Movie Screening: Bal Ej: The Hidden Jews of Ethiopia

Sunday, February 12, 2017 at 1pm

Included with Museum Admission – Get Your Tickets Now

Members: Reserve Your Seats Here!

Join us for the Maryland premiere of Bal Ej: The Hidden Jews of Ethiopia. Following a one-hundred-year-old account of the prominent Jewish Polish scholar Jacque Faitlovich, the film-maker travels to discover and explore a sect of secret Jews in Ethiopia. Named Bal Ej, craftsmen, for their artisan skills, they have been persecuted by their Orthodox Christian neighbors who slandered them as “evil-eyed” and “hyena-people.” They have been deprived of basic rights, including ownership of land.

Fearing persecution, they appear to be Christian, practicing Judaism in strict secrecy. This film reveals hundreds of years of history, customs and culture of a remarkable community.

Following the screening we will be talking with the director Irene Orleansky live from Israel via Face Time.

About the director: Irene Orleansky was born in Ukraine, raised in Russia, to a family of Holocaust survivors from Poland. Today Orleansky resides in  Israel and works as a musician, producer, ethnographist and film-maker.  Irene has dedicated the last few years to exploring the culture, music and traditions of remote Jewish communities in Asia and Africa.