April 2012

Resources Available from the Greater Altoona Jewish Federation

The Federation has a collection of films on DVD and VHS available for loan at no cost. Call the office if you are interested at 515-1182 or e-mail altfed@atlanticbb.net.

Documentaries

A Journey to Darfur, DVD, 30 minutes. In April 2006 veteran journalist Nick Clooney was asked by his son, George, to accompany him to the troubled region of Darfur. This documentary is an account of their journey, the stories of unimaginable violence that have befallen the Darfurians and the courage of the aid workers who struggle to provide relief to 200,000 refugees.

American Lives - Jewish Stories, VHS, 46 minutes. Personal stories are used to explore the challenges and joys of being Jewish in America. There are 3 vignettes with a discussion guide.

Among the Righteous: Lost Stories from the Holocaust in Arab Lands , DVD, 60 minutes. Robert Satloff, head of a respected Washington policy center, set off in the wake of 9/11 on what would become an eight-year journey to find an Arab hero whose story would change the way Arabs view Jews, themselves and their own history. Along the way, Satloff found not only the Arab heroes whom he sought, but a vast, lost history of what happened to the half-million Jews of the Arab lands of North Africa under Nazi, Vichy and Fascist rule. Robert MacNeil narrates.

Anti-Semitism in the 21st Century, The Resurgence, DVD, 60 minutes. There has been an increase in anti-Semitic incidents since the year 2000, particularly in Western Europe. In addition, there is an alarming increase of anti-Semitic rhetoric in many Arab and Islamic communities, especially in the mainstream media. What is fueling it and what threats does it pose?

A Sacred Duty, DVD, 59 minutes. This documentary addresses the environmental crisis now facing humanity. With global warming threatening catastrophic impacts, it is imperative that we respond quickly to help shift our imperiled planet to a sustainable path. The message of the film is founded upon the ancient teachings of the Torah and other Jewish scriptures.

Black Fox: The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler, DVD, 87 minutes. This is a revealing film story of Adolf Hitler's ambition, his passion, his demonic will, his million-fold murders. The picture is also a study in-depth of those tragic rivers of history which made Hitler's rise possible and which came to confluence in an apocalypse of 50 million dead and a large part of the world in anguish and ruin. Narrated by Marlene Dietrich, this video won the 1962 Academy Award for best Documentary Feature.

Blessed is the Match, DVD – 2 versions, 85 minutes and 45 minutes. The life and death of Hannah Senesh, poet, early Zionist and freedom fighter.

Bonhoeffer, DVD, 90 minutes. This documentary sheds light on the little-known efforts of the German resistance. It brings to a wide audience the heroic rebellion of Bonhoeffer, a highly regarded Lutheran minister who actively opposed Hitler and the Nazis. He could have kept his peace and saved his life on several occasions but instead paid the ultimate price for his beliefs. The Nazis hanged him on April 9, 1945, less than a month before the end of the war.

Constantine’s Sword, DVD, 95 minutes. Former priest, James Carroll confronts what he considers “persecution and violence in the name of God – today and in the church’s past,” beginning with the Emperor Constantine’s vision of the cross as a sword and a symbol of power and continuing to the rise of genocidal anti-Semitism to modern day conflicts sparked by religious extremism.

Courage to Care: Rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust. VHS, 28 minutes. These are interviews with ordinary people who refused to succumb to Nazi Tyranny. They fed strangers, kept secrets and provided hiding places.

Elusive Justice, DVD, 120 minutes. This documentary begins with the Nuremberg trials of the immediate postwar era and ends with the present-day dismantling of Nazi war crimes units throughout the world. Major cases and manhunts are reconstructed and analyzed. The narrative is supported with interviews, location sequences, newsreel footage and intelligence material, much of it never before seen.

Escape from Auschwitz, DVD, 60 minutes. This 2008 PBS feature tells the incredible story of two young Slovak Jews who managed to escape by hiding in a woodpile for three days and then fleeing across enemy territory.

Ever Again, DVD, 74 minutes. This film examines the resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe and its connection to international terrorism and Islamic extremism. It points out the shift from the traditional anti-Semitism of the right to that of the extreme left.

Genocide, DVD, 83 minutes. This is a powerful and sad look at the Holocaust, "The Final Solution" by the Nazi evil to exterminate the Jewish race. With a fantastic narration by Orson Welles and Elizabeth Taylor, and a dramatic score by Elmer Bernstein, "Genocide" is both a documentary about the time when a lack of humanity almost eliminated an entire race from European soil, and a film that cries for people to remember the six million lives taken by the powers of evil.

