JMM Insights: The Silver Screen
Oscar season may be over but we’ve still got movies on our mind here at the JMM. Beginning this spring with our partnership with the Baltimore Jewish Film Festival to a new summer exhibition, the silver screen is making a big appearance here at the Jewish Museum of Maryland.
Herbert M. and Irma B. Risch Memorial Program on Immigration
First off, we are pleased to announce the Ninth Annual Herbert M. and Irma B. Risch Memorial Program on Immigration which will be presented in special partnership with the William and Irene Weinberg Family Baltimore Jewish Film Festival (which begins this Sunday, March 22nd – see below for more details). This year’s Risch program includes the Maryland Premiere of the film Stateless and a talk with the film’s director Michael Drob.
In the late 1980’s, on the brink of the collapse of the Soviet Union, tens of thousands of Soviet Jews were finally allowed to leave the USSR. What these people did not expect was that their final destination, America, no longer welcomed them with open arms. In 1988, American policy suddenly changed and thousands of Soviet Jews were stranded in Italy.
Stateless relies on firsthand accounts from these émigrés, exploring the difficulty of deciding to leave, the discrimination faced, and the consequences of both.
The film and talk will be held on Sunday, April 26, 2015 at 3:00pm. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
Support for the Risch Memorial Program is provided by Frank and Helen Risch through the Risch Memorial Endowment Fund at THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.
You can read a little about last year’s Risch program here.
Baltimore Jewish Film Festival
This weekend marks the opening of the William and Irene Weinberg Family’s 27th annual Baltimore Jewish Film Festival! This year’s festival includes eleven films from six different countries. As described in the Jewish Times: Themes this year, both meaty and provocative, tackle Israeli/Palestinian relations and delve into modern Israeli culture … and explore the Holocaust and its aftermath. Several evenings feature after-film question-and-answer sessions with guest speakers and filmmakers [read more from this article.]
With such a diverse slate of films, there is sure to be something for everyone. The festival begins March 22 and runs through April 28th. You can view trailers for each film and get the whole schedule for the festival over at their website HERE. All films will be screened at the Peggy and Yale Gordon Center for Performing Arts, 3506 Gwynnbrook Avenue, Owings Mills, MD 21117. Contact Danielle Feinstein at dfeinstein@jcc.org / 410.500.5909
Cinema Judaica
We are thrilled to announce our next exhibit: Cinema Judaica, opening on July 1, 2015. Cinema Judaica was created by Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. This is an unprecedented exhibit of iconic Hollywood film posters and memorabilia from 1939 to 1971 and contains more than 100 original motion picture posters, movie stills and trade announcements. The exhibit highlights the connections between American Jews and the motion picture industry as well as how films from this time period shaped public opinion issues of importance to the Jewish community such as World War II and the establishment of the State of Israel.
Our program staff has been working hard to organize a dynamic and engaging series of related programming. As part of the opening festivities we welcome exhibit curator Ken Sutak, who will be speaking on the evening of July 2nd. Later in July we will host historian Amy Davis, who will speak on the historic movie houses of Baltimore, many of which were owned by Jewish families. In August we will present “Cinema Sundays on the Backlot,” an outdoor film series here at the Museum, located in our “backlot” i.e. our fabulous parking lot. These film showings will be free to the public.
Help Us “Make It Maryland!”
In addition to the movie posters and advertisements that make up the Cinema Judaica exhibit borrowed from Hebrew Union College, the JMM will add material that explores how Maryland Jews experienced Hollywood movies from this time period. The experience of going to the movies is as much a part of this exhibit as the movies themselves, and we’d love to include your memories and stories.
Do you remember watching “Gentleman’s Agreement” or “Ben-Hur” when they first came out? Visiting your favorite neighborhood movie theater every week? Discussing “Son of Liberty,” “The Search,” or “Exodus” with your family, friends, or youth group? If you are interested in sharing your stories and related memorabilia, please contact Joanna Church, Collections Manager, at jchurch@jewishmuseummd.org or 410-732-6400 x226.
Cinema Judaica will be on display at the Jewish Museum of Maryland from July 1 to September 6, 2015