Among the hundreds of films at the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival, there were several that involved religious perspectives. I’d like to share a few that show just a touch of Jewish life.
Babka (17 minutes) directed by Serena Dykman. Set in a Hasidic community in Brooklyn, this is the story of an Orthodox Jewish baker. Having lost his vision, he is setting out for the first time with his seeing eye dog. The problem? Dogs aren’t really accepted in the community. They are not kosher (and he’ll have it in the bakery as he’s working). Also, his dog is a German Shepherd, the kind of dogs that were often used against Jews during the Holocaust. He’s aided in his first trip to work by a Gay, Latino Catholic dog trainer named Jesus. They encounter the resistance of the community. If they don’t buy his goods, what good will it do to get back to work. It boils down to an issue that many rabbis have pondered over whether the rules get in the way of life or add to life.
We Should Eat (9 minutes) directed by Shaina Feinberg. A comic look at interracial Jewish identity. A twelve year old has gathered her family for a school project about identity. Her mother is busy going through yarmulkes from various bar/bat mitzvahs trying to find hers. Her Filipino father (who was raised Catholic) hasn’t much to talk about. Her grandmother relished the idea that the family had to live hidden as crypto-Jews. Her great-grandmother says there was nothing crypto about them, they were just Jews—and wants everyone to decide what kind of ethnic takeout to order so they can eat. The film makes the point that being Jewish is not just one thing. And given the different foods they’re considering (and much to great-grandma’s chagrin, not ordering) Jewish identity is not all that exclusive.
Mashhad (19 minutes) directed by Sarah Solemani. Speaking of crypto-Jews…. In 1839, the Jews in the Iranian city of Mashhad were forced to convert to Islam. But even after that conversion, they were never accepted. They were considered contaminated—so much so they were forbidden to be out in the rain because it would contaminate the streets. This story takes place 100 years later, but the discrimination is still intense. A young girl and her family live outwardly as Muslims, but they secretly maintain their Jewish traditions. One day she shows the Sabbath candles to a neighboring friend…. Here is a reminder of the danger that many Jewish families dealt over the centuries.