Great Jewish Achievers, VHS, 55 minutes.The goal of the film is to help instill pride in Jewish children through celebrating the contributions of Jewish people to all phases of life. Target audience is children ages 11 and older. A discussion guide is included.

Hitler’s Pawn, VHS, 60 minutes, English.Tells the story of Margaret Lambert, a Jewish athlete whose dreams of competing in the 1936 Olympics were crushed by Hitler’s regime, even as it used her to avoid an American boycott of the games.

I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, DVD, 105 minutes. Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor who lost 89 family members, helped track down 1,100 Nazi war criminals and dedicated six decades to fighting anti-Semitism and prejudice against all people.

Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust, VHS, 90 minutes. Hollywood was reluctant to peer into the darkness of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. It is only in recent years that the realism of the concentration camp has been depicted.

In Search of Peace – Part 1 1948-1967, DVD, 112 minutes. The documentary chronicles the first two decades of Israel’s existence offering new insights into the origins of the Middle East conflict.

Inside Hana’s Suitcase, DVD, 94 minutes. The poignant story of two young children who grew up in pre-WWII Czechoslovakia and the terrible events that they endured just because they happened to be born Jewish.

Israel, Appointment with Destiny, DVD, 47 minutes.This is a historical portrayal of the Jews and Zionism and Israel produced by Christians, reflecting on their sometimes unfair and discriminatory treatment of Jews.

Jerusalem: Center of the World, DVD, 120 minutes. This documentary about the 4,000 year history of Jerusalem was just shown on PBS. It explores the convergence of the world’s three major monotheistic religions in this holy city.

Jewish Soldiers in Blue and Gray, DVD, 86 minutes. This film is a first-of-its-kind film that reveals the little-known struggles facing American Jews both in battle and on the home front during the nation’s deadliest war. This Documentary reveals an unknown chapter in American history when allegiances during the War Between the States deeply split the Jewish community.

Jews in Baseball, DVD, 91 minutes. This film  traces the Jewish involvement in the history of the sport from the game's earliest days, through the tumultuous war years to today's All-Star games. By analyzing various stages in this history, including how the legendary Sandy Koufax pioneered rights for players and Hank Greenberg's support of Jackie Robinson, the film demonstrates how Jews shaped baseball, and baseball shaped them.

Making Trouble (A project of the Jewish Women’s Archive), DVD, 85 minutes. A journey with three generations of funny Jewish women. Defying cultural expectations and changing the rules. Molly Picon, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, Wendy Wasserstein and Gilda Radner and Joan Rivers successfully went from vaudeville and the Yiddish theater to Broadway, from Ziegfeld’s Follies to Saturday Night Live.

Night and Fog, DVD, 31 minutes. The history of Nazi Germany's death camps of the Final Solution and the hellish world of dehumanization and death contained inside.

No. 4 Street of Our Lady, DVD, 95 minutes. This is a remarkable, yet little known story of a Polish-Catholic woman who rescued 15 of her Jewish neighbors during the Holocaust. The film draws on excerpts from a diary kept by one of the survivors, Moshe Maltz, whose granddaughter, Judy, a Penn State Professor, is one of the filmmakers.

One Survivor Remembers, DVD, 39 minutes. Coproduced by the U.S.Holocaust Memorial Museum Research Institute,this Academy Award-winning documentary relates the harrowing story of Gerda Weissmann Klein and her journey of survival and remembering both before and after the war.

Out of Faith, DVD, 82 minutes. This is the story of how marriage outside of the faith places stress on three generations of a Chicago area Jewish family. It gradually becomes a portrait of the Welbel family’s iron willed matriarch Leah, whose survival of Auschwitz and Birkenau makes her strong, but defines her for the rest of her life.

Paperclips, DVD, 84 minutes.The students in a Tennessee middle school studied the Holocaust as a way of learning about intolerance and diversity. In 2001, their paperclip project culminated in a unique memorial.

Rape of Europa, DVD, 117 minutes. This astonishing and timely documentary tells the epic story of the systematic theft, deliberate destruction and miraculous survival of Europe’s art treasures during the Third Reich.

Refusenik, DVD, 117 minutes. The epic story of freeing the Soviet Jews is told in this documentary. What began as a fledgling gathering of students and housewives forty years ago grew into a human rights movement that eventually freed one and a half Soviet Jews and cracked the seemingly impenetrable wall of Soviet Communism.

