Take a breathtaking journey with Matan Ariel and his friends as they sing and dance their way through some of Israel's most scenic locations.
Against All Odds: Israel Survives. 2006.
DVD 956.94 A
A journey through Israel's turbulent history with eyewitness accounts, interviews, and gripping dramatizations that depict awe-inspiring supernatural phenomena that helped to create and preserve the nation.
Arab and Jew: Return to the Promised Land. 2002. DVD 956.9405 A
Illustrates both unchanging views and an evolution of attitudes by Israelis and Palestinians from before and after the Oslo peace process. This program is a journey through the psychological landscape where Arabs and Jews meet.
The Bielski Brothers: Jerusalem in the Woods. 2006. DVD 940.5318 B
Documents the Bielski brothers, who built an elaborate village in the woods, from which they rescued Jews and mounted guerilla attacks against the Nazis.
Blessed is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh. 2008. DVD 940.5318 B
Tells the life story of Hungarian-born poet and Holocaust heroine Hannah Senesh, who was only 22 when she parachuted into Nazi-occupied Europe as part of a rescue mission to save the Jews of Hungary. Dramatizations, interviews, photographs, newsreel footage, letters, and diary entries are used to illuminate Senesh's early years, her immingration to Palestine, her involvement in the perilous rescue mission, and her capture and eventual execution in Hungary.
The Buried Mirror: Reflections on Spain and the New World. 1991.
VHS 946.02 B
Written and presented by Carlos Fuentes, the best-selling Mexican
author, who looks for his forebears in the mix of people that created
Latin America: Spanish, Arab, Jewish, Indian, and African. He asks what is
unique in their culture that is cause for celebration in the 500th
anniversary year of Columbus.
Embark on a unique journey through the bleakest chapter of German history as Michael Kloft traces the story of the Third Reich. Learn about the politics, war years, and crimes of the Nazis from unpublished footage and three famous historians: Sir Ian Kershaw, Brigitte Hamann, and Goetz Aly.
In August of 1991, an African American boy was accidentally killed by
a car driven by a Hasidic Jewish man in the Crown Heights section of
Brooklyn. For the following three days, the Heights experienced murder,
riots and racial tensions. The efforts of an African American youth leader
and a Hasidic rabbi bring the polarized communities together. During this
time, two teens, Yudi Simon and T.J. Moses forge a friendship based on a
mutual love of rap music and dance. Two groups that have suffered
persecution throughout the centuries embrace tolerance and discover that
progress is possible.
Cinéma vérité documentary that chronicles the incident concerning the
efforts of the American Nazi Party to march in Skokie.
Elusive Justice: The Search for Nazi War Criminals. TV-14. 2011. DVD 940.5405 E
Explores the 65-year effort to identify, prosecute, and punish the 20th century's most notorious murderers.
Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs. Not rated. 2005. DVD 956.94054 E
President Clinton, Yasser Arafat, the Israeli Prime Ministers, their
generals and advisors, and those behind the suicide bombs and
assassinations tell what happened behind closed doors as peace talks gave
way.
The incredible story of two young Slovak Jews, Rudol[f] Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, who managed to escape by hiding in a woodpile for three days, then fleeing across enemy territory, determined to tell the world about the atrocities being committed by the Nazis at the camp.
Story of Ethiopian Jews and the politics that caused the Israeli
government to airlift 7,000 Ethiopian Jews out of the Sudan to Israel from
Nov. 24, 1984 to Jan. 6, 1985.
The 50 Years War: Israel and the Arabs. 1999.
VHS 956.9405 F
Begins with the 1947 United Nations decision to partition Palestine
and continues to current day (1998). The film includes interviews and news
clips of heads of state and other military and intelligence leaders.
Traces history of Palestinian Liberation Organization. Filmed in Israel,
the Palestinian autonomous areas, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the
United States, and Russia. Cast includes Benjamin Netanyahu, Shimon Peres,
Yitzhak Shamir, King Hussein, Yasser Arafat, Hafez al-Assad, Jafaar
Numeiry, Bill Clinton, George Bush, Jimmy Carter.
Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities.
1991.
VHS 791.4572 FIR TV
On August 19, 1991 in Crown Heights (Brooklyn, N.Y.) a Hasidic man
accidentally ran over a 7-year-old Black boy (Gavin Cato). Three hours
later a young Jewish scholar (Yankel Rosenbaum) was murdered by Black
youths. Four days of fire-bombing and riots ensued. Utilizing verbatim
excerpts from interviews she conducted, Anna Deavere Smith acts out the
roles of 18 people involved in the racial conflict, trying to present the
differing viewpoints. Includes actual film footage of the riots and
violence.
