Monthly Update • Thursday, May 20
Southern Jewish Film Festivals:
Arts, Culture, and Jewish Visibility
Tuesday, May 25, at 11am Central
Join the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) on Tuesday, May 25, for a look at southern Jewish film festivals. Jews have participated in the American film industry since its very beginnings. Today, Jews not only remain involved in all aspects of film production and consumption, but there are also numerous festivals specifically dedicated to showcasing Jewish films for diverse audience. What is the cultural role of the Jewish film festival? Why do Jewish film festivals matter, especially in the South?

This episode features conversations with the leaders of the Mobile Jewish Film Festival, the Nashville Jewish Film Festival, and the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, one of the largest Jewish film festivals in the world. We'll also hear from Aviva Kempner, the award-winning documentary filmmaker behind The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, Rosenwald, and many other films about under-known American Jews.

Go Deeper
Read
To learn more about Jews in the film industry, check out Hollywood's Chosen People: The Jewish Experience in American Cinema. Also see Lary L. May and Elaine Tyler May's article "Why Jewish Movie Moguls: An Exploration in American Culture." For a more accessible overview, read My Jewish Learning's "Jewish Film 101."
Watch
As you can likely imagine, the interviews for this episode were filled with conversations about our favorite Jewish movies. There are the classics—from Fiddler on the Roof to Funny Girl (can you tell the author of this newsletter loves musicals?). But what about contemporary Jewish films? Check out Hey Alma's list of the best Jewish movies of 5780 (2019-2020). You can find some other classics on this list from ReformJudaism.org.

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival's AJFF Recommends website is an archive of every film ever shown at the festival, searchable by subject, country of origin, director, and more. If you want to watch a Jewish movie, this is where to find it—the site even lists all of the options for streaming, renting, or purchasing each film!
Last Month's Episode
Visit the Mississippi Delta
Last month's episode featured Dr. Rolando Herts (director of the Delta Center for Culture and Learning and the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area) and Malika Polk-Lee (director of the B.B. King Museum & Delta Interpretive Center), along with visits to Greenwood, Greenville, Indianola, Mound Bayou, and the Delta National Forest. Along the way, we talked about music; the Delta's distinctive southern, African American, and Jewish cultures; and the region's changing landscape.

If you missed the episode, it's available on demand on our website.
View of the Yalobusha River in Greenwood, Mississippi
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Welcome to the ISJL Virtual Vacation!
We're excited to introduce you to the South’s vibrant cultural heritage, the big themes of southern Jewish history, the folks working to advance social justice in the South, and our region’s natural beauty, music, and food. There’s so much to explore—join us for a vacation from the comfort of your home!

Monthly episodes—live on the ISJL Facebook page and available on demand on the ISJL Virtual Vacation website—feature museums, historic sites, scholars, chefs, performers, and more from across the region.

Sign up now to join the journey. We're excited to travel with you, wherever you are.
Start your southern Jewish journey with ISJL resources designed to provide engaging windows into the history of the Jewish South.
The ISJL's Virtual Road Trip Through the Jewish South is an interactive collection of online resources accessible from anywhere. Check it out and get inspired before you begin the Virtual Vacation!
We'll travel again soon! When it's safe to hit the road, the ISJL can build a variety of trips through different southern states, emphasizing southern Jewish life, Civil Rights history, and southern culture. It's never too early to start planning your group's next adventure!