A PAINFUL REMINDER (JV-503)
Efforts to document the Holocaust began while it was still happening. This documentary was filmed by a unit of the British Army in the spring of 1945. It recorded the actual moments at which prisoners in Nazi concentration camps were liberated, including interviews with camp survivors. Considered too controversial at the time, it was not publicly viewed until the 1980s. The film sketches Hitler's rise to power, then provides gruesome details of concentration and extermination camps such as Bergen-Belsen, Dachau, Buchenwald and Auschwitz. Besides on-scene comments by British troops, A Painful Reminder follows the stories of several Jewish survivors and carefully shows German municipal officials and citizens at the death camps. The film addresses the post-war political considerations that led to its being shelved for so many years.
72min., color and black & white, 1985. A.THE PAPER SUKKAH; On Daddy's Shoulders (JV-577)
Michael teaches his family all about the Jewish holidays. They willingly take part in celebrating Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, but Sukkot poses a problem. "We just can't build a sukkah," says his father. With scissors and paper, Michael shows everyone how in a magical story with special effects and a surprise ending.
15min., color, 1996. E, S.PARPAR NECHMAD-LOVELY BUTTERFLY.
These are excerpts from a very popular children's TV show by this name. Using puppets, games, songs and stories, Parpar Nechmad speaks to children about Jewish holidays and tradition.* Flowers for the Independence Day (JV-269) Includes the segments: Independence Day, Boxes, and Summer. 75min., color, 1990. Hebrew. K, P, E.
* Passover (JV-268) Includes also: Happy Kitchen and Clothing. 75min., color, 1990. Hebrew. K, P, E.
* Purim (JV-267) Includes also: Laughing, Voices and Sounds. 75min., color, 1991. Hebrew. K, P, E.
* Tishray Month (JV-265) Includes also: Flowers, and Quiet Please. 79min., color, 1990. Hebrew. K, P, E.
* Tu B'Shvat (JV-266) Includes two other stories. 75min., color, 1990. Hebrew. K, P, E.
THE PARTISANS OF VILNA (JV-122)
Told almost exclusively in the passionate words of the survivors, this production chronicles the Jewish resistance to Nazism in the Vilna Ghetto. The ghetto's young activists put aside their political differences (being Zionists, Communists, and Socialists) to issue a "call to arms" in order to prevent the Nazis from wiping out Vilna's Jewish population. When the opportunity to revolt comes, however, the people do not rise up and follow their young leaders. As a result, the entire city is eliminated, and only the activists survive after escaping to the woods.
130min., color and black & white, 1986. English & Yiddish/Hebrew w/English subtitles. S, A.PARTNERS (JV-799) <
From Golda Meir to Nejamin Netanyahu, Prime Ministers of Israel throughtout the decades talk about their connection to Hadassah.
30min., color, 1980. S,A.PASSOVER: Tradition of Freedom (JV-658)
This video explores traditional and ethnic celebrations of Passover from around the world.
Although this holiday is observed in a similar manner throughout the world, family and regional differences make each celebration a unique cultural experience. Shot entirely on location in Israel and the United States, the one-hour special intertwines ancient customs and individual family stories with the history of traditional Passover foods.
60min., color, 1997. S, A.PASSOVER ADVENTURE (JV-303)
This modern odyssey to capture the spirit of the Exodus from Egypt is based on a story by David A. Cohen. What would happen if one tried to follow the route of the Exodus from Egypt today? An American-born Israeli does so in order to celebrate Passover in a most special way. This video provides a refreshing introduction to the Festival of Freedom, filled with fun and song.
28min., color, 1987. P, E, S.A PASSOVER SEDER (JV-360)
Elie Wiesel, noted author, teacher, and Nobel Laureate, leads a Seder with an engaging combination of live action, original illustrations and animation. Children will be enchanted by the animation and songs, while parents will delight in the charming style, insight and commentary.
30min., color, 1994. E, S, A. Animated.THE PAWNBROKER (JV-17)
A World War II death camp survivor, his soul robbed of hope, runs a pawnshop in Harlem, New York where he is subjected to a parade of prostitutes, pimps, and thieves. He takes refuge in his misery and bitter condemnation of humanity, while his idealistic assistant dreams of a better life. When the assistant sacrifices his own life for the owner's during a robbery of the shop, the pawnbroker is finally confronted with the inherent goodness of the human spirit.
120min., black & white, 1965. A.PEOPLE OF THE BOOK: Esther (JV-361)
The popular story of the heroine of Purim, Queen Esther--the essence of Jewish existence in the diaspora. A young Jewish woman, catapulted from anonymity to become the Queen of Persia, uses her power and ingenuity to rescue her people from genocide.
23min., color, 1993. E, S, A.PEOPLE OF THE BOOK: Matityahu the Maccabee (JV-277E)
A family of priests in a small village in Judea initiates a courageous rebellion against the Greek oppressor and frees Jerusalem. See Russian version below (JV-277R)
25min., color, 1993. E, S, A.PEOPLE OF THE BOOK: Matityahu the Maccabee (JV-277R)
Same as above but in Russian.
25min., color, 1993. Russian. E, S, A.PEOPLE OF THE BOOK: Moses (JV-362)
This is the story of how the boy Moses, raised by Pharaoh's daughter and nurtured by his sister, became the savior of the Jewish people. Enslaved in Egypt, he eventually led them through the desert for 40 years until they reached the land of Israel.
24min., color, 1993. E, S, A.PEOPLE OF THE BOOK: Ruth (JV-363)
Ruth, the convert, the future mother of the House of David, followed her Jewish mother-in-law after her husband's death and became a symbol of devotion and commitment.
21min., color, 1993. E, S, A.PHIL DONAHUE: Parents Brainwash Kids (JV-274)
Television host Phil Donahue brings together three families in 1993: the family of Rabbi Chaim Tauber, a Hasidic Jew, the Williams family who are fundamentalist Christians, and a Mormon family. Donahue attempts to discover how much the influence of the parents and their totalitarian outlook on life have on their children and grandchildren, and how much of teachings falls under the description of the term "brainwashing" which they all denied.
30min., color, 1993. S, A.A PLACE FOR UNDERSTANDING (JV-184)
The story of Givat Haviva Institute is told through the friendship between an Israeli and Arab girl which started at the art lessons given at the Institute for combined classes of Jewish and Arab children.
18min., color, 1992. E, S, A.A PLAIN PINE BOX (JV-143)
This documentary takes the viewer through the process of establishing a "hevrah kadisha" (burial society) and educating the congregation that death and dying is as commonplace in the synagogue as the study of the rest of the Jewish life cycles.
30min., color, 1977. S, A.THE POWER OF KABBALAH (JV-423)
This video explores the ancient Judaic wisdom of Kabbalah: Ta'amei Torah. These basic principles of Kabbalah were passed through the sages from the time of Moses and the Zohar.
43min., color, 1996. S, A.PRAYER AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE (JV-452)
Divided into four 15-minute sections, the tape presents Dr. David Hartman of Hebrew University who explores the purpose and value of morning prayer, the Shema, the Amidah, and the transfer of prayer from "priesthood to the people."
60min., color, 1981. S, A.PREJUDICE: Answering Children's Questions (JV-441)
Hosting an audience of young children as culturally diverse as our nation, Peter Jennings leads an investigation of prejudice. Featuring a team of experts who conduct several enlightening experiments designed to help children better understand the roots of prejudice, this special presentation scrutinizes some of the influences that shape children's ideas about the world as well as stereotypes based on race, sex, religion and disability.
75min., color, 1992. K, P, E, S, A.PRESERVING THE PAST TO ENSURE THE FUTURE (JV-320)
This sensitive and soulful video deals with the most tragic victims of the Holocaust, the one and a half million children whose only "crime" was to have been born Jewish. We join visitors, young and old, white and black, Jew and Gentile, as they express their profound shock at the incomprehensible realities with which they are confronted on their visit to Jerusalem's Yad VaShem museum and its haunting Children's Memorial. Current news footage of racist violence around the world, juxtaposed with the poetry and art work of children who perished in the camps, makes this a stirring and powerful experience for young and old alike.
15min., color, 1989. E, S, A.A PRICE ABOVE RUBIES (JV-745)
This widely acclaimed motion picture, featuring outstanding performances from Renee Zellweger and Julianna Margulies, portrays the internal struggles of an ultra-Orthodox woman in America. After she marries, moves into a good neighborhood and has a beautiful baby, she discovers an exciting world beyond her tightly knot community. Mature adult scenes.
