Beth Sholom Sisterhood, 401 Roslyn Rd., Roslyn Heights, NY 11577. To pay by PayPal, go to tbsroslyn.org, and click on the Event Title in Upcoming Events on the homepage, to find the PayPal links at the bottom of the page. There are links to the trailers on this page as well. All films will be shown at Temple Beth Sholom. For questions, please contact the temple office at 516-621-2288.
Here are descriptions of this year’s selections pre-screened by Nadine Kesten:
“Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles” (Documentary, 1 h 32 m) 100% Rotten Tomato
Jan. 16
When “Fiddler on the Roof” opened on Broadway in 1964, it explored themes of tradition, religion, and anti-Semitism against a modern backdrop of radical social change that addressed gender roles, sexuality, and race. Rare archival footage and interviews with musical luminaries explore the legacy of this long-running, award-winning musical.
“The Tobacconist” (Drama, Subtitles, 1 h 57 m)
Jan. 30
Seventeen-year-old Franz journeys to Vienna to apprentice at a tobacco shop. There he meets Sigmund Freud, a regular customer, and over time the two very different men form a singular friendship. As political and social conditions in Austria dramatically worsen with the Nazis’ arrival in Vienna, Franz and Freud are swept into the maelstrom of events. Each has a big decision to make: to stay or to flee?
“The Spy Behind Home Plate: Moe Berg” (Documentary, 1 h 38 m)
Feb. 27
Morris Moe Berg was an enigmatic and brilliant Jewish baseball player turned spy. Berg caught and fielded in the major leagues during baseball’s Golden Age in the 1920s and 1930s, but very few people know that Berg also worked for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), spying in Europe and playing a prominent role in America’s efforts to undermine the German atomic bomb program during WWII.
“The Other Story” (Drama, Hebrew, Subtitles, 1 h 52 m)
March 12
Anat is a rebellious young woman who wants to flee the chaos of secular hedonism for the disciplined comforts of faith. Sari is a young woman who wants to leave behind her oppressive religious upbringing for sexual and spiritual freedom. When Anat and Sari cross paths in Jerusalem, it soon changes both of their lives in startling and unexpected ways.