When Medievel Spain expelled the Jew, the Toledo community became determined to reach the city of their dreams, Jerusalem.
The Gates of Jerusalem: A History of the Holy City. 1996.
DVD 956.94 G
Jerusalem's eight gates represent the spiritual gateways of
Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, and each plays a vital role in
Jerusalem's past, present, and perhaps future. Through the description of
these gates, this documentary traces the history of the most troubled and
the most revered city in the world from Abraham to modern time.
The nine videos in this series are part of the John D. and Catherine
T. MacArthur Foundation Library Video Classics Project. Abba Eban
chronicles Jewish thought and culture over three millennia in this epic
documentary series.
v.1 - A People is Born (3500 B.C. to 6th Century B.C.)
v.2 - Power of the Word (6th Century B.C. to 2nd Century A.D.)
v.3 - The Shaping of Tradition (1st to the 9th Century)
v.4 - The Crucible of Europe (9th to 15th Century)
v.5 - The Search for Deliverance (1492-1789)
v.6 - Roads from the Ghetto (1789-1914)
v.7 - The Golden Land (1654-1932)
v.8 - Out of the Ashes (1914-1945)
v.9 - Into the Future (1945 to the present)
Raphaël Nadjari's extraordinary two-part documentary weaves together clips from more than 70 years of Israeli film with commentary from filmmakers, scholars and critics - including Amos Gitai, Joseph Cedar, Avi Mograbi, Yehuda Ne'eman, Menachem Golan, Moshe Ivgy, Ronit Elkabetz and Zeev Revach.
House of Life: The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague. 2007. DVD 393.1089924 H
The history of the Old Jewish Cemetary in Prague, rich in lore, mysticism, tradition, and philosophy, is chronicled by Claire Bloom. Tales of great rabbis and philanthropists, WWII German occupation, the communist era, and more are revealed.
A photographic history of Jews in Poland between the two World Wars
that pays homage to the dynamic and vibrant society of 3.5 million people
that was destroyed during the Holocaust.
Personal reminiscences by veterans of the Jewish Brigade, a regiment
of the British Army during World War II. Includes extensive historical
footage of their activities and campaigns.
Part 1 - Portrays the rise of Zionism and President Truman's support
for a Jewish state and describes the Jewish struggle for independence in
Palestine.
Part 2 - Opens with the proclamation of Israeli statehood on May 14, 1948
and the subsequent war with the Arabs, the siege and fall of Jerusalem,
and the initial peace process. Also describes Jewish immigration to Israel
and developments in the early 1950s.
Part 3 - Explains the end of Israeli isolation culminating in the Sinai
Campaign of 1956. Also covers the kidnapping and trial of Adolf Eichmann,
Nasser's plots against Israel, and Richard Nixon's insights on events of
the period.
Part 4 - Starts with events surrounding the Six Day War of 1967 and
describes Eban's work as Foreign Minister, the passage of UN resolution
242, and the failure of post-war attempts to achieve peace.
Part 5 - Opens with the Yom Kippur War of 1973 and the Camp David Accord
leading to a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. Eban describes his
personal communications with Arab leaders and outlines the beginning of a
new peace process after the Madrid Conference.
Chronicles the 350 year saga of immigrants who gradually wove themselves into the fabric of American life without abandoning their cherished traditions.
The Jewish People: A Story of Survival. 2009.
DVD 296 J
Spanning millennia, this history of the Jewish people explores how a small group who started as desert nomads overcame countless obstacles to survive to the present day.
This five-part documentary explores 4,000 years of Jewish history, starting with the origins of the Jewish people in the Middle East, right through to present-day Judaism.
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.
A Catholic Polish woman rescued over 2,500 Jewish children from certain death during the Holocaust in Poland. Her heroic actions were never told until three students in Kansas were looking for information for a National History Day project. Their research led to the Life in a Jar Project, a play recounting the story of Irena Sendler, and her story became known to the world.
This documentary, which uses rare archival footage, original
broadcasts, and personal testimonies of holocaust survivors, traces the
stories of courage in the harrowing years between the end of World War II
and the formation of the state of Israel.
The Longest Hatred: A Revealing History of Anti-Semitism. 1993.
DVD 305.8924 L
A revealing history of anti-Semitism with roots long before the
Holocaust and branches that continue to sprout in surprising places today.
Legend has it that the original Ten Commandments handed down from God
to Moses were placed inside an ark which was last seen in Jerusalem in 587
B.C. This search for the Ark of the covenant travels to ancient Palestine
to dig for answers, where historic illustrations shed light on the date of
the Ark's last sighting. The trail next leads to wondrous artifacts that
bear witness to mankind's obsession with the Ark and its contents. As
shifting sands reveal fresh scientific evidence, the program travels to
Ethiopia, where deep inside an almost mystical cave, new answers are
uncovered.