116min., color, 1998. A.THE PRINCE OF EGYPT (JV-700)
This is the extraordinary tale of two brothers, one born of royal blood, one an orphan with a secret past. Growing up the best of friends, they share a strong bond of free-spirited youth and good-natured rivalry. But the truth will ultimately set them at odds, as one becomes the ruler of the most powerful empire on earth, the other the chosen leader of his people. Their final confrontation will forever change their lives--and the world.
99min., color, 1999. S, A. Animated.PRISONER OF HONOR (JV-504)
In 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French artillery, was convicted of betraying military secrets and sentenced to life imprisonment. Four years later, the evidence used in his trial was exposed as a forgery, but it was not until 1906 that Dreyfus was exonerated. The case became a cause celebre in French political and intellectual circles and focused world attention on anti-Semitism in an "enlightened" democratic nation. Prisoner of Honor dramatizes the reopening of the Dreyfus Case by the new head of counterintelligence, whose code of honor is stronger than his personal distaste for Jews. Ultimately, one man's conscience forces a nation to face its prejudices.
85min., color, 1991. S, A.PRIVATE BENJAMIN (JV-505)
A Hollywood comedy about feminism and social commentary on growing up Jewish, female, and then enlisting in the Army. A spoiled young woman from a wealthy Philadelphia family becomes distraught for the first time in her life, when her boorish husband drops dead on their wedding night. What's a girl to do? Join the Army! She enlists under the impression that she can live an easy military lifestyle in an exotic paradise, but quickly finds herself in a rugged boot camp at the mercy of a strict drill sergeant. In a series of comical scenes contrasting her expectation with the realities of theArmy, she learns to tough it out, and in the process she earns a medal for courage.
110min., color, 1980. S, A.PROMISE FOR A THIRSTY LAND (JV-185)
Due to a drought that has overtaken the land, The Jewish National Fund is involved in helping Israel conserve its water supply and to create additional sources of water. JNF projects are already underway to expand water resources and make the most of Israel's land.
10min., color, 1991. E, S, A.PROTECTING LIBRARY MATERIALS FROM WEAR AND TEAR (JV-396)
Methods are described for using modern materials and adhesives to extend the useful life of magazines, paperbacks, and book jackets.
23min., color, 1991. A.THE PURPLE HEART (JV-506)
A World War II film about eight Americans captured by the Japanese, subjected to torture and put on trial, which, if they are found guilty, will lead to their execution. This video reflects American attitudes toward the war and declares social inclusiveness as an American virtue. The eight Americans of diverse backgrounds are sustained by their sense of justice, loyalty and patriotism. By including a Jewish character, the film documents Jewish integration into the American society.
98min., black & white, 1944. A.THE QUARREL (JV-499)
Montreal, 1948. A miraculous reunion of two Holocaust survivors who were friends in the past and students in the same Yeshiva leads to a searing examination of the questions all must answer before they can find a future. One has become deeply religious, despite his own suffering and the loss of his family. The other, a writer, has turned his back on God because of his suffering and the loss of his family. They nurse the wounds of both the Holocaust and the fight they had the night the writer left the Yeshiva for a life without religion. Now they have one afternoon to reconcile their differences, renew their faith and friendship, or remain forever prisoners of the past. The Quarrel is not just a quarrel between the two men, it is also a quarrel between man and his God.
85min., color, 1990. S, A.QUEEN ESTHER (JV-648)
This animated story about Queen Esther, part of the Greatest Adventure Stories from the Bible Series, tells about her bravery and triumph over evil and prejudice in the face of Haman's plot against all the Jews of the kingdom.
27min., color, 1991. E, S. Animated.HA-RA'ASHAN (The Gragger) (JV-99)
It's Purim, but David's gragger won't make a sound. When he discovers its incredible secret, the surprise is a special Purim treat. This film in easy Hebrew reinforces the joys of holiday observance, the value of Jewish tradition and ritual, and important Hebrew language skills.
10min., color, Hebrew. K, P, E. Animated. Teacher/Leader's GuideRADIO DAYS (JV-507)
This video serves up a rich picture of Jewish family life in Rockaway Beach, New York, during the 1940s. Many of the details are autobiographical, including a skinny redheaded nebbish of a boy named Joe, patterned after Woody Allen himself. Joe and his mother and father are a lower-middle-class Jewish family whose lives revolve around the radio. The plot cuts back and forth between exciting live broadcasts to a home-full of characters equally as entertaining as Allen transcends boundaries of imagination to create a warmhearted look at why radio was such a magical and unifying force.
96min., color, 1987. S, A.RAPMATAZZ: a Notebook Against Prejudice (JV-254)
Different kinds of prejudice are shown: race, religion, color, sex, handicapped. The ADL-produced video shows several steps in the recognition process which lead to dealing with prejudice.
24min., color. S, A. Teacher Guide.RASHI: A Light After the Dark Ages (JV-285)
Set in the 11th Century "Rashi"is the story of an unusual hero, a Bible commentator who lived at the beginning of the Reign of Terror - The Crusades. A winemaker by trade Rashi taught his daughter to read and write in an age of ignorance and illiteracy. He debated politics and ideology with his Christian neighbors, and delved into the deeper mysteries of the Bible. Confronting the violent turn of history brought on by the Crusades, Rashi defended his people's rights to spiritual choice and freedom. To understand Rashi is to understand the story of the Jews.
Color, 1999. E, S, A.THE REBBE'S ADVICE (JV-85)
This up-to-date animated retelling of an old Yiddish Hasidic tale demonstrates the staunch faith that Hasidism had in their "Rebbes" (spiritual leaders) to guide them even in mundane matters. When Yankele's wife complains that their house is too small, he asks the Rebbe for advice. The Rebbe's counsel, which at first seems absurd, helps everyone realize that space is only what one makes of it.
10min., color, K, P, E, S, A. Animated.REFLECTIONS (JV-106)
A young American is confronted with his Jewishness and with the question, "Why don't you want to live in Israel?" His imaginary Israeli double repeats all the reasons Americans give for living in the United States while loving Israel, thereby airing the great "Zionist Dilemma."
15min., color, E, S, A. Teacher/Leader's Guide.THE RELUCTANT DRAGON (JV-442)
A Walt Disney Mini-Classic, The Reluctant Dragon is not your usual fierce, fire-breathing terror. He would rather sit around sipping tea, reciting poetry and singing slap-happy songs--until a young boy and a renowned dragon fighter team up to teach the docile creature how to be fierce.
28min., color, 1987. K, P. AnimatedREMEMBERING ELLIS ISLAND: Everyman's Monument (JV-151)
A comprehensive documentary of the Ellis Island story. Viewers go behind the scenes into the ruins of the unrestored building and grounds, especially through the various rooms and halls, to the new exhibits and Immigrant Wall of Honor, and finally the Museum Dedication Ceremony.
60min., color, E, S, A.RESCUE IN OCTOBER (JV-358)
Prepared by the ADL, this video tells the story of the heroic rescue of the Jews of Denmark using authentic film footage and interviews with rescuers and survivors, when a whole nation mobilized to hide the Jews and eventually to put them on boats which took them to neutral Sweden.
14min., color and black & white, 1993. E, S, A.THE RETURN: a Hasidic Experience (JV-391)
An absorbing, enlightening film about the reawakening of strict Orthodox Judaism, especially Hasidism, among heretofore alienated Jewish youth. Isaac Bashevis Singer provides a short introduction to Hasidism and its unique life style. The viewer will start to understand the forces which drove these Jews away from their religion and then attracted them back. While this represents only one type of Jewish lifestyle, it sheds light on an important reaffirmation of religion today.
27min., color, 1979. S, A.THE RETURN OF SARAH'S DAUGHTERS (JV-634)
This compelling personal documentary is about secular women drawn to Jewish Orthodoxy and the filmmaker's own journey that illuminates the modern conflict between assimilation and tradition, community, and individualism.
56min., color, 1997. S, A.RETURN TO LIFE: The Holocaust Survivors: From Liberation to Rehabilitation (JV-484E)
English version. Five survivors tell their stories from the moment they came out of the death camps, the forests and their hiding places, until the day they emigrated to Israel and resumed a normal life. The day of liberation, the taste of the bread and cheese, the loneliness, the longing for a family and for their childhood, their hope to find some relatives somewhere--all these emotions and memories from the past come to life in this recorded testimony. The film also presents scenes from documentary films taken in DP camps, accompanying the survivors on the Bricha (escape) routes, and during the "illegal" emigration, as well as in the detention camps in Cyprus, and finally on to Israel. See Hebrew version, Lachazor VeLichyot (JV-484H)
60min., color and black & white, 1990. Hebrew w/English subtitles. S, A.LACHAZOR VELICHYOT (JV-484H)
Same description as above in "Return to Life."
