Jewish Journeys

Winter-Spring 2023 Programs

February 12

Selective Screening/Discussion of Barry Levinson’s 1990 film “Avalon”

This drama, largely based on the family history of director Barry Levinson, follows the immigrant Krichinsky clan as they settle in Baltimore during the early 20th century. While Sam Krichinsky (Armin Mueller-Stahl) establishes roots in the city and finds a wife (Joan Plowright), his ambitious son, Jules (Aidan Quinn),  changes his last name to Kaye, and tries to live the American Dream by opening an appliance store, revealing cultural and generational gaps.

March 12

Viewing/Discussion of Rabbi Angela Buchdahl’s Sermon,
“Jewish Pride: Live up to Your Name”

Rabbi Buchdahlof NYC’s Central Synagogue is well-known for her articulate and compelling sermons. This one includes the statement, “Authentic pride comes from what you do, a sure-handed grasp of what Judaism stands for and what Judaism expects of us.”

April 16

Grine Felder (“Green Fields”)
View/Discuss this 1937 American comedy-drama Yiddish film
Featuring Herschel Bernardi
Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and Jacob Ben-Ami

Levy, a young Talmudic scholar, leaves the big city to search for truth in the countryside of the Russian Empire Pale of Settlement (possibly present-day Ukraine).A farm family, headed by industrious Duvid (Isidore Cashier), is impressed with Levy’s intellect and takes him in. Their jealous neighbor Alkuneh, using his daughter as bait, competes for Levy’s allegiance.

May 7

World War II and Hollywood’s Jewish Question
Presentation/Discussion with Laurence Lerman and Irv Slivkin
of FILMSHUL

Jewish Hollywood moguls including Louis B. Mayer, Harry Cohn, and Jack Warner did not make an anti-Nazi film until 1940. This program looks at how Jewish Hollywood reacted – and failed to react – to what was happening in Europe in the 1930s, and how they proceeded through the war and subsequent years.

May 21

Arthur Szyk: Artist and Soldier for Human Rights
Talk by Deborah Varat, PhD, Professor of Art History,
Southern New Hampshire University

Arthur Szyk, a self-described “soldier in art,” was famous for using his pen and brush to advocate for religious tolerance, racial equality, and human dignity. Active in the years leading up to World War II and the Holocaust, Szyk became one of America’s most celebrated political artists for his powerful artistic and social contributions against Nazism and fascism.
In fall 2023, Fairfield University is hosting a major exhibition of Szyk’s art and cartoons.