Shanghai Ghetto, DVD, 95 minutes. Thousands of European Jews were shut out of country after country while trying to escape Nazi persecution in the late 1930’s. A beacon of hope materialized in an unlikely place, Japanese-controlled Shanghai, where refugees sought a new home.

Tak for Alt, Survival of the Human Spirit, VHS or DVD, 60 minutes. This award-winning documentary is the life story of Judy Meisel, Holocaust survivor and civil rights activist.

The Devil Came on Horseback, DVD, 85 minutes. An uncompromising look at the crisis in Darfur using the testimony of a former U.S. Marine, Brian Steidle. The film shows the genocide and Steidle’s advocacy since his return to the USA.

The Forgotten Refugees, DVD, 49 minutes. The history and destruction of Jewish communities in the Middle East and Northern Africa – some of which existed for 2500 years. These “forgotten refugees” number about 800,000 and were forced to leave Arab countries due to the creation of the State of Israel.

The Jewish Americans, DVD, 6hours, PBS series. It traces 350 years of Jewish American history from the arrival of the first Jews in 1654 up to the present day.

The Jewish People: A Story of Survival, DVD, 90 minutes. From slavery to the loss of their homeland; from exile to anti-Semitism; form pograms to near annihilation in the Holocaust, how did they endure while so many other communities have vanished?

The Journalist and the Jihadi – The Murder of Daniel Pearl, DVD, 80 minutes, narrated by Christiane Amanpour.The film tracks the parallel lives of Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl and Jihadi, Omar Shrekh. Both are highly educated individuals from priviledged backgrounds, but there the similarities end.

The Long Way Home, DVD, 115 minutes. This Academy Award winner examines the post World War II plight of tens of thousands of Jewish refugees and then attempts to get to the Jewish homeland.

The Third Reich, DVD, 180 minutes. This film uncovers familiar anecdotes and fascinating details about the people who comprised the Nazi Party, and raids the treasure trove of archives the Nazis left behind, including rarely seen German newsreel recordings along with other unique footage carried home by Russian troops.
Watermarks, DVD, 77 minutes, English, Hebrew and German/English subtitles. A heartwarming film that narrates the story of the champion women swimmers of the legendary Vienna sports club. Hakoah – it is a tale of survival and friendship.

100 Voices: A Journey Home - 91 minutes, documentary.  A musical documentary that uniquely tells the history of Jewish culture in Poland. It highlights the current resurgence of Jewish culture through the personal reflections and musical selections of a group of cantors and acclaimed composer Charles Fox who made an important historical mission to the birthplace of Cantorial music. The documentary will give new generations the opportunity to learn about and re-embrace the Jewish culture that produced one of the most artistic and educated societies that once flourished in Europe. The film celebrates the resilience and the power of Jewish life, while telling the story of two peoples who shared intertwined cultures.

Music

A Taste of Chanukah, VHS, 60 minute. A holiday concert with varied artists performing songs and prayers.

A Taste of Passover, VHS, 60 minutes. A celebration of the joys and music of the holiday, hosted by Theodore Bikel.

The Cantors, VHS, 90 minutes. This concert features three world famous cantors who are featured in a PBS special.

Films

A Mighty Heart, DVD, 108 minutes. This is an adaptation of Mariane Pearl’s memoir and is a detailed account of the search for kidnapped Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002. Pearl was kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan by supporters of Islamic radical cleric Omar Sheikh.

Beaufort, DVD, 126 minutes, Hebrew with English subtitles. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2008. It is the story of Israeli soldiers in a fort in occupied Lebanon. It is a “haunting anti-war movie” – New York Times.

Bee Season, DVD, 104 minutes. Richard Gere stars in this gripping tale about a father obsessed with training his daughter for the National Spelling Bee. Eliza Naumann (Flora Cross) demonstrates such an amazing gift for spelling any word given to her that her father Saul (Richard Gere) insists on coaching her himself. But as Eliza’s success continues, Saul’s newfound devotion grows...causing huge changes for the entire family. The film touches on Kaballah, Mysticism and getting closer to God.

Black Book, DVD, 145 minutes, in Dutch, German, English and Hebrew with English Subtitles. This is a gripping World War II thriller about resistance to the Nazis by the Dutch in 1944. Black Book also presents a complex moral drama. No one - neither resistance fighter nor Nazi soldier - is ever exactly who he appears to be.

Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi, DVD, 98 minutes, Hebrew with English subtitles.A warm and witty family comedy that centers on Shlomi, a 16 year old boy who plays the role of peacekeeper within his chaotic family. The pressures of being constant mediator, confidant and cook leave Shlomi little time to develop his own personality. But when one of his teachers detects an extraordinary gift Shlomi never knew he had, aided by the power of first love, Shlomi breaks out of his timid shell, discovering his own independence and potential.

Boynton Beach Club, DVD, 95 minutes.A heartwarming romantic comedy about adults in their sunset years who refuse to go gently into the balmy night.

Cast a Giant Shadow, DVD, 138 minutes, English. Part fact, part fiction, it dramatizes Israel’s heroic 1947-1948 struggle for independence. It chronicles the work of Colonel Mickey Marcus who created an army to defend the new state and features an all-star cast.

David and Fatima, DVD, 120 minutes. A Romeo and Juliet story set in the Jerusalem of today where David, a young Israeli Jew falls in love with Fatima, a beautiful Palestinian Muslim girl.

Exodus, DVD, 3 ½ hrs, English.Inspired by Leon Uris’ best seller, the film chronicles the birth of Israel. It stars Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint and features and Academy Award winning score.

Family Law, DVD, 100 minutes, Spanish with English subtitles.A touching comedy about a young husband who must learn to become a good son before he can be a good father.

Fateless, DVD, 140 minutes, Hungarian with English subtitles. Set in 1944, a 14 year old boy from Budapest is separated from his family and taken to a concentration camp. It is a surreal adventure in adversity and adaptation.

Focus, DVD and VHS, 106 minutes. The film is based on the Arthur Miller’s story and stars William H. Macy and Linda Dern in a story of anti-Semitism in New York during WWII.

Gloomy Sunday, DVD, 114 minutes, German with English subtitles.This bittersweet love story flashes back from the 1990’s to the 1930’s in Budapest. A hit song of the 1930’s, “Gloomy Sunday” was the inspiration for the film.

Hate Crime, DVD, 104 minutes. A provocative thriller, Hate Crime delves deep into intolerance, challenging audiences to question their own prejudices as they witness the heartbreaking consequences of hate and a family's painful quest for retribution.

Hester Street, DVD, 89 minutes. Carol Kane and Steven Keats star in the story of the trials and tribulations of a young Jewish immigrant couple as they discard their old world traditions and adjust to life in New York City in the early 1900’s.

Holocaust, DVD, 7hrs 29 minutes (3 disc set). The saga of a Jewish family's struggle to survive the horror of Nazi Germany's systematic marginalization and extermination of their community.

I am David, DVD, 90 minutes. It is adapted from the novel “North to Freedom” and tells of a 12 year old boy’s escape from a post WWII labor camp and personal journey through Europe to freedom.

Invincible, DVD, 135 minutes, Polish, German and English subtitles. The film is based on a true story of a Jewish blacksmith who leaves a Polish shtetl for 1932 Berlin where he is billed the strongest man in the world.

Ira and Abby, DVD, 105 minutes. A sweet, hilarious and slightly subversive romantic comedy that examines the issues of marriage, monogamy and whether "I do" is the only path to life-long love and happiness.

Jacob the Liar, DVD, 120 minutes.In Nazi occupied Poland during WWII Jewish café owner (Robin Williams) invents news bulletins to lift the spirits of the depressed residents of the ghetto.

La Petite Jerusalem, DVD, 94 minutes, French and Hebrew with English subtitles.The setting is a Paris suburb where immigrant Sephardic Jews live. It depicts the family conflicts when one daughter rebels against their religious life and embraces a secular lifestyle.

Liberty Heights, DVD, 128 minutes. Film maker Barry Levinson returns to his hometown of Baltimore to explore American social change through the eyes of a Jewish family in 1954.

Lies My Father Told Me, DVD, 104 minutes. This heart-warming Canadian film classic set in the 1920’s Jewish immigrant community of Montreal is seen primarily through the eyes of David, the grandson. David lives with his Canadian-born parents, his grandfather Zaida, a junk peddler who emigrated from Russia, and Zaida’s aging horse, Ferdeleh. David’s father is a modern materialistic man of science who dreams of striking it rich by designing unique inventions. Zaida, on the other hand, is a humble man who works hard for his living and patiently awaits the arrival of the Messiah. Intuitively, David responds to his grandfather’s love.  Every Sunday, David travels the back alleys of Montreal with Zaida and his horse Ferdeleh and carriage. Zaida answers all of David’s questions about the world in terms of the Creator and the miracles that he performs. But this winter there are no miracles to spare David the pains of growing up.

