The Jewish Community Library has over 1,000 videos which give expression to Jewish history, life and culture. Of particular interest to our users is the Jewish Heritage Video Collection which is listed and described below.

You are welcome to borrow these videos from the Jewish Community Library of Los Angeles. Contact the JCL by telephone at 323.761.8648 or Email to make arrangements to borrow a video from this collection. Borrowing period is one week. Please return videos on time. Overdue fines on videos: 1$/day/video.

ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL REMEMBERED
60 min. SH-A 1973

The prophets of ancient Israel spoke with great urgency for the late Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. A refugee from Germany who became professor of Jewish ethics and mysticism at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Heschel combined deep scholarship with a strong moral passion which led him to march with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to oppose the Vietnam War. This film begins with a discussion by scholars Ismar Schorsch and Cornel West, who focus on Heschel's efforts regarding Black-Jewish relations. Following this is an interview Heschel gave shortly before his death in 1972, in which he discusses his philosophy of God, his involvement in social and political causes, the value of Bible study, the "abrasive" nature of prophets, and his thoughts on the hereafter. He defines humanity's deepest passion as a "craving for the meaning of existence."

AN ACT OF FAITH
28 min. JH-A 1961

As Hitler's forces occupied country after country, the Jews of Europe were subjugated and deported to concentration camps, resulting in six million deaths. In striking contrast to the experience in other countries, the Jews of Denmark were saved by countrymen who refused to hand over their compatriots to the Nazis. First the Danes, led by King Christian and their clergy, flaunted Hitler's order of oppression. Then, when deportation orders came in October 1943, Danes hid both Jewish friends and mere acquaintances. When Sweden offered asylum to Danish Jews the Danes responded by organizing risky, clandestine boat lifts to the neighboring country. Ninety-seven percent of Denmark's Jewish population of 8,000 survived the war because of the courage and compassion of their countrymen. An Act of Faith tells this story.

AN AMERICAN TAIL
81 min. K3-A 1986

Steven Spielberg presents An American Tail, a warm and delightful animated feature about a Jewish mouse who immigrates to America from Russia in the late nineteenth century. Fievel Mousekewitz and his family leave behind the evil cats of their homeland and move to America, where there is "a mousehole in every wall" and "breadcrumbs on every floor." But just as they are about to land in New York, Fievel becomes separated from his family. Will Fievel escape the cats and rats of the great big city and find his mama and papa?

AMERICANER SHADCHEN (AN AMERICAN MATCHMAKER)
87 min. SH-A 1940

This 1940 musical film offers a hilarious picture of second-generation Jews in New York City and their search for love. Broadly contrasting rabbinic ways with modern notions in a country where the rules for romance are very different, Americaner Shadchen portrays the dilemma of attempting to live between two worlds. The film's hero, a model son and successful businessman named Nathan Silver, has been a failure in his pursuit of a bride. The film opens with a bachelor party, Silver's eighth. His weddings have never worked out, and this one too is aborted. Silver then decides to become an advisor in human relations, a shadchen, as a way of finding a wife. With his servant Morris as his foil, Silver proceeds to solve the mysteries of modern relationships by setting up an office where human affairs can be approached scientifically.

ANIMAL CRACKERS
98 min. EL-A 1930

"The torch which was carried by Sholem Aleichem was passed on to the Marx Brothers," wrote critic James Yaffee. "Nothing could be more Jewish than their desperate zany insults, designed to deflate their pompous enemies but eventually making nothing but trouble for themselves." Animal Crackers is the brothers' second movie, adapted from their Broadway hit. The plot is silly and the laughs plenty. Groucho is Captain Spaulding, the African Explorer ("did someone call me shnorer ?"), just back from the jungle to visit the stately home of haughty Margaret Dumont. With Chico and Harpo on hand to chase blondes and help solve a stolen painting mystery, Animal Crackers is a classic Marx comedy.

THE ANIMATED HAGGADAH
27 min. K3-A 1986

This telling of the Passover story explains the Jewish people's liberation from slavery in lively, creative claymation. The film, narrated by a twelve-year old named Danny, begins at a modern-day family Seder complete with parents, grandparents, and siblings. Very quickly, the family is transported to ancient Egypt, a land where the evil Pharoah, enthroned in the middle of a very sandy desert, performs wicked deeds in colorful ways. They- and we- witness reenactments of the burning bush, the ten plagues, and other events, along with clever depictions of ancient Egypt itself, a land of swaying pyramids and wily men. The Animated Haggadah takes its young viewers on a journey into the mysterious past to explain the mysteries of the present, and shows Jewish history in a unique form.