60min., color and black & white, 1990. Hebrew. S, A.RETURN TRIPS (JV-508)
In embracing the freedom and opportunity of their new homeland, many Jewish immigrants abandoned, distorted, or watered down their spiritual heritage. To many of their children and grandchildren, Judaism held no particular interest. Against all odds, however, a remarkable resurgence of Jewish identity began in the late 1960s. Using archival material, music, and memories, Return Trips chronicles both the Americanization of early Jewish immigrants and the "return" of a generation formed by the counterculture movement.
60min., color, 1995. A.THE RITE OF CIRCUMCISION (JV-126)
Rabbi Gerald Chirnomas, a certified Mohel trained at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, talks about the Jewish significance of circumcision and includes a ceremony being performed at the home of a newborn baby.
30min., color, 1989. S, A.RITUAL: Three Portraits of Jewish Life (JV-314)
In this documentary, examines three Jewish religious rituals: daily prayer as an example of repetitive ritual; the building of a sukkah typifying the celebration of a festival; and circumcision marking a milestone in the life cycle. Each demonstrates the attempt of one tradition to give structure to time and space and thus add meaning to our lives.
60min., color, 1993. S, A. Guide.THE ROAD TO RABIN SQUARE (JV-780)
This is a highly controversial documentary examining the events leading up to the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995. It includes interviews with assassin Yigal Amir, his parents, members of Knesset and many other leading Israeli figures, as it tries to help us understand the extreme divisions within Israeli society.
60min., color, 1997. English and Hebrew w/subtitles. S, A.ROCKET GIBRALTAR (JV-165)
A grandfather, about to turn 77, invites his four children and eight grandchildren to visit him at home on an idyllic seashore. The close-knit family shares a warm relationship with their father, a writer, professor, comic, and lover of the sea. But what begins as a joyful day marking his milestone in life turns into an ironic event as the grandchildren honor his most cherished wish.
100min., color, 1989. S, A.THE ROSE GARDEN (Der Rosengarten) (JV-203)
In modern Germany, Holocaust survivor Aaron Reichenbach stands accused of a seemingly unprovoked attack on an elderly businessman. His defense is taken up by a tenacious attorney who, with Aaron's help, reveals that the attacked man presided over a brutal Nazi death camp and the extermination of innocent children.
152min., color, 1990. A.ROUTES OF EXILE: A Moroccan Jewish Odyssey (JV-331)
A look at the remnant of the Jewish community left in Morocco provides a new perspective on the current crisis of Jews in a modern Arab state and in the Middle East. Some of the questions explored in this video are: Can Jews and Arabs live together peacefully in the Middle East? Can Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews live together peacefully in Israel? These topics are explored as we watch the story of the Moroccan Jews in their journey from antiquity to today's turbulence.
90min., color, 1982. S, A.RU-BARB PRE-SCHOOL HOLIDAY SERIES (JV-174)
This video is suitable for young children showing holiday arts and crafts, the way to celebrate each holiday, and specific traditions connected with Simchat Torah, Hanukkah, Purim, and Passover.
38min., color. K, P.A RUGRATS CHANUKAH (JV-608)
Spin the dreidel! Fry up the latkes! It's Chanukah, and everyone is off to the synagogue to watch Grandpa Boris perform at the holiday fair. But as the actors play out the Maccabee's biblical struggle against King Antiochus, the Rugrats are off tracking down a mysterious villain of their own. Get ready to hear the story of Chanukah as only the Rugrats can tell it, featuring Tommy the Maccabee, an ancient idol named Cynthia, and Stu's own turbo-charger menorah.
33min., color, 1997. K, P, E. Animated.A RUGRATS PASSOVER (JV-415)
Grandma Minka is in tears when her Seder guests arrive. She and Grandpa Boris have had an argument and now he disappeared. Discovered in the attic by Tommy, Chuckie, and three-year-old Angelica, Grandpa Boris turns the oft-told tale into a riveting adventure for his Rugrat audience.
25min., color, 1996. K, P, E. Animated.RUTH (Testament Series) (JV-688)
The story of Ruth, whose name has become synonymous with love and fidelity. After her husband dies, Ruth insists on staying with her mother-in-law, who is Jewish, even though Ruth isn't. The story provides a lesson in interfaith loyalty and devotion.
30min., color, 1998. E, S, A. Animated.THE SABBATH KIT (JV-83)
An animated set of trigger films relates the essence of Shabbat and how it affects human relationships, Shabbat's message about nature, Shabbat's challenge to the tensions between materialism and family, and a Shabbat perspective about people and technology.
22min., color. E, P, S, A. Teacher/Leader's Guide.SADAT IN ISRAEL (JV-509)
This CBS Network News program reports on the 1977 trip to Israel by Egyptian President Sadat preceding the Camp David Peace Accords, Egypt becoming the first Arab country to proclaim Israel's right to exist and to negotiate peace after generations of hostilities and four major wars.
25min., color, 1977. A.SAINT CLARA and PERSONAL GOALS (Clara Hakdosha and Goal Atzmi) (JV-640)
One of the most popular Israeli films of recent years, Saint Clara presents a jumpy, highly energetic, lively off-kilter Israel where love and the apocalypse seem interconnected. A Russian immigrant teenage girl whose clairvoyant power creates mayhem among the students of her junior high school and her town finds that this power may not last forever the first time she falls in love. Personal Goals is a short film that tells of a working-class father who hopes in vain that his son will become a famous soccer star.
85min./16min., color, 1996. Hebrew w/English subtitles. S, A.SALLAH (JV-35)
This is the story of an Oriental Jew's successful campaign against Israeli bureaucracy and Western culture as he pokes fun at human inadequacies in a courageous way. He is a man both humble and wily, arriving in Israel in 1949 with a large family and no money. When he discovers that life will be far from luxurious, he sets about correcting the situation in every way but working.
100min., black & white, 1965. Hebrew w/English subtitles. E, S, A.SAKHAROV (JV-166)
The story of one man's rebellion against Soviet tyranny and his fight for freedom and human rights against the oppressive government.
118min., color, 1984. A.SAMSON AND DELILAH (JV-205A, JV-205B)
This two-part epic tells the story of Samson, often torn between his personal strengths and weaknesses, and the woman Delilah who betrayed him.
128min., color, 1949. A.SAMSON AND DELILAH (JV-789A, JV-789B)
A two-part story tells of the simple shepherd, Samson, with the strength of a titan and belief in God, who was destined to fight the Philistines, but torn between his love for a beautiful woman and his love for his people.
182min., color, 1996. A.SAMSON ET DALILA (The Opera) (JV-663)
Placido Domingo and Shirley Verrett star in the title roles in this live recording from the San Francisco Opera of Saint-Saens' great three-act opera, which closely follows the biblical tale of the struggle between the Hebrews and the Philistines and the downfall of Samson in the hands of the temptress Delilah.
117min., color, 1981. Italian. S, A.SAYING KADDISH (JV-293)
Death is an inevitable fact of life, and every religious tradition tries to help its adherents to cope with loss. Saying Kaddish is the story of a Jewish family affirming life in the face of death, and of the community from which it draws its support. Starring Tovah Feldshuh, Phyllis Newman, and Stephen Pearlman.
58min., color, 1991. S, A. Guide.SCHINDLER: His Story As Told By Actual People He Saved (JV-404)
A black marketeer, gambler, and womanizer, Oskar Schindler was a schemer and profiteer--who also saved the lives of over 1,000 Jews from Hitler's Final Solution by using them in his factories at great risk to himself. The tape includes interviews with several of the survivors.
82min., color and black & white, 1982. S, A.SCHINDLER'S LIST (JV-349A, JV-349B)
Based on the book by Thomas Keneally, Steven Spielberg created this unforgettable movie, the true story of how the German war profiteer and prison camp director Oskar Schindler came to save more Jews from the gas chambers than any other single person during World War II. This extraordinary tale came to represent the Holocaust in the same way that the Diary of Anne Frank is synonymous with the fate of the Jewish children. This movie focused once more the attention of the whole world upon the inhumanity toward the Jews and the rare instances of humanitarian help given by too few.
197min., color and black & white, 1994. S, A. Guide.SCHOOL TIES (JV-341)
When a working-class teenager in the 1950s receives a football scholarship to an exclusive prep school, it seems an opportunity too good to be true. He becomes the team hero and the attention of a beautiful debutante. His life changes when it is revealed that he is Jewish, and he becomes the object of ridicule and scorn. As he develops a sense of his own identity and heritage, he must make the most important decision of his life.
110min., color, 1992. S, A.SCROLL FROM A SON OF A STAR (JV-240)
Documentary based on the book, Bar Kokhba, by Yigael Yadin, this video traces the history of the Jewish exiles from Jerusalem by the Roman conquerors in 70 C.E. with the destruction of the Temple. In the year 124 C.E., Bar Kokhba led an uprising against the Roman Empire, and for two years Israel was once again free. But eventually, the overwhelming might of the Roman armies brought the revolt to an end, Bar Kokhba fled with his followers to the Judean Desert, and was finally wiped out by the Roman legions.