Live and Become, DVD, 143 minutes.In 1984, nine year old Salomon was living in a refugee camp in Sudan. His mother sees the Israeli-American airlift of Ethiopian Jews as the only way to save him from the misery, famine and civil war that were ravaging Ethiopia. She puts him on the plane with the words, “GO, live and become.” Salomon is not Jewish. Thus begins the remarkable story of his life in Israel.

Look to the Sky, DVD, 100 minutes. It is a hope filled view of the Holocaust from the perspective of a young Dutch boy who spends much of his childhood in a concentration camp.

Marjorie Morningstar, DVD, 125 minutes.This treasure from the past stars Natalie Wood, Gene Kelly and Ed Wynn. It is the coming of age story of a young Jewish woman in the 1950’s. The setting is New York City and the Catskills. Kelly sings “A Precious Love,” Wood is beautiful, and Wynn has a great character role.

Modigliani, DVD, 127 minutes.The post WWI golden age of art in Paris is the backdrop for the story and struggles of Jewish painter, Amadeo Modigliani.

Never Forget, VHS, 94 minutes. This film tells the story of Mel Mermelstein, a Jewish survivor of the Nazi Holocaust who was angered and horrified at the gall of the Institute for Historical Review, a neo Nazi organization dedicated to claiming the Holocaust never happened. When a friend notes that this kind of lying represents a breach of contract, leaving the organization open to a lawsuit, Mermelstein presents his proof, and takes them to court. Now, Mermelstein must battle the neo Nazis not only in court, but outside as well as they try to intimidate him to drop a case that would lead the legal recognition of the Holocaust's occurrence being declared an incontestable fact.

Nowhere in Africa, DVD, 142 minutes. A family flees Berlin in 1938 and try to adapt to their new life in Kenya. This film won an Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film (German with English subtitles) and was the best received film at our 2004 Festival.

O Jerusalem, DVD, 100 minutes. An epic drama re-creating the historic struggle surrounding the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. The film is told from alternating viewpoints of the Jews, Arabs and Brits, all of whom collide in their fight for control of Jerusalem. It brings to the forefront themes of courage, terrorism, deprivation, politics and a strong sense of morality.
Out of the Ashes, VHS, 120 minutes, English. Christine Lahti stars in this made-for-cable film based on the real-life story of Gisella Perl, a Jewish Hungarian doctor imprisoned in the notorious Auschwitz death camp of World War II.

Play the Game, DVD, 105 minutes. A young ladies' man teaches his dating tricks to his lonely, widowed grandfather, and plays his best mind games to meet the woman of his dreams. Starring Andy Griffith and Doris Roberts.

Rosenstrasse, DVD, 136 minutes, German and English/English subtitles.A moving testament to a handful of Aryan women who save the lives of their Jewish husbands in 1943 Berlin. This is a powerful film of love, loss and reconciliation. Based on a true story.

Sarah’s Key, DVD 111 minutes. In modern-day Paris, a journalist finds her life becoming entwined with a young girl whose family was torn apart during the notorious Vel' d'Hiv Roundup in 1942.

School Ties, DVD, 107 minutes. After receiving a scholarship to an exclusive prep school, a working class teen becomes a star athlete. But the ties of his new found friendships are broken when a student reveals his secret – he is Jewish.

Steel Toes, DVD, 90 minutes. Academy Award nominee David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck) portrays a soul-searching Jewish lawyer appointed by the court to represent a neo-Nazi skinhead on trial for the racially motivated murder of an East Indian immigrant.

Stolen Summer, DVD, 93 minutes. A touching story of a young Catholic boy on a quest to help a dying Jewish friend get into heaven. Appropriate for children and family viewing.

Taking Sides, DVD, 108 minutes.Based on fact, Taking Sides dramaticizes the post-WWII investigation of Wilhelm Furtwangler, brilliant Berlin Philharmonic conductor and accused Nazi collaborator. Taking Sides is a thought-provoking exploration of the artists social responsibility, and more broadly, of the difficult choice between disloyalty and complicity that anyone must make when living under an evil regime.