ANNIE HALL
94 min. SH-A 1977

Woody Allen brilliantly captures the classic neurotic, paranoid, cynical, morbid, guilt-ridden New York Jewish male in his Academy Award-winning masterpiece. Co-starring Diane Keaton as transplanted midwesterner Annie Hall, Allen's story hilariously depicts their interfaith relationship- one that is doomed to failure by vast cultural and emotional differences. Allen plays Alvy Singer, a comedy writer who reflects on his childhood, career, ex-wives and girlfriends, and especially his romance with Hall. Through freewheeling flashbacks- some based in reality and others in fantasy- Singer recalls where he went wrong, and where he went right. The chemistry between Allen and Keaton is sublime, making this film an absolute gem.

THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ
121 min. SH-A 1974

Driven, determined, scheming, and manipulative, Duddy Kravitz breathes life into many of the negative Jewish stereotypes. Yet somehow, we root for the rascally Duddy, played with humor and vigor by a young Richard Dreyfuss. Duddy's program for prosperity begins with a job at a Jewish resort, where he has a romance with a French Canadian chambermaid. With her help, he embarks on a plan to buy land, so that he can build a lakeside community and give his zeyde, his grandfather, the farm he longs for. In order to pay for the land, Duddy pursues several schemes, lending comedy and tragedy to the story.

THE APPRENTICESHIP OF MORDECAI RICHLER
57 min. SH-A 1988

Mordecai Richler is best known for his brilliant depiction of Jewish immigrant life in Montreal in his award-winning novel, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, made into a movie starring Richard Dreyfuss. One of Canada's most celebrated writers, Richler was born into an observant religious family with a rich immigrant tradition. At nineteen he went to live in Paris, in the footsteps of Hemingway, and he stayed in Europe for twenty years, producing five novels, before returning to Canada. The character of Duddy Kravitz- a difficult, funny, nervous and ambitious Jewish boy- made Richler world-famous, while his biting portrait of Jewish life also drew intense criticism. This documentary examines Richler's Jewish identity, its themes in his novels, and his own often difficult relationship to the Jewish community.

ARAB AND JEW: WOUNDED SPIRITS IN A PROMISED LAND
120 min. JH-A 1989

David K. Shipler, who wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning book on the subject, examines Arab-Jewish tensions in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Here, in this much-fought-over and most holy of places, age-old disagreements and animosities shape the modern world, and the explosive and destructive power of bigotry and hate is continually obvious. Arab and Jew examines the forces that led to and sustained this seemingly endless conflict. Even those who rise above the misunderstandings and confines of their own suffering see little hope for eventual settlement and lasting peace. Through interviews with a wide range of people on both sides, we see that nearly everyone has suffered losses in the struggle.

AT THE CROSSROADS: JEWS IN EASTERN EUROPE TODAY
59 min. JH-A 1989

Before World War II more than four million Jews lived in Eastern Europe, outside of the Soviet Union. Today only a handful are left. At the Crossroads searches for clues to the quality of life among the small numbers of Jews who remain. The filmmakers interviewed people in Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia about what it is like to be Jewish in Eastern Europe today. Yale Strom, a young American klezmer violinist who conducted many of the interviews, encountered musicians who continue to play Jewish music in performance. Their performances affirm the importance of music in defining Jewish identity. Also included is very moving footage of a concert in Budapest of American Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, performing for a large Hungarian audience.

THE ATTIC: THE HIDING OF ANNE FRANK
95 min. EL-A 1992

The diary of Anne Frank is internationally renowned as one of the most moving personal testimonies to emerge from the Holocaust. Anne, along with her family and four others, was hidden from the Nazis for two years in an attic in Amsterdam. Their survival was facilitated by four courageous family friends including Miep Gies, a former employee of Anne's father, Otto Frank. After the Gestapo discovered the inhabitants of the secret annex, Miep was able to salvage Anne's diary, stories, and sketches. Beginning with the Nazi invasion of Holland, The Attic chronicles the devastating events that befell the Frank family prior to and during their years in hiding. Based on the book Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies, the drama features Mary Steenburgen in a sensitive and compelling portrayal of Miep.

AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS
103 min. JH-A 1987

During the Nazi occupation of Europe, local populations responded to actions against the Jews by collaborating, rescuing, or standing by. All these attitudes are captured in Au Revoir, les Enfants, Louis Malle's autobiographical story of the year 1944, when three Jewish boys are sheltered at a Catholic boarding school outside of Paris. The film captures the danger that those hiding lived with daily, fearing any small slip that would condemn them to death. Julien Quentin, a sensitive twelve-year-old, forms a shaky friendship with Jean Kipplestein (alias Bonnet), sharing the normal confusions and curiosities of adolescence. But these are not normal times. When Julien learns Jean's secret, he wakens to an adult world of ambiguous moral textures. Soon he will suffer a devastating loss of innocence and learn about guilt, betrayal, and the terrible consequences of evil.

AVALON
126 min. JH-A 1990

Writer/director Barry Levinson drew upon his immigrant heritage to create this chronicle of Jewish family life in Baltimore. As seen through the Krichinsky family, this affectionate film deals with traditional Jewish themes of assimilation, ambition, and general conflict. Avalon opens with Russian immigrant Sam Krichinsky's arrival on the Fourth of July, 1914. Along with his three brothers, Sam sets out to make his fortune in America and raise a family. Through his son Jules, the film follows the rise and decline of Krichinsky family life as second-generation members drift away from traditions and assimilate into modern America.

BENJAMIN AND THE MIRACLE OF HANUKAH
24 min. K3-A 1978

In 165 BCE, after years of persecution, a small band of Jews led by Judah Maccabee defeated the Syrians. But when they liberated the Temple in Jerusalem, they found that the holy oil for the Eternal Light had been desecrated and that only enough was left to burn a single day. How the oil miraculously lasted eight days is the basis for the holiday of Hanukah, the Festival of Lights. The animated film Benjamin and the Miracle of Hanukah tells a delightful story about the brave exploits of young Benjamin and his loyal donkey, Malka, sent on the perilous mission by Judah Maccabee to bring back pure oil from Ceasarea. Children will be captivated by the plucky Benjamin, who fights bandits, wild animals, and his own fear to play a part in his people's history.

BILOXI BLUES
105 min. SH-A 1988

Biloxi Blues is the second of Neil Simon's trilogy of autobiographical plays which appeared on Broadway and the big screen. This wry comedy follows the continuing story of Simon's alter ego, a young Jew from Brooklyn named Eugene Jerome, who enlists in the army toward the end of World War II. While in bootcamp, Eugene discovers that many of the same soldiers who are eager to fight the Nazis are also anti-Semitic. In the steamy heat of Biloxi, Mississippi, budding writer Eugene (Matthew Broderick) encounters the absurdities of army life, including endless drills, dense bunkmates, and chipped beef on toast. But he also discovers that his compulsive wisecracking grates on his tough drill sergeant, who just happens to be psychotic. Will Eugene survive ten grueling weeks in fatigues?

BLACK TO THE PROMISED LAND
95 min. JH-A 1992

What happens when eleven Black teenagers from Bedford-Stuyvesant- a tough New York City neighborhood of drugs, guns, and graffiti- spend ten weeks on a quiet Israeli kibbutz? How do these youth with "bad habits and unrecognized potential" adjust to the demands of kibbutz living? All they know of Jews are the black-garbed Hasidim whose communities border their own; all they know about Israel are the headlines. But when their teacher suggests the trip to the kibbutz, they're eager to go. With winning portraits of guests and hosts, Black to the Promised Land explores the different expectations of the kibbutz members and the black teens. Both were alien to each other and both were surprised by what they found. As the teens grapple with structure, responsibility, and boredom, the kibbutz is infused with the high spirits of their visitors.

