The Jews And The Blues

This film discusses the effect on how major American films in Hollywood were influenced by the Eastern European Jewish culture that most of the major movie moguls who controlled the studios shared. Through clips of various films, the filmmakers illustrate the dominant themes like that of the outsider, the outspoken American patriotism, and rooting for the underdog in society.

In an article on the Vatican and the holocaust at Jewish Virtual Library it says: “Pope Pius XII’s (1876-1958) actions during the Holocaust remain controversial. For much of the war, he maintained a public front of indifference and remained silent while German atrocities were committed. He refused pleas for help on the grounds of neutrality while making statements condemning injustices in general. Privately, he sheltered a small number of Jews and spoke to a few select officials, encouraging them to help the Jews.” This is a highly interesting documentary on this controversy.

A young Varsovian talks about discovering his origins and the new identity he is building, Jewish culture and religion. He is supported by an old Jew, a Hebrew teacher.

A documentary film about the Mizrahim, or Jewish community of Iraq.

A Jew who mocked Jesus on the cross is visited by a devil and an angel.

At the turn of the century, Sephardic Jews fled the turmoil of their homeland to start a new life in America. Filled with interviews, archival photos and dozens of Ladino phrases, this slice of Northwest history captures their story as they arrived in Seattle and found work at the Pike Place Market.

The USSR, 1946. The main character, Mikhail Krasnitsky, travels to different cities across the country. When he arrives, he commits cold-blooded murders, for reasons that are not yet evident. The Secret Service manages to connect all of these crimes and figure out that all of the victims were former death camp inmates. However, the murderer’s motive still remains unclear.

A film which shows how German Christianity was, like all other areas of German life, exploited by the Nazis to further their agenda of hatred.

In order to facilitate the destruction of Poland's three million Jews, the Nazis forced them to establish Jewish Councils responsible for administration of the Polish ghettos.

American Jerusalem tells the story of the pioneer Jews of San Francisco, who came to California from Germany during the Gold Rush and were instrumental in building the city. The roles they were relegated to in Germany---peddler and petty merchant---were highly valued in the Gold Rush. Therefore, because of the openness of Gold Rush California, these Jews were far more assimilated into and had a greater impact on the building and defining of a major city than any other Jewish community in America. But this acceptance came as a price, as assimilation put this community in danger of losing its Jewish identity.

No folkore, no rituals, no klezmer, no political statements, no twee Berlin Jewish quarters. This film is an attempt to make an imageless film; a plea for a religion of imagelessness, of words, of thoughts.

Aaron Eliyahu, a Jewish man, travels to a small village called Mala, Kerala in search of his Jewish heritage. On his journey, he befriends a Muslim man named Beerankunj. Unfortunately, Aaron meets with a fatal motor accident that lands him in a state of coma in a hermitage somewhere in North India. By the time he reaches Mala, he sees that his house has been converted into a post office and learns that his mother, Veronica, entrusted all her property with the panchayat before leaving for Israel. Unable to prove his own identity, Aaron is denied the rights to his own house. Since he is unable to provide any concrete evidence in the court of law, Aaron is thrown into the streets with only his true friend Beerankunj by his side. Karutha Joodhan reveals the unexpected happenings passing through the three generations of Aaron and Beerankunj.

Since the outbreak of the global corona pandemic, the number of anti-Semitic content on the Internet and social media has also been increasing. Researchers see a connection between online radicalization and anti-Semitic violence – and also attacks. "Jud Süß 2.0" documents the visual roots of this new anti-Semitism.

In one Vojvodinian castle, the preparations for the play that will be performed by members of the Association of the blind are in the process. The play is dedicated to the Jews from America who are supposed to come and visit the place of their ancestor's massacre in 1942, during a raid in Novi Sad. The plot was to be carried out according to the original stories of witnesses who have gone through this tragic event. However, the initiators of the show manipulate the blind people in order to smuggle bombs for Albanian terrorists.

1947 saw the Communists come to power in Romania. It was also the year leading up to the formation of Israel. The two fledgling entities, the Jewish State and the Socialist Republic of Romania, both wanted something: the former, people; the latter money and supplies. Radu Gabrea’s fascinating documentary looks at the various deals struck to facilitate this transfer, which effectively resulted in a European country selling its own citizens.