50min., color, 197?. S, A.A SEAL UPON THY HEART (JV-78)
Insight into the meaning of marriage for Jews evolves from the study of a young couple as they search out their approach to marriage. By introducing Orthodox Biblical and Talmudic sources during an interview between the couple and Rabbi Maurice Lamm, the film offers the decisions and challenges facing the couple within the broader context of their Jewish experience.
30min., color, 1975. S, A.SEARCHING FOR GOD IN AMERICA (JV-670)
Rabbi Harold Kushner's first book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, chronicles his test of faith when his son was diagnosed with a fatal disorder. In this book, he probes the beliefs and the passions of the most respected and provocative religious leaders in the United States, and discusses the meaning of the religious resurgence in America, what Americans believe, and what happens when the issues of contemporary life intersect with beliefs.
30min., color, 1996. S, A.THE SECRET IN BUBBIE'S ATTIC (JV-175)
There is a lively magical secret hidden among the cobwebs in Grandmother's attic, a secret that will charm children of all ages. A Torah, a shofar, a Hanukkah menorah, and a very special piece of cloth are woven together into the fabric of entertaining and educational stories and songs by the multi-talented singer and storyteller, Eva Grayzel.
43min., color, 1991. K, P, E.A SECRET SPACE (JV-71)
Set in New York City, this film tells the story of a sensitive thirteen-year-old boy who discovers an abandoned synagogue on the Lower East Side which is being rebuilt by a motley congregation. His hip, liberal parents "freak out" when they discover his involvement with religion. The ensuing conflict and its ultimate resolution at the boy's Bar Mitzvah is the subject of this comedy-drama.
80min., color, 1977. E, S, A.SECRETS OF JERUSALEM (JV-383)
An exploration of the life and the times of the First and Second Temple periods hidden beneath the soil of centuries. Israel's leading archaeologists guide viewers through the tunnels and caves that played a vital role in Jerusalem's ancient history and the digs and excavations that verify Biblical accounts.
27min., color, 1984. S, A.SECRETS OF THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS (JV-583)
This PBS NOVA program looks at the discovery of and the laborious, controversial, and often political process of compiling and releasing the document treasures.
58min., color, 1991. S, A.SECRETS OF DISCIPLINE FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS: 12 Keys For Raising Responsible Children (JV-754)
A video-companion to the accompanying book by the same title presents workshops and techniques for raising responsible children without deal-making, arguments, and confrontations.
80min., color, 1997. A.SECRETS OF THE UNKNOWN: Pyramids (JV-724)
This video is an incredible visual/hi-fi experience - daringly showcasing the bizarre, the terrifying and the real. You will travel into the eye of another mystical dimension, an arena of strange and unnatural phenomena that previously defied explanation. Pyramids: were they tombs, or temples to the Gods? Did legions of ancient laborers work non-stop for years constructing them, or were the Pyramids built by Extraterrestrials? What is the secret supernatural power of the Pyramids?
30min., color, 1999. S, A.SEPHARAD: The Music of the Jews from Spain (JV-332)
This video presents music of the romanceros (Ladino love songs), as well as lullabies, wedding tunes, and songs of mourning and melodies from the synagogue.
27min., color, 1993. S, A.SEPHARDIC MELODIES (JV-59)
A presentation of music, celebration, and life of Sephardic Jews is shown with Yitzchak Bitton's Sephardic band in Brooklyn.
45min., color, 1987. K, P, E, S, A.SESAME STREET (Rehov Sumsum) (JV-206)
A special Sesame Street program combines American and Israeli Sesame Street characters in a variety show of stories, songs, and tours of Israel, starring Mandy Patinkin and Mary Tyler Moore. 35min., color, 1984. English and Hebrew with no subtitles. E, S.SEVEN KEYS TO JEWISH LIFE (JV-702)
The seven keys covered in this video include The Sabbath, What is Kosher, Chanukah, The Shofar, Mezuzah, Tfilin, and Tzedakah: The Jewish concept of charity. While learning these traditions, we visit a scribe, a family celebrating Shabbat and Chanukah, and see Jewish history through unforgettable photographs and paintings. Whenever prayers are recited, the text appears on the screen in transliteration and in English.
60min., color, 1998. S, A.SEVENTH HEAVEN: I Hate You (JV-718)
A Holocaust survivor relates her story to children and parents at a Holocust Remembrance ceremony in school. Taken from the television series.
47min., color, 1998. E, S, A.HASEVIVON MEHAPESS HAVER (The Driedl Seeks a Friend) (JV-97)
An unhappy driedl needs a friend, and when he finds one, the Festival of Lights really shines. This animated film in easy Hebrew reinforces the joys of the holiday observance, the value of Jewish tradition and ritual, and important Hebrew language skills.
10min., color, 1976. Hebrew. P, E. Animated. Teacher/Leader's Guide.B>SHABBAT CRAFTS AND HEBREW SONGS FOR CHILDREN (JV-128)
Naomi Miller, who has a special interest in performing for the deaf, teaches the home audience how to sign and perform a Hebrew song for young audiences. Joan Castine, an early childhood educator, demonstrates three Shabbat craft projects for young children.
30min., color, 1988. P, E.THE SHABBAT EXPERIENCE (JV-290)
Shabbat is the most important ritual in Judaism, but is often the most misunderstood and criticized tradition. Through the eyes of the video camera, the meaning of the sanctity of the Sabbath is revealed through the observances of a Jewish family that's strengthened in a spirit of joy and peace.
60min., color, 1989. E, S, A. Guide.THE SHADOW OF HATE (JV-364)
Through documentary footage and eyewitness reports, this video spans three centuries to examine America's ongoing struggle with its ideals of liberty, equality and justice for all. Viewers are given a powerful perspective on historical events from the ordinary people who lived through them.
40min., color, 1995. S, A. Guide.SHADOWS BETWEEN FRIENDS (JV-256)
The story of two friends, a Mexican American and a White American in California, who confront prejudice and the effect it has on their friendship.
30min., color. E, S, A.THE SHALOM EXPRESS (JV-102)
In this video you are transported to a wonderful land of enjoyable and educational stories and songs. There are short segments depicting the alphabet, Abraham as a child, a hummingbird learning to honor his parents, singing cows, stealing, kosher foods and olive oil. The animation is rudimentary with primarily still cartoon figures and pictures.
22min., color, K, P. Animated.SHALOM SESAME: The Series (JV-91)
The Land of Israel - Show #1 (JV-91)
This episode introduces the excitement of city life and the silent beauty of the desert. Along the way, viewers travel to the major cities and Caesaria, where violinist Itzhak Perlman plays at an open air concert. Mary Tyler Moore and Bonnie Franklin learn Hebrew words to make new Israeli friends, and the Israeli muppet characters carry on a Hebrew/English conversation.
30min., color, 1986. K, P, E. English and Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P, E.Tel Aviv - Show #2 (JV-92)
Itzhak Perlman introduces viewers to the sites of his hometown, including the bustling Carmel Market, the Tel Aviv boardwalk and beach, and the ancient city of Jaffa. Bonnie Franklin, braving her first camel ride, realizes that a "gamal" is definitely not a "gimmel," while muppet characters have fun at the beach, and young Uri surprises the Tel Aviv soccer team with his skills.
30min., color, 1986. English and Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P, E.Kibbutz - Show #3 (JV-93)
Bonnie Franklin visits Kibbutz Ein Gedi on the shores of the Dead Sea and learns about the kibbutz kids' unique way of life and the surprising product of the kibbutz factory. Back on Rehov Sumsum, muppet characters try to count their chicks before they hatch and create the world's worst cereal to teach the Hebrew letter, "Daled." Itzhak Perlman fiddles with the number, "Arba."
30min., color, 1986. English and Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P, E.People of Israel - Show #4 (JV-94)
Itzhak Perlman explores the colorful mix of people that make up Israel's population by meeting with children that come from many different countries. Also, a Druze girl invites viewers to her remote village and shows her home. Bonnie Franklin introduces a Hebrew rock video, and Jewish and Arab children sing Shalom Sesame's version of "It's A Small World After All."
30min., color, 1986. English and Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P, E.Jerusalem - Show #5 (JV-95)
Viewers tour Israel's City of Peace with Itzhak Perlman, Bonnie Franklin, and their young Israeli friends as guides, visiting the Western Wall and the Arab market and learning about the Knesset, Israel's parliament. The visit finishes with a new rock video.