BLAZING SADDLES
93 min. SH-A 1974

In his bawdy comedy Blazing Saddles, writer/director Mel Brooks tackles the subject of prejudice in the Old West. The character of Bart (Cleavon Little), the black sheriff of the white town of Rock Ridge, may be seen as symbolic of outsiders in society, of whom Jews are, of course, a prime example. A corrupt governor (Brooks) and a scheming attorney general (Harvey Korman) hire a drifter named Bart to be sheriff. They figure that because he's black, he won't protest when they corrupt Rock Ridge. But Bart unexpectedly cleans up the town, forcing Brooks and Korman to continously devise new strategies to corrupt Bart. Brook's humor runs rampant throughout in the form of Gene Wilder's "Waco Kid" and Madeline Kahn's "Lili Von Shtupp."

THE BOAT IS FULL
104 min. SH-A 1980

In 1942 Switzerland declared that it had more than enough refugees, and according to Swiss law, Jews fleeing the Nazis were to be sent back. They explicitly were not considered political refugees, who were eligible for asylum, as were soldiers deserting from the German army. The only exceptions were children under the age of six, along with their parents and the elderly. The Boat is Full is a drama of five Jews who escaped from Germany and attempt to elude deportation by posing as a family that qualifies to stay in Switzerland. The five are protected and betrayed by a rural innkeeper and her husband, who respond to the strangers in their midst with a shifting mix of suspicion, resentment, humanity, compassion, and doubt. The refugees' story ultimately unravels, and small minded Swiss bureaucrats carry out the letter of the law.

BORDER STREET
122 min. SH-A 1948

In 1940, German troops occupying Warsaw herded the city's Jewish population behind a wall enclosing the ghetto district. Over the next few years, the Nazis began systematically deporting the community to concentration camps. By 1943, the population had dwindled from 500,000 to 60,000. The remaining Jews staged a valiant uprising in April of that year, fighting to near extinction against their oppressors. Border Street, one of the first post-war films to depict the Holocaust, captures the fervor and terror of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, as seen through the eyes of four youths. Bronek and Wladek are gentiles who consider the occupation an affront to their Polish heritage. For Jews David and Jadzia, fighting back is their only choice. Their stories intertwine in an emotional fury as they gallantly defend their lives.

BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS
110 min. JH-A 1986

Brighton Beach Memoirs is the first of Neil Simon's trilogy of autobiographical plays that appeared on Broadway and the big screen. This nostalgic comedy, set in Brooklyn in 1937 introduces us to Simon's alter ego, the irrepressible Jewish adolescent, Eugene Jerome. Fifteen-year old Eugene lives in a tiny house in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, with his father, his mother, his older brother, and his widowed aunt and her two daughters. As war clouds gather over Europe, the Jeromes fight their own Simonesque battles over money, living space, and desire; Aunt Blanche can't find the right man; Dad is sick and can't work; brother wants to see the world; and Mom is trapped in the kitchen. As for Eugene, he just wants to get along with everyone, and, perhaps, learn about naked girls.

CAST A GIANT SHADOW
142 min. EL-A 1966

In 1948, Mickey Marcus was made General of the Armies of Israel- the first in two thousand years. This Jewish-American New Yorker, West Point graduate and World War II hero defended Israel's independence from six hostile Arab nations intent on destroying the newborn nation. When his troops complained about the overwhelming odds, Marcus reminded them "David did it with a slingshot, didn't he?" Cast A Giant Shadow features an all-star cast, including John Wayne, Yule Brenner, and Kirk Douglas as General Marcus. Shot in Israel with the Israeli Army as battlefield extras, the film chronicles Marcus's effort to turn a green military into a super-efficient fighting machine. Battling against the sense of doom and fear rampant in the country, Marcus draws upon his own feelings of pride in the birth of the Jewish state to accomplish his mission.

CHARIOTS OF FIRE
124 min. SH-A 1981

While open discrimination against Jews did not exist in post World War I England, anti-Semitism could be found in more subtle and genteel forms. "I'm semi-deprived," says Harold Abrahams in Chariots of Fire, based on a true story. "They lead me to water, but they won't let me drink." Called arrogant and defensive, he is a Cambridge student and the son of a Lithuanian Jew who can provide his sons with everything- except total acceptance. Chariots of Fire tells the story of the British runners competing in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Abrahams and the Scotsman Eric Liddel run in 100 meter race, each driven by personal passion: Liddel, a devout Christian, runs for the glory of God; Abrahams runs in anger and defiance- to prove that he is "as good an Englishman as any of them." Each ultimately finds his assumptions challenged as they prepare for the race of a lifetime.