Tevye, DVD, 96 minutes, Yiddish/English subtitles. This memorable adaptation of Sholem Aleichem’s play was filmed in 1939. It centers on Chave who is Tevye, the dairyman’s daughter, who marries Fedye the Ukranian. It is the first non-English language film to be included in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

The Debt, DVD, 97 minutes, German/Hebrew - English subtitles. Three young Mossad agents capture the Surgeon of Birkenau, a monstrous Nazi war criminal. While being brought to public trial, the Surgeon manages to escape. Faced with failure in their mission, the agents report their captive committed suicide and return to Israel as national heroes. More than thirty years later, the supposedly dead Surgeon resurfaces in the Ukraine, determined to confess his crimes. Rachel Brener, one of the three Mossad agents, must now track down and silence the Surgeon in order to protect the life and reputation she has built upon her fabricated past.

The Counterfeiters, DVD, 99 minutes, German with subtitles. Academy Award winner as best foreign film. Salomon Sorowitsch is the king of counterfeiters. He is arrested and thrown into a concentration camp where he is forced to produce fake foreign currency under the program Operation Berhard.

The Diary of Anne Frank – 50th Anniversary Edition, DVD, 179 minutes, This is the original George Stevens’ production from 1959 and includes special features. Nominated for 8 Oscars in 1959 and winner of 3, it tells the story of 13 year old Anne and her family’s being hidden from the Nazis in occupied Amsterdam.

The Frisco Kid - 114 minutes, Yiddish and English, comedy. Gene Wilder plays Polish rabbi , Avram Belinsky, who intends to set up a congregation in San Francisco. Eminitely unsuited for life in the Old West, poor Avram is victimized by everyone with whom he comes in contact, Salvation arrives in the unlikely form of taciturn bank robber Tommy, (Harrison Ford). Incredibly, Tommy takes a liking to the feckless Avram, and together the two men embark on a series of seriocomic adventures.

The Only Way, DVD, 86 minutes. In April 1940, the armies of Nazi Germany invaded Denmark. The Danish government promised peaceful cooperation on the condition that Denmark s Jews remain free. The Nazi s agreed. In October, 1943, the agreement was broken...This is the true and magnificent saga of Denmark s valorous actions to save Danish Jews from Nazi extermination at peril of death! For the Danes, this was THE ONLY WAY

The Pawnbroker, DVD, 111 minutes.Rod Steiger gives a mesmerizing performance as the embittered survivor of a Nazi death camp who can’t escape the ghosts of the past or the painful lesson that awaits him in the future.

The Secrets, DVD, 120 minutes, Hebrew and French with English subtitles. Two Jewish women study in a seminary in Tzfat (Safed) and struggle to discover their own voices in the repressive and male dominated world of Orthodox Judaism.

The Tenants, DVD, 97 minutes. Set in 1972 Brooklyn, Henry Lesser (Dylan McDermott) is the sole tenant in a rundown tenement struggling to finish a novel. His solitary pursuit of the sublime grows complicated when Willie Spearmint (Snoop Dogg), a black militant writer, moves into the building. Henry and Willie are artistic rivals and unwilling neighbors, and their uneasy peace is disturbed by the presence of Willie's white girlfriend and the landlord's attempt to evict both men and demolish the building.

Uprising, DVD, 177 minutes.The film chronicles the uprising of the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943. Disc 2 includes documentaries with actual participants.

Ushpizin, DVD, 92 minutes, Hebrew with English subtitles.A touching and amusing story of the Haredi (ultra-orthodox) in Jerusalem and their ushpizin (guests) during Sukkot.

Walk on Water, DVD, 104 minutes, Hebrew, English, German/English subtitles, made in Israel and Berlin. Director Eytan Fox explores issues of relationships, use of violence and reconciliation in this popular film about modern Israel.

Waltz with Bashin, DVD, 90 minutes, Hebrew with English subtitles. Nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign film in 2008, this Israeli production fuses animation and documentary to examine a man’s memory of the first Lebanon war. It mixes real with surreal, the personal and the political.

Westbank Story, DVD, 21 minutes. A musical comedy about competing falafel stands in the West Bank where an Israeli soldier falls in love with a Palestinian cashier. Nominated for an Academy Award for best short subject.

Wondrous Oblivion, DVD, 160 minutes, English.Lack of tolerance for Jews and Blacks in London in the 1960’s is the backdrop for a story of coming of age and friendship. Reggae, Calyso and Ska music is featured.