Sunday, February 15 • 2:30 PM
Location provided on registration
Followed by a conversation with featured actor Michael Aloni (Shtisel, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem).
Director Lior Chefetz ● 113 min ● Israel ● 2024 ● Hebrew with English subtitles ● Historical Narrative Feature ● Not rated. Contains violence and themes that may be distressing to some viewers
Sinai Desert, Yom Kippur War, 1973. In a remote outpost, a company of Israeli soldiers are overwhelmed by a sudden Egyptian onslaught. After a week of ceaseless assaults, the survivors face imminent doom. With lives hanging by a thread, a young lieutenant and an army doctor confront a soul-shattering choice: a desperate last stand or a perilous gamble that could betray everything they stand for.
BUY TICKETS (No refunds or exchanges.)
Presented as part of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, and Community Partners’ 15th Annual Israel Today Series.
Thursday, February 19 • 2:30 & 7:30 PM
Location provided on registration
Directors Adir Miller, Doron Paz, Yoav Paz ● 122 min ● Israel, Hungary ● 2024 ● Hebrew and Hungarian with English subtitles ● Narrative Feature ● Not rated
Arnon Noble was saved as a baby when his mother bribed a Hungarian soldier with a precious ring to spare his life during the Holocaust. Now a devout man living in Israel, his world is shaken when his beloved mother is hospitalized. Determined to uncover the truth behind his family’s past, he embarks on an emotional journey to Budapest with his estranged daughter, searching for the ring in the hope that it might once again bring salvation.
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Saturday, February 21 • 7:30 PM
Location provided on registration
THE BIG SATURDAY NIGHT CELEBRATION OF JEWISH FILM!
Followed by a dessert reception.
Directors Guy Nattiv & Zar Amir Ebrahami ● 105 min ● Israel, Iran, Georgia ● 2025 ● English, Farsi with English subtitles ● Narrative Feature ● Not rated. Contains scenes with brief nudity and themes that may be distressing to some viewers
In this searing political sports thriller, a female Iranian judo champion and her coach face a harrowing ultimatum in a championship match against an Israeli opponent. Set during the Judo World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, rising star Leila is on the brink of victory when the Iranian regime intervenes, ordering her to forfeit to avoid a potentially humiliating loss.
Her coach, Maryam, joins her in an agonizing decision: withdraw under false pretenses to protect family in Iran or risk everything and defy the regime. The first film ever co-directed by an Israeli and an Iranian filmmaker, Tatami pairs stark black-and-white visuals with kinetic camerawork to amplify the adrenaline of competition and expose authoritarian rule.
Awards:
WINNER, Freedom of Expression Award | Venice International Film Festival, 2023
WINNER, Best Actress (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi) | Tokyo International Film Festival, 2023
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The Ultimate Rescue
Sunday, February 22 • 2:30 PM
Location provided on registration
Director Barry Avrich ● 95 min ● Canada ● 2025 ● English ● Captioned ● Documentary ● Rated R. Contains scenes that may be distressing to some viewers.
In a harrowing real-life story, The Road Between Us follows retired Israeli general Noam Tibon, who on October 7, 2023, received a desperate text from his son: terrorists had stormed his home, and he, his wife, and their two young daughters feared for their lives.
With no time to spare, Noam and his wife, Gali, embarked on a ten-hour mission across a country under siege to save their family. Relying only on his instincts and military training, Noam navigated ambushes, roadblocks, and a collapsing security system in a relentless race against time.
Awards:
WINNER, People’s Choice Award, Documentary | Toronto International Film Festival, 2025
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from the Casbah
Monday, February 23 • 7:15 PM
Location provided on registration
Preceded by the short film, DAYS BETWEEN REST
THE BLOND BOY FROM THE CASBAH
Director Alexandre Arcady ● 128 min ● France ● 2024 ● French with English subtitles ● Narrative Feature ● Not rated
Having emigrated to France with his family years earlier, Antoine reconnects with his roots in a neighborhood of Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Nostalgic memories flood back—school, friends, his Sephardic upbringing, and his early fascination with cinema—as he presents his new film, an account of his childhood shaped by the unrest that ultimately forced them to flee.
As father and son bond over shared history, this sentimental sojourn, adapted from director Alexandre Arcady's memoir, is brought to life on the vibrant streets of Algiers, evoking a bygone time.
DAYS BETWEEN REST
Director Peter Decherney ● 12 min ● USA, Uganda ● 2024 ● English ● Documentary ● Not rated
Grammy-nominated Ugandan singer Rachel Namadosi reflects on growing up Jewish in Uganda, overcoming antisemitism, and the power of music, as she goes about her busy day and looks forward to her day of rest, Shabbat.
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Wednesday, February 25 • 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Location provided on registration
Director Guido Chiesa ● 117 min ● Italy ● 2025 ● English ● Narrative Feature ● Not rated
Set across two eras, this evocative drama masterfully intertwines a love story with a gripping historical mystery, as a woman’s journey through 1970s Israel unearths the long-buried passions and secrets of another’s life in the same land in the 1930s.
This film contains violence and themes that may be distressing to some viewers.
BUY TICKETS (No refunds or exchanges.)
The Art & Activism of Photographer Joan Roth
Tuesday, February 3 • 7:30 PM
Reba & Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community
5000 Corporate Drive, Virginia Beach
Film Screening & Conversation
An intimate portrait of internationally acclaimed photographer Joan Roth, this film focuses on five decades of Roth’s pioneering photography, in which she used her camera to advocate for homeless women in New York City, documented leaders in the U.S. Women’s Movement from the 1970s through today, and illuminated the diverse lives of Jewish women around the world.
A companion exhibition of Joan Roth’s photography will be displayed in the Simon Family JCC’s Leon Family Gallery, January 26 – March 27.
Free and open to the community. Registration required.
Disaster Is My Muse
Sunday, March 15 • 2:00 PM
Chrysler Museum of Art
One Memorial Place, Norfolk, Virginia 23510
This revealing portrait offers an intimate look at the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of Maus, exploring how personal trauma, cultural catastrophe, the Holocaust, and political unrest have shaped Spiegelman’s life and work.
After the screening, the film’s directors will take the stage to discuss the making of the film, the challenges of capturing such a complex figure on screen, and the creative choices behind telling Spiegelman’s story. Audiences will gain behind-the-scenes insights into the storytelling process, archival research, and the unique responsibility of documenting an artist whose work continues to resonate worldwide.
$8 for Chrysler Museum of Art members, $16 for non-members*. Tickets increase by $10 at the door. Registration is recommended.
*Tickets are included in the full festival pass for the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film. Registration is not required for festival passholders.
This program is presented by the Chrysler Museum of Art in partnership with the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film and the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater
The Virginia Festival of Jewish Film is supporting Jewish Family Service of Tidewater's Community Food Pantry.
Donations to the food pantry will be accepted at the check-