30min., color, 1986. English and Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P, E.Chanukah - Show #6 (JV-132)
Jeremy Miller takes a trip to Modi'in, the ancient home of the Maccabees, plays along with the game show, Driedl of Fortune, marvels at the creation of jelly donuts for Chanukah, and helps pay tribute with others to a famous Chanukah hero.
30min., color, 1990. English and Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P, E.Sing Around the Seasons - Show #7 (JV-133)
A sing-a-long with Sesame Street pals as the seasons change in Israel, and autumn brings the New Year. Visit the Palmachim Beach for the thrill of the Summer Games and the agony of the mud-pie toss.
30min., color, 1990. English and Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P, E.Journey to Secret Places - Show #8 (JV-134)
Jeremy Miller and friends travel through a mysterious tunnel that magically transports them to exotic places off the beaten path in Israel. Their wild goat chase brings them to the beautiful beaches of Palmachim, through the enchanting underground caves of Beit Guvrin, to the secret passageways behind the Western Wall. Later, they try to unravel the mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
30min., color, 1990. English and Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P, E.Aleph Bet Telethon: Discovering the Hebrew Alphabet - Show #9 (JV-153)
Have all the letters on Israel's Sesame Street really disappeared since all the street signs have gone blank and the newspapers have no print? Viewers join Jerry Stiller and friends as they try to raise all 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet with a terrific telethon. More friends call in to make special letter donations, but the suspense remains as everyone tries to find the last missing letter.
30min., color, 1991. English and Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P, E.Passover-Jerusalem Jones and the Lost Afikomen - Show #10 (JV-154)
Sarah Jessica Parker and the whole Shalom Sesame gang are about to have the Passover adventure of a lifetime. The Afikoman has vanished, and without it the Shalom Sesame Seder can never end. They leap into the pages of the haggadah to search for clues and find themselves in ancient Egypt trying to escape from the world's largest matzah ball. Sarah Jessica Parker, disguised as a roving reporter, gets the point of view of the kids on the street on why this night is different from all others.
30min., color, 1991. English and Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P, E.Kids Sing Israel, Grouches Don't - Show #11 (JV-155)
A sing-a-long with favorite Israeli and Shalom Sesame songs in English, Hebrew, and even in "Grouch," as band leader Paul Schaffer tries to send musical greetings to his friends in Jerusalem, and guitarist B.B. King tries to teach his guitar to play in Hebrew. The rest is a lot of singing and dancing with all the Sumsum kids and even a guest appearance by violinist Itzhak Perlman.
30min., color, 1991. English and Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P, E.SHALOM SHABBAT (JV-376)
Chaim Topol and Hanny Nachmias present this colorful video. Traditional and contemporary Shabbat song and stories have been adapted with modern arrangements in this delightful program for all ages. Songs include: Lecha Dodi, Shalom Aleichem, Hinei Ma Tov, and many others. Stories include: Yosef Mokir Shabbat and The Boy with the Prayer. Colorful animation brings the stories to life.
45min., color, 1994. English w/Hebrew songs. K, P.SHARI'S PASSOVER SURPRISE (JV-488)
Shari Lewis and gang are preparing to celebrate Passover with the traditional Jewish Seder as Lamb Chop, Hush Puppy, and Charlie Horse demonstrate that kids will be kids. While Charlie Horse convinces Dom DeLuise to cook the entire Seder dinner (matzah balls or meatballs), Lamb Chop rehearses her four questions with the cat, and Hush Puppy practices sniffing out the hidden matzah (Afikomen) with his superior doggy nose. In the midst of all the singing, dancing, and general hilarity, Shari and the puppets share the story of Passover and all the wonderful traditions surrounding this very special holiday, including retelling the story of the ten plagues and the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt.
60min., color, 1997. E, S.SHINE (JV-611)
The compelling and poignant true story of a young man who defies his father's wishes in order to pursue his dreams. The father, a Holocaust survivor, can not face the separation from his talented son. The son, who leaves home and carries the guilt of his defiance and the father's unforgiving stand toward him, finally has a mental breakdown and is hospitalized for many years. His own talent and the love of a woman pave the way for a renewal of his career as a concert pianist. The film tells a story of rebellion and of individuality through the eyes of the pianist whose only form of self-expression is found in the keys of his instrument.
105min., color, 1996. A.SHIP OF FOOLS (JV-55)
A cross-section of humanity, including Jews, Germans, and Americans travel on a luxury liner from Mexico to Germany in 1933, seemingly oblivious to the maelstrom into which they are heading. The ship's passengers, representing a metaphor for the world at the time of Hitler's ascension to power, reveal the mentality of the pre-war world.
149min., color, 1965. S, A.SHIRIM K'TANIM: Hebrew Songs for children (JV-176)
Israeli television stars perform a variety of song accompanied by colorful animation and illustrations.
40min., color, 1991/92. Hebrew. K, P, E.SHIRIM K'TANIM, No. 2: More Hebrew Songs for Children (JV-510)
27 popular Hebrew nursery rhymes with animated figures.
45min., color, 1991. Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P.SHIRIM K'TANIM, No. 3: Hebrew Birthday Songs for Children (JV-511)
33 Israeli birthday and party songs.
42min., color, 1991. Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P.SHIRIM K'TANIM, No. 4: Hebrew Songs for Children at the Zoo (JV-512)
31 animal songs.
45min., color, 1991. Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P.SHIRIM K'TANIM, No. 5:Hebrew Songs for children, Festivals and Seasons (JV-513)
30 Israeli and Jewish festival songs, Part I.
40min., color, 1991. Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P.SHIRIM K'TANIM, No. 6: Funny Hebrew Songs For Children (JV-514)
24 humorous Israeli songs.
40min., color, 1991. Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P.SHIRIM K'TANIM, No. 7: Hebrew Songs For Children, Festivals and Seasons (JV-515)
32 Israeli and Jewish festival songs, Part II.
40min., color, 1992. Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P.SHIRIM K'TANIM, No. 8: Hebrew Songs for Children, "I Want To Be..." (JV-516)
25 Israeli songs for line dances and clapping games.
50min., color, 1993. Hebrew w/English subtitles. K, P.SHIVA (JV-636)
Beautiful, 25-year-old Gaby works for a catering service specializing in cooking for and giving advice to families during the traditional seven-day mourning period. The sudden death of a young cello player from the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra brings her into a very delicate situation. The spirit of the deceased hovers over all who are present, but Gaby is the only one who truly manages to connect with it. This surreal drama offers a fascinating glimpse into a contemporary Israeli family caught between modernity and tradition.
50min., color, 1995. Hebrew w/English subtitles. S, A.SHOAH (JV-709, JV-710, JV-711, JV-712)
Claude Lanzmann spent eleven years spanning the globe for surviving camp inmates, SS commandants, and eyewitnesses of the Final Solution--the Nazi's effort to systematically exterminate human beings. Without dramatic enactment or archival footage, but with extraordinary testimonies, Shoah renders the step-by-step machinery of extermination: the minutiae of timetables and finances, the logistics of herding victims into the gas chambers and disposing of the corpses afterward, the bureaucratic procedures which expedited the killing of millions of people without mentioning the words "killing" or "people." 9hoah is a heroic endeavor to humanize the inhuman, to tell the untellable. There are few works of art which leave one with such a deep appreciation for the preciousness and meaning of life.
4hrs. 264min., color, 1985. English, French, Polish, Hebrew, Yiddish, Italian w/ English Subtitles. S, A.THE SHOP ON MAIN STREET (Obchod na korze) (JV-30)
A Czechoslovakian film that examines the farcical and touching relationship between an elderly Jewish shopkeeper and her Nazi appointed "Aryan controller." The overseer is unable to explain his position, but gradually accepts the shop-owner's position that he is her assistant. When the Jews are ordered to be deported, he tries to shield her, but tragically kills her instead.
126min., black & white, 1965. Czech w/English subtitles. S, A.THE SHTETL (JV-353)
The video presents a photo-documented overview of small town life in Eastern Europe, including the traditional values and culture leading to an understanding of the relationship of the Jews to the shtetl.
16min., black & white, 1994. E, S, A. Teacher's guide.SHVITZ: My Yiddish Work-Out (JV-588)
Designed as a follow-along exercise routine that can be done without special equipment at home with Klezmer music in the background and Yiddish encouragement.
30min., color. S, A.SID CAESAR IN "YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS" (JV-517)
Vintage comic sketches from the hit television show of the 1950's. Your Show of Shows made television history. In television's infancy, the comedy show was broadcast live every Saturday night. Its hilarious and original sketches, starring Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Nannette Fabray, Carl Reiner and others, had much of America laughing. The show was written by a stellar group of writers, including Neil Simon, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen and Larry Gelbart. Although the humor is rarely explicitly "Jewish," viewers might recognize the underlying Jewish sensibility. The sketches featured in this tape are typical scenes and subjects, like "The Professor," comical family conflicts and everyday dilemmas, and parodies of high culture, Hollywood and foreign films.
