Sponsored by Temple Beth El of Williamsburg, Virginia
Winter Series: January 29, March 5, and March 26, 2023
This year marks our 22nd anniversary and we will strive to use the power of film to entertain, educate and connect our audiences to issues related to Jewish life in the U.S., Israel, and around the world.
We hope you will save the dates of January 29, March 5, and March 26, 2023, for our
Winter Series films. We have returned to in-person screening in the comfortable
Williamsburg Regional Library Theater. Attendees will be encouraged to wear a face
mask and maintain social distancing. There will be no charge to see any of the films.
Lite snacks and beverages will be provided at all films.
The Virginia Peninsula Jewish Film Festival depends on the generosity of our patrons to cover our expenses.
Please join us now to ensure that the Virginia Peninsula Jewish Film Festival can continue with its mission to make this year’s festival a reality. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support.
We are pleased to announce the following films for our Opening Weekend at:
Williamsburg Regional Library Theater
515 Scotland Street., Williamsburg, VA
The Levys of Monticello
Sunday, 1/29/23 at 2:00 PM
A missing chapter of American Jewry comes to light in this
fascinating chronicle of the Virginia home of one of the nation’s Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
residence, just outside of Charlottesville, stands as a complex symbol of the paradox of Democracy. Designed by Jefferson, built and tended by slaves, the palatial plantation was a presidential retreat, retirement home, and final resting place. Sold due to mounting debts, Uriah Phillips Levy, a Jewish naval officer and fervent believer in Jeffersonian ideals, became its unlikely caretaker. When historical preservation was all but unheard of, Levy’s family restored and saved the estate from ruin. The story behind this national treasure confronts the stain of ongoing racism and antisemitism that remain part of the national narrative.
The Un-Word
Sunday, 3/5/23 at 2:00 PM
This German satire lays bare the discords of modern multiculturalism. Tempers flare after a Jewish student is goaded in a schoolyard brawl. After more taunts by Muslim classmates, the 15-year-old fights back, injuring an Iranian and a Palestinian student. The film is intended as a darkly humorous conversation-starter, seeking a common language in the unending fight against intolerance.
Betrayed
Sunday, 03/26/22 at 2:00 PM
Based on true events, this Norwegian narrative film exposes how Norway’s government and people systematically persecuted the country’s Jews, and then collaborated in deporting them to German death camps. The horror and callousness of those times is embodied in the experiences of one Jewish family, the Braudes, whose members we get to know through their photographs and their prize-winning portrayals by actors, making this a very personal story for the audience.
We greatly appreciate your support and the loyalty of our audiences. Please help us continue to bring this wealth of Jewish culture to Williamsburg by completing the enclosed form and returning it with your donation by Monday, October 24.
Donations can also be made on-line at tbewilliamsburg.org/donate/ on the Donation Form Page, select Film Festival as the Reason for Donation.
The Virginia Peninsula Jewish Film Festival Committee
Neil Portnoff, chair, Diana Freedman, Helene Goldsman, Fred Levy,
Lois Manes, David Rottman, Lois Ullman, Robert Winsor