THE CHOSEN
107 min. JH-A 1982

"The Chosen offers a deep, sympathetic insight into the variety and profundity of Jewish heritage and tradition." So said the Minneapolis Tribune about Chaim Potok's novel, and the same is true for the film. Through the eyes of two teenage boys- one a Hasidic Jew, the other secular- The Chosen dramatically debates the values of ambition, obligation, and Zionism. The Chosen is set in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in 1944. Robby Benson stars as Danny Saunders, a Hasid who befriends intellectual Reuven Malter, played by Barry Miller. As World War II rages, the question of a Jewish state arises between the boys. At first, Danny toes the line of his Rabbi father- reject the 20th century for orthodoxy. Reuven, on the other hand, is a Zionist, like his professor father. In time, each comes to appreciate what the other's way of life can offer.

COMMISSAR
105 min. SH-A 1967

Following the 1917 Russian Revolution, a bitter Civil War was fought between the Red Army Bolsheviks and the White Army. Many of the battles raged in areas of Jewish settlement, resulting in great devastation and, often, in widespread massacres by reactionary elements. Commissar, set against these events, was banned by the Soviet government for 21 years and was only given new life with the coming of Glasnost. A tough Red Army commander's military career is disrupted by an unwanted pregnancy. Forced to stay with a poor Jewish family until her child is born, she comes face to face with a different culture and finds herself transported by the warmth and compassion of her hosts. Ultimately, she is forced to make a most difficult decision: to rejoin her troops or stay with her child.

CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS
104 min. SH-A 1989

Director Woody Allen debates ethics and morals of modern life in his dark drama, Crimes and Misdemeanors. As seen through the eyes of a respected doctor who has lapsed into amorality, Allen questions whether God pays attention to our behavior- and if so, does He distinguish between right and wrong? Why do the wicked sometimes prosper while the good suffer? Martin Landau stars as Judah Rosenthal, an admired doctor who is fooling around with a lonely young woman (Angelica Houston). When she insists on telling his wife about their affair, Judah becomes desperate and hires his gangster brother to kill her. All goes according to plan, except for one thing- Judah's conscience won't stop tormenting him. In classic Allenesque fashion, several engaging and humorous stories intertwine, bringing full life to the director's unique point of view.

CROSSFIRE
85 min. JH-A 1947

Crossfire was the first major American film to deal with anti-Semitism. It appeared shortly after World War II, when many people believed sympathy for the Jewish people, after the Holocaust, had rendered the subject irrelevant. Crossfire stars Robert Young, Robert Ryan, and Robert Mitchum. It begins with the murder of a Jew, who is brutally beaten in a hotel room. The finger of suspicion points to a troubled young soldier and to another soldier who openly admits his bigotry. It's up to a detective with a strong moral conscience to solve the mystery. Utilizing flashbacks, cryptic dialogue, and menacing shadows, Crossfire's dark tone deals with a serious social issue in a compelling way.

CROSSING DELANCEY
97 min. JH-A 1988

In this charming comedy, an unrelenting matchmaker, a Jewish grandmother, a self-aggrandizing author, and a self-effacing pickle merchant star in the romantic adventures of a dazzling but confused thirty-something Jewish woman. Izzy Grossman, played by Amy Irving, faces two romantic choices, reflecting two sometimes conflicting aspects of her life: the "uptown" world where she lives, working in an upscale literary bookstore, and mingling with famous writers, and the traditional world of the grandmother she adores on the Lower East Side. Through her grandmother's exploits with the local matchmaker, Izzy is introduced to Sam the pickle man. The two older women can't resist promoting what Izzy sees as an unlikely match, while she remains infatuated with a handsome, gentile writer. But Izzy comes to see things in a way that takes her by surprise.

CUP FINAL
107 min. SH-A 1992

In June 1982, in response to repeated terrorist attacks on its citizens, the Israeli army invaded Lebanon. Cup Final takes place during the second week of that war, which just happens to coincide with the World Cup soccer tournament in Europe. Cohen is an Israeli soldier captured by a group of Palestinian fighters, led by Ziad. Though sworn enemies, the two share a love of soccer; both even root for the same team. During the course of several days, as Cohen is in turn terrorized and protected by his captors, this shared passion helps cut through the barriers of ideology, nationalism, and bloody memories, creating an unlikely alliance between the men.

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