79min., black & white, 1993. A.SIEGE (Matzor) (JV-305)
Tamar is an Israeli woman who loses her husband during the Six Day War. Her husband's friends do not want his memory to be forgotten, and this forces her into the role of the ever-mourning widow. Tamar, living with her young son, attempts to break away from the past and form new relationships to normalize her life.
95min., black & white, 1970. Hebrew w/English subtitles. A. Guide.SING ALONG WITH ISRAEL (JV-1)
A full hour of 22 Israeli songs produced in honor of Israel's 40th anniversary, also showing scenery from Israel, folk-dancing, and documentary footage from the years gone by. Words appear on screen in Hebrew and in English transliteration.
56min., color, 1989. Hebrew songbook with English transliteration. P, S.A.SMALL WONDER PUPPET THEATER: Punch and Judaism (JV-103)
This video contains two programs, 1. Tzedakah Saves From Harm; II. I'm Happy To Be Me, as an entertaining way for children to learn basic ethics and Jewish pride.
30min., color. K, P.SO MANY MIRACLES (JV-519)
Many of the Jews who survived the Holocaust owe their lives to "righteous gentiles" who imperiled their own lives by assisting Jewish friends and neighbors. The emotions of those years remain undimmed by the passage of time, as Jews recall the fateful decisions, personal courage, and twists of luck that helped them slip through the Nazi's killing machine. So Many Miracles follows the emotional return to Poland of Israel and Frania Rubinek, who now resides in Israel, and documents their reunion with Sofia Banya, the woman who saved their lives forty years ago by hiding them from the Nazis for 28 months, despite her husband's reluctance and the constant danger to her family.
58min., color, 1993. A.SODOM AND GOMORRAH (JV-223)
The twin cities were built on barbarous cruelty and ruled by unspeakable vice. It was the story of Lot, who brought his family to the cities and was saved before God's wrath was unleashed on the wickedness.
148min., color, 1963. A.SOLDIER OF THE NIGHT (Hayal Ha-Layla) (JV-167)
In Tel-Aviv, where people have lived with war for many years, it has become an accepted part of life. All young men wear uniforms and serve in the army. Someone is murdering those young soldiers. Is this the work of a terrorist or is it one lone maniac? Against this backdrop of war, fear and violence, two young people fall in love, but a cloud of suspicion hangs over their relationship. A taut, tightly-paced drama directed by Dan Wolman.
89min, color, 1984. Dubbed in English. A.SOLOMON AND SHEBA (JV-615)
A remake of the film, The Queen of Sheba (1921), recounting Solomon's troubles shortly after the death of his father, King David, who appointed Solomon as his successor instead of the older brother, Adonijah. Meanwhile, the Egyptian Pharoah agrees to cede a Red Sea port to the Queen of Sheba if she can find a way to destroy Solomon.
77min., color, 1959. S, A.SONG OF THE SEPHARDI (JV-140)
A feature-length documentary film about the Sephardim, the descendants of the Jews that were expelled from Spain in 1492 by the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. It pictorially recounts the story of the Golden Age in Moorish Spain through the fateful years of the Inquisition, the Expulsion in 1492, and the subsequent dispersion of the Sephardim throughout the Mediterranean. The film focuses on the use of Judeo-Spanish in the synagogue and home and during the Passover and Shabbat services. It also includes traditional lyrics and folk songs that have been preserved by the Sephardim for the last 500 years.
75min., color, 1978. E, S, ASONG OF THE SIREN (Shirat Ha-Sirena) (JV-632)
Based on Irit Linur's best-selling novel, this film focuses on the life of 32 year old Talila Katz. Talila, preoccupied with her turbulent love life, could care less about the wailing sirens which pierce the Tel-Aviv skies nightly during the Gulf War- - that is, until her love life takes a turn for the worse and reality comes rushing in. Suddenly, she is faced with two dangers - Saddam Hussein's nightly missiles and marriage to an "unsuitable" suitor.
91min., color. 1994. Hebrew w/English subtitles. A.SOPHIE'S CHOICE (JV-12)
A personalized view of the Holocaust and its devastating effect on one woman who survived its shattering experience. A tragic Polish Catholic beauty, having survived Auschwitz and resettled in America after World War II, endures an unstable relationship in a Brooklyn boarding house while harboring terrible secrets from the past.
155min., color, 1982. S, A.SOUVENIRS FROM ISRAEL (JV-224)
Fifty and still fabulous; in only a short period of time, Israel has developed a fabulous country where once deserts and swamps abounded. In honor of its 50th Anniversary, you are invited to take part in an exciting tour of Israel. View the arid vistas of the southern deserts, the beauty of the Golan Heights, Ein Gedi, the undersea world of the Red Sea, the heroic site of Masada, the wonders of the Dead Sea and the unique bird's eye view of the cities. Of course, no tour would be complete without Jerusalem.
60min., color, 1997. S, A.STEPS TOWARD PEACE: A Briefing on the Interim Agreement (JV-408)
Dr. Ephraim Sneh, Minister of Health in the 1995 Israeli Government, provided a briefing on the Interim Peace Agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. He addressed various aspects of the agreement, stressing Israel's goal for a secure peace in which two entities live side by side, and Israel's controlling security in 70% of the area. He displayed a detailed map of three areas in which different models of government and security will be implemented and answered questions pertaining to the status of Jerusalem, the security of the settlers, the status of the holy places located in Israeli and Palestinian areas, the status of Hebron, the risks of theAgreement, and relevant problems stemming from the Interim Peace Agreement.
15min., color, 1995. A.A STITCH IN TIME: Saving the Last Great Places (JV-721)
This video will take you to many of our planet's "Last Great Places", communities where living on the land and protecting natural diversity have become a way of life. These places offer hope that human activities can be compatible with the protection of our land and water. The Nature Conservancy has launched a bold program to help stem this loss of natural diversity.
12min., color, 1992. E, S, A.STOLEN CHILDHOOD (Lo Yada'ati Likrat Mah Ani Holochet) (JV-487E)
Three Holocaust survivors relate the changes they experienced in their lives as children during the Nazi occupation. The testimonies are combined with documentary film excerpts and photos from the times of the Holocaust. See also the Hebrew version, (JV-487H)
30min., color, 1996. English and Hebrew versions. S, A.THE STORY OF DAVID AND GOLIATH (JV-177)
This children's story is of King David when he was a shepherd boy faced with the assault of the giant Goliath. David uses his courage and intelligence to overcome his opponent, and Samuel pronounced that he will one day be Israel's King.
20min., color, 1989. K, P, E.THE STORY OF JACOB AND ESAU (JV-178)
This is a children's story of brothers, presented in a way to allow an understanding of these biblical characters as real people with the common feelings of many people.
29min., color, 1989. K, P, E.THE STORY OF RUTH (JV-218)
Ruth, the Moabite woman, upon the death of her husband remains with her mother-in-law and keeps the faith of her dead husband. Eventually, she goes to Judea, meets and marries Boaz, to continue the story of spiritual love and enduring personal loyalty.
132min., color, 1960. E, S, A.THE STORY OF SAMSON (JV-179)
A children's story about Samson, the strong man known throughout the kingdom for his bravery but who, after being betrayed by Delilah, revenges himself against the Philistines by bringing down their temple.
20min., color, 1989. K, P, ESTORY OF TWO SYNAGOGUES (JV-421)
This video depicts the unique design and style of two beautiful synagogues. The history of the synagogue in Chodorov, Poland (1652-1941) is shown with its stunning paintings of Jewish themes decorating its wooden ceiling. The second synagogue is Mikve Israel Synagogue in Curacao in the Caribbean, built in 1932 in the style of the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam.
17min., color, 1994. A.A STRANGER AMONG US (JV-275)
This film explores Hasidic Judaism through the eyes of an outsider. A tough female New York detective, a gentile, goes undercover in the orthodox Jewish community to solve a puzzling murder. She is coached by a rabbi's son in the ways of his people to help her maintain her cover. A mutual attraction develops between her and the young man, who is engaged to another. The search takes her into this society where, in solving the murder, she also discovers the wisdom of the Jewish tradition.
109min., color, 1993. S, A.THE STREET (JV-392)
An animated adaptation of a short story by Mordecai Richler, one of Canada's best-known contemporary writers, The Street makes a frank statement about the ways that many families respond to their old and infirm members.
10min., color, 1976. S, A. Animated.STREET SCENE (JV-520)
A screen adaptation of Elmer Rice's Pulitzer Prize-winning play showing the stark realism and drama of New York City tenement life where the residents serve as representatives of the not-very-idealized American melting pot. Street Scene is a bold exploration of Jewish immigrant life in America early in this century. It examines the themes of assimilation, socialism, anti-Semitism and identity. Abraham Kaplan lives with his family in a row house populated by a kaleidoscope of characters looking to break out of the poverty. Kaplan's revolutionary, socialist views grate against some of his neighbors. Even his son, educated in America, wants little to do with his father's politics or heritage. The tension in the street, in the building, and within the Kaplan family, build throughout the movie.
78min., black & white, 1931. A.THE SUMMER OF AVIYA (Ha'Kayitz Shel Aviya) (JV-371E)
The first of two films (folowed by Under the Domim Tree, 1995), this is the story of one summer in the life of a girl during the early days of the State of Israel. She tries to keep her dreams and innocence despite troubled relations with her mother, a Holocaust survivor who walks the thin line between sanity and madness. At the end of the summer, Aviya mother is hospitalized in a mental institution, and Aviya is left alone to reach a level of maturity thrust upon her by this situation. Based on the life of Gila Almagor, author of the book and movie, who plays the role of the mother. See also the Hebrew version
97min., color, 1998. Hebrew w/English subtitles. S, A.THE SUNSHINE BOYS (JV-204)
The comedic story of two retired vaudeville comedians who had toured the country as "The Sunshine Boys," and always left their audiences rolling in the aisles with their antics. But offstage, they spent 43 years in constant mutual irritation. Now their agent urges them to reunite after years apart, and this forms the funny, sad, and loving comedy story being told.
112min., color, 1986. A.SURVIVORS OF THE HOLOCAUST (JV-444)
This documentary weaves together archival footage and an original music score with survivors' personal testimonies and photographs, chronicling life during and after the Nazi era. Survivors relive their stories on camera, many for the first time.
70min., color, 1995. S, A.SWEET LORRAINE (JV-521)
This comedy captures the end of the Catskill hotel era as the run-down Hotel Lorraine faces its last summer. Molly Garber, the owner's granddaughter, surprised her grandmother by showing up to work. She falls in love again with the hotel of her childhood. From the escapades of the staff to the jokes of the hotel comedian to romance for granddaughter and grandmother, this funny and touching film explores whether we can hold on to the past and go home again.
110min., color, 1987. A.SWING KIDS (JV-522)
A group of young German men in Hamburg, Germany defy the Nazis to listen and dance to forbidden "swing" music from America, while pressure to join the Hitler Youth tests their loyalties to each other and their country. The leader of a rebellious group of Swing Kids gathers his friends every week, openly defying the Gestapo, to dance the jitterbug at parties. As the pressure to join the Hitler Youth takes a toll on the Swing Kids, one by one, each is faced with a brutal choice--loyalty to their cause or loyalty to Nazi Germany.
114min., color, 1993. A.THE SWORD OF GIDEON (JV-168)
Five lethal experts are assembled by the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency to execute eleven known terrorists in the wake of the 1972 Munich Olympic massacres. But as they carry out their mission with ruthless efficiency, some of them begin to realize that vengeance is not the answer to violence.
148min., color, 1986. A.TALES FOR HANUKKAH (JV-578)
The Enchanted Dreidel: Long ago, when many Jews lived in shtetls in Eastern Europe, Shayna Malka sets out for the market place to buy her mother a Hanukkah present. All her plans become undone when she encounters a wondrous dreidel. Goodnight, Granny Savta: Yonatan spends Hanukkah at Grandma's house while his parents are in Israel. Yoni enjoys lighting the menorah, eating latkes, telling abut the Hanukkah miracle. However, going to bed in another story.
45min., color, 1996. K, P, E.TALK FROM JERUSALEM (JV-69)
Mr. Barry Chasan, teaching from Hebrew University, tells of the origins, work, hopes, and philosophies of the Melton Center program for "Teaching of Israel in the Diaspora." The video is useful for all Jewish teachers and parents interested in the education of American children and their development of Jewish character and personality.
21min., color, 1988. S, A.THE TALMUD AND THE SCHOLAR (JV-523)
A strong legal system helped Jews maintain a cohesive social structure for centuries. Until the second century C.E. when the process of writing down the Talmud began, the ancients' study houses worked with an oral tradition. The Talmud remains a vibrant aspect of Jewish study, as students follow the many threads of commentary and argument. The text becomes a "script" on which study and arguments are based. This video examines one of the greatest contemporary Talmudic scholars, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, focusing on his thinking and teachings. It discusses the Talmud's history and shows methods of studying its endless pathways. It also shows the rabbi's personal side, following Steinsaltz to a wedding and the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem.
58min., color, 1990. S, A.A TASTE OF PASSOVER (JV-722)
A concert evening extravaganza, hosted by Theodore Bikel, and featuring singers and musicians from Boston's New England Conservatory, presenting a program of songs, humor, how to make matzo balls, all in a festive setting.
60min., color, 1998. E, S, A.TEACHING JUDAISM (JV-186)
An introduction to Jewish Education Leadership readings and exercises for teacher education. The teaching kit is divided into three modules: 1. Talmud Torah: The Value of Jewish Education; 2. Moreh/Torah: The Role for Jewish Teachers; 3. Goals and Objectives.
18min., color, 1991. A. Teacher's Guide.TECHNIQUES FOR LASTING BOOK REPAIR (JV-397)
This tape shows ways to return damaged hardcover books to service. It covers techniques to repair damaged pages, loose pages, loose hinges, broken hinges, detached covers, damaged spines, and more.
29min., color, 1991. S, A. Guide.THE TEFILLIN FACTORY (JV-614)
Features the entire process of turning animal hide into parchment from the shaping of the tefillin to preparation of the special ink and the quill which are used by the scribe to write in the parchment.
18min., color. E, S, A.TEIMAN: Music of the Jews from Yemen (JV-333)
After the destruction of the Second Temple, Jews of Yemen were prohibited from using musical instruments. They developed singing and rhythm, drumming and dancing, using a compilation of poetry dating back 300 years.
27min., color, 1993. E, S, A.TELL ME A RIDDLE (JV-86)
The story of a couple who, after 40 years of marriage, can no longer stay together. They can't care for the house where they raised their children and the wife refuses to consider moving into a retirement home. She reluctantly visits her granddaughter and develops a new, revitalizing relationship with her. Her husband also finds new friendships, and together, husband and wife rekindle their marriage.
90min., color, 1988. S, A.TEN COMMANDMENTS (JV-169A, JV-169B)
A two-part screen spectacular tells the story of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt whereby the people of Israel return to their homeland.
245min, color, 1956. E, S, A.TEREZIN DIARY (JV-582)
In March 1939, the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia, and two years later they turned the fortress town of Terezin, near Prague, into a concentration camp. Here 140,000 Jews from Western and Eastern Europe were imprisoned, prior to being sent to Auschwitz. Through interviews with Helga Kinsky and nine other survivors who were children in the camp, Terezin Diary documents the terrible conditions of life in Theresienstadt, as well as the artistic, educational and spiritual activities that sustained inmates who were spared deportation. Using Terezin as a model camp to demonstrate to the world that they were not mistreating the Jews, the Nazis permitted a degree of cultural life there that was impossible in the death camps. The video describes the paradoxes of life as children in Terezin, where they were encouraged to publish their own magazines and perform in children's operas while awaiting deportation to Auschwitz.
88min., color, 1989. S, A.THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE (Das Testament der Dr. Mabuse) (JV-348)
Director Fritz Lang conceived an anti-Nazi horror film to unveil Hitler's monstrous intentions. In this film, a villainous inmate of an insane asylum plots to crush society in a wave of theft and violence. The madman, spouting actual Nazi slogans, hypnotizes the asylum's director to carry out the fiendish plan after his death.
120min., black & white, 1933. S, A.THE TESTAMENT SERIES:
See annotations for:
Abraham (JV-685)
Creation and the Flood (JV-684)
Daniel (JV-689)
Elijah JV-690)
Jonah (JV-691)
Joseph (JV-686)
Moses (JV-687)
Ruth (JV-688)TEVYE (JV-485)
This remarkable adaptation of Sholem Aleichem's play centers on Khave, Tevye the Dairyman's daughter, who falls in love with the son of a Ukrainian peasant. Her courtship and marriage pit Tevye's love for his daughter against his deep-seated faith and loyalty to tradition. Several scenes stand out: Khave showing her skeptical father the volume of Gorki given to her by her suitor; Tevye gently teaching Psalms to his grandchildren and reciting the Sabbath prayers; and Tevye mourning the loss of his child to intermarriage.
96min., black & white, 1939. Yiddish w/English subtitles. S, A.T.G.I.S.: Thank Goodness It's Sabbath (JV-2)
A young couple and viewers learn about the magical day of Sabbath, its significance, rituals, and what makes it holy in an entertaining way.
28min., color, 1988. S, A.THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A CHANUKAH BUSH, SANDY GOLDSTEIN (JV-647)
Based on the book by Susan Sussman, this tells the story of Robin, a young Jewish girl who desperately wants a Chanukah bush, but her mother says no. Robin does, however, accompany her grandfather to his union's Christmas party where he lovingly explains the differences between celebrating something you believe in and helping friends celebrate something they believe in. The lesson is to honor the differences between cultures, to take pride in your own heritage, and to share traditions with others.
23min., color, 1993. E, S.THERESIENSTADT: Gateway to Auschwitz (JV-476)
In 1941, the Nazis converted the fortress town of Theresienstadt, in Czechoslovakia, into a ghetto for Jewish deportees en route to annihilation in the East. Of some 15,000 children who were fifteen years old or younger at the time of their imprisonment, less than 150 survived. This film tells their unbelievable story, recounting tales of friendship, youthful adventure, first love, adolescent enthusiasm and the strength of family ties.
58min., color, 1993. S, A.THEY CAME FOR GOOD: Present at the Creation (1654-1820) (JV-764)
At the beginning of a new chapter in the history of 250 years of Jewish immigration in America up to the end of the 19th century, where they settled, how they adapted, survived and helped to shape the country. Included in this story are profiles of some of the leading Jews of that period such as Asher Levy, Rebecca Gratz and Uriah Levy.
60min., color, 2001. S, A.THEY CAME FOR GOOD: Taking Root (1820-1880) (JV-765)
Beginning in the 19th century, waves of German and Central European Jews spread out across America. The most successful rose to prominence as financiers and merchants, but the vast majority earned their livelihood in small retail businesses.
60min., color, 2001. S, A.THEY WERE TEN (Hem Hayu Asarah) (JV-273)
This first feature-length film made entirely by Israelis sensitively recreates the establishment of a nineteenth-century settlement in Palestine by ten Russian Jews. These early pioneers, idealists unschooled in agriculture, not only undertook the tremendously difficult task of building the land but also had to contend with both Arab resentment and the Turkish military.
105min., black & white, 1961. Hebrew w/English subtitles. S, A. Guide.THREE DAYS AND A CHILD (Shlosha Yamim Veyeled) (JV-732)
Based on a novel by A. B. Yehoshua, this 1967 film tells of new and old relationships as a young man returns to his kibbutz after Army service and finds the woman whom he loves has married someone else and now asks him to look after her son for three days.
105 min., black & white, 1967. S, A.THROUGH OUR EYES: Children Witness the Holocaust (JV-82)
Children's eyewitness accounts, diary entries and poems are read by young people in this moving program on the Holocaust. This video includes still photographs and children's drawings, spanning from the pre-Nazi era to the Allied liberation, vivid descriptions of such traumatic experiences as seeing synagogues burned, riding cattle cars, having personal belongings confiscated and losing family members. Designed to supplement the textbook by the same name, it is divided into 18 units.
24min., black & white, oral history. E, S, A.A TICKLE IN THE HEART (JV-682)
A klezmer music documentary on the Epstein brothers who spent a lifetime playing dance tunes and sentimental ballads for weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, and parties of the Hasidic Jews of Williamsburg, Brooklyn since their heyday of the 1950s and 1960s to the present, where they now entertain at their retirement community in Florida.
84min., color, 1996. S, A.A TIME TO GATHER STONES (JV-486)
This film follows the 1992 tour to Poland and the Ukraine, organized and led by Miriam Weiner, President of "Roots to Roots," as it focuses on access to Jewish documents in the respective state archives, given for the first time to a tour group. This enabled the participants to trace family histories, together with visits to the various sites where their families lived and died.
29min., color, 1993. A.TKUMA, The First Fifty Years (JV-628A/B, JV-628C/D, JV-628E/F)
Episode One: The Conflict (JV-628A)
The Conflict examines the process which has brought Israel to successfully conclude peace agreements with Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinians after decades of hostility and bitter fighting. Many controversial issues are raised: Can Arabs and Israelis reconcile after generations of mistrust and hatreds? How has the rise of Islamic fundamentalism changed the Middle East? How does Israel's supposed nuclear capacity affect regional developments? And perhaps most important, what is the significance of the Mideast's most precious fluid, water, the vital resource which could spark a new Mideast conflict?
50min., color, 1998. S, A.Episode Two: The Ingathering (JV-628B)
This program examines the major waves of immigration from the early years of the state until today from Europe, North Africa, Arab countries, Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union. It looks at the economic, social and political development; the process of nation building while creating a national culture and heritage; and the special dilemma of Israel's Arab minority. The political developments of the changing society are examined going from the days of David Ben Gurion through Golda Meir, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Rabin through the rise to power of Binyamin Netanyahu.
50min, color, 1998. S, A.Episode Three: The People's Army (JV-628C)
The development of the Israel Defense Forces is examined from its earliest beginnings as a people's army, as well as the changing role of the IDF and the challenges it has had to face. Some difficult and painful issues such as Terrorism are confronted, as well as the activities of the Mossad, Israel's secret service, and how it functions in a democratic society. Some personal and deeply human experiences of soldiers and commanders during the many wars in Israel's existence are documented.
50min., color, 1998. S, A.Episode Four: Whose State?...Whose Religion? (JV-628D)
The two major strands vital to understanding the Jewish experience of the 20th century are the Holocaust and the establishment of the State of Israel. How one led to the other and how Israel integrated many of the Holocaust survivors who were unready or unable to understand what had happened is related through the capture and subsequent trial of the Nazi Adolf Eichmann. Then Israel and the world began to understand what had happened in Germany.
50min., color, 1998. S, A.Episode Five: From the Orange to the Chip: Economic Revolution (JV-628E)
This is the story of the astonishing development of Israeli industry, farming and technology. It is the epic saga of building cities; of developing aircraft, weapons and space industries. It discusses how Israel became a world leader in telecommunications and computer technology. But it is also the saga of the crises, the tragedies and the power struggles inside what has become one of the fastest growing economies in the world. This story is a rarely told fascinating aspect of Israel.
50min., color, 1998. S, A.Episode Six: Future Peace - Next War (JV-628F)
The final program in the series documents the conflict between opposing forces in the country: the right wing with its vision of the land settled by Israelis, and, on the other side, the left with its aspirations for peace based on trading land for a Palestinian statehood. It covers the traumatic events from the Israeli withdrawal from Sinai through the Gulf War, the Madrid Conference, the Oslo Accords and agreements reached with the Palestinians and Jordan, and the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. But the program finally looks to the future and the Israeli leader, Binyamin Netanyahu, to bring peace and heal a divided nation.
50min., color, 1998. S, A.TO BE A WOMAN SOLDIER (JV-593)
This documentary explodes the myth that the Israeli woman fights side by side in the trenches with her male counterpart and effectively illustrates the realities of military service in Israel. Orly, a Yemenite city girl, and Abigail, from a kibbutz, are in their last month of Army service. They entered two years earlier with an expectation of being part of the defense of their country. They soon realized, however, that many jobs were closed to women and that their responsibilities were mostly in the service roles of typing, filing, and serving coffee.
50min., color, 1987. Hebrew w/English subtitles. S, A.TO BE OR NOT TO BE-1942 (JV-524)
A black comedy abut a husband and wife acting team who perform with a Warsaw company and become involved in international intrigue against the Nazis. After a dashing Polish pilot falls in love with the wife, the husband leaves for England where he meets a mysterious man who will soon return to Poland. Could he be a Nazi spy? In a wacky series of events, both assume clever disguises to outwit the Germans and foil their plot. This comedy includes footage of the devastated city of Warsaw.
99min., black & white, 1942. A.TO BE OR NOT TO BE-1983 (JV-693)
The remake of Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 musical comedy pits a Polish theatrical troupe, along with its self-proclaimed great Polish actor and his sultry actress wife, against the invading Nazis.
107min., color, 1983. S, A.TO BEAR WITNESS (JV-445)
Filmed at the First International Liberators Conference in Washington, DC 1981. Survivors and liberators from 14 nations gathered to testify about their experience during the Holocaust. Interspersed with captured Nazi footage and official U.S. Army film, their testimony reveals what some countries did to prevent the Holocaust, what others did to abet the Nazi cause, and the lethargic pace at which Western leaders acted to halt the genocide. Among those interviewed are Ronald Reagan, Elie Weisel, Tom Lantos and Alexander Haig.
41min., color and black & white, 1983. S, A. Guide.