South Africa's Lemba people claim to be descendants of Jews and one of
the lost tribes of Israel. In this program, anthropologist Tudor Parfitt
investigates the Lemba's claim through genetic testing and attempts to
retrace their migration.
Captures the essence of this once famous Chicago market through the
children and grandchildren of the Eastern European Jewish immigrants who
built it.
Peace and Harmony: Community Unity Rally. 2000.
VHS 323.443 P
The themes of peace, harmony, and diversity within the community of
Skokie are explored by prominent officials and local citizens. The rally
is the community's response to a Ku Klux Klan demonstration held December
16, 2000 at the Skokie courthouse.
The haunting story of a secret childhood trauma resurfacing, sixty years later, to unravel the life of Holocaust survivor Sonia Reich. The film follows her son, Chicago Tribune jazz critic Howard Reich, as he journeys across the United States and Eastern Europe to uncover why his mother believes the world is conspiring to kill her. Along the way, he finds a family he never knew he had. This film is the first to illuminate a little-known illness: late-onset Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This examines the disorder's devastating effect on families, but also shows programs that are aiding young trauma survivors of Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans, and how such early interventions may have helped Howard's mother.
Follows the journey of a filmmaker who travels in and around
Jerusalem, from a Palestinian refugee camp to an Israeli settlement in the
West Bank, where he meets seven Palestinian and Israeli children who exist
in completely seperate worlds, divided by physical, historical and
emotional boundaries. Explores the natural boundaries and tells the story
of a few children who dared to cross the lines to meet their neighbors.
Seen through the eyes of the children, who although only living 20-minutes
apart, live day-to-day obstacles differently that seperate them deeply.
This video ponders the mystery of the lost tribes of Israel. Only
Judah and Benjamin, from the twelve tribes mentioned in the Bible,
survived the Assyrian capture of Israel. What happened to the other ten
has been a mystery to scholars and theologians ever since. Emmy-award
winning filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici travels to Afghanistan, China, India,
Tunisia, and the Middle East in search of answers to this baffling
question.
The story of a group of young Jewish men who fled Nazi Germany only to return to Europe as United States soldiers who knew the psychology and the language of the enemy better than anybody else. At the U.S. Army base of Camp Ritchie, in the mountains of Maryland, they were trained in intelligence and psychological warfare. Their mission: gather intelligence from behind enemy lines and act as interrogators as the Allied armies moved east through France and into Germany.
In 1942, 2,500 Jews from Bransk, Poland died in Treblinka's gas chambers. Their shtetl died with them. Uncover the true story of Jewish life in Bransk before and after WWII. Starting as a pilgrimage by a Holocaust survivor from Bransk to uncover his roots, the quest is joined by a young Polish Gentile historian from Bransk who is also driven to discover the mystery of the last Jewish community.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center Collection. Not rated. 1982-2007. DVD 940.5318 S
Experience the extraordinary spectrum of Jewish life and the Holocaust legacy with nine of the most acclaimed documentaries of our time.
Based on the actual events of the conflict that developed when a group
of Neo-Nazis planned to march through the streets of Skokie. Cast includes
Danny Kaye, Brian Dennehy, Eli Wallach, Carl Reiner, John Rubinstein, and
Kim Hunter.
This documentary chronicles the events surrounding the efforts of a
National Socialist Party (Nazi) group led by Frank Collin to march in the
predominantly Jewish community of Skokie, Illinois in 1977. The memories
and reactions of Skokie residents, many of whom were Holocaust survivors,
are highlighted.
They Came for Good: Present at the Creation 1654-1820.
2001.
DVD 973.04924 T
Tells the story of the first Jews to immigrate to America, their
problems gaining acceptance and attempting to assimilate into the new
culture, while maintaining their own group identity.
They Came for Good: Taking Root 1820-1880. 2001.
DVD 973.04924 T
Chronicles the first major split in the practice of Judaism where
conservative and reform movements vied for Jewish souls, while on the
battlefields of the civil war, Jews were profoundly divided along regional
lines and took up arms on both sides.
An unprecedented feature documentary that shatters assumptions about
faith, sexuality, and religious fundamentalism. Built around intimately
told personal stories of Hasidic and Orthodox Jews who are gay or lesbian,
the film portrays people who face a profound dilemma.
We Were So Beloved: The German Jews of Washington Heights.
1985.
DVD 940.5318 W
Examines the experiences of Jewish refugees who settled in Washington
Heights, New York, after fleeing Germany in the 1930s.
