Exactly a year after World War II ended with Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender, a major Hollywood studio released Berlin Express, a a fairly competent thriller set in Frankfurt and Berlin. Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, and directed by Jacques Tourneur, it was the first movie filmed on location in postwar Berlin. With only a year […]
Women comprise slightly more than 50 percent of Israel’s population, yet they have been woefully underrepresented in the Knesset and in senior civil service positions. Full gender equality is something that women in Israel still aspire to after 75 years of Israeli statehood, according to The Elected, a three-part series that starts on the ChaiFlicks […]
Israel was once inextricably associated with the kibbutz, a collective farming commune based on egalitarian values and dedicated to the proposition that Israel should be a Jewish socialist state. For decades, this model worked harmoniously, but in the last few decades it has gradually broken down, radically changing the complexion of the kibbutz. Toby Perl […]
The yawning divisions between secular and religious Jewish Israelis run deep and may even be unbridgeable. This unsettling schism manifests itself in practically every nook and cranny of Israeli life, as Avi Nesher suggests in his newest movie, The Other Story, which is now available on the ChaiFlicks streaming platform. The film is centered around […]
When Fred Zinnemann’s murder mystery, Eyes in the Night, was released early in 1942, the United States had already entered World War II as a combatant and fears about the presence of Nazi spies on American soil were on the uptick. Zinnemann was well into his illustrious career when he directed this black-and-white feature film, […]
Decades ago, explicit racism in public places was a common and acceptable phenomenon in the Canadian province of Ontario. Jews, in particular, were impacted by this odious practice, which affected employment, housing and recreational facilities. Impacted by this variant of antisemitism, Jews created their own ecosystem of neighborhoods, jobs and resorts. The Monteith Inn, situated […]
The past never dies, always ready to burst out of our subconscious with all its granular details. Summer Vacation, a short Israeli film by Tal Granit and Sharon Maymon, expertly addresses this theme. Currently being presented online by the Toronto Jewish Film Foundation, it is set on a quiet beach on the Mediterranean Sea as […]
Walter Suskind was a heroic figure during an exceedingly dark time. Against all odds, he saved upwards of 1,000 Dutch Jewish children during the Holocaust. Rudolf van den Berg’s Dutch-language movie, Suskind, which is now available on the ChaiFlicks streaming platform, charts the trajectory of his heroism. Suskind, a German Jew living in Holland, managed […]
Due to its position as a startup nation, Israel has often been compared to Silicon Valley in California. There is something to be said for that comparison. Investments in Israel’s high-tech industry are forecast to reach $7.5 billion this year. This is a substantial figure, but investors poured $15 billion and $25 billion into Israeli […]
Thirty five years have passed since Crossing Delancey was released in the United States. A low-budget romantic comedy directed by the late Joan Micklin Silver, who died three years ago, it shot into cinematic fame after a succession of favorable reviews. Screened on the Turner Classic Movies channel recently, this likeable film, set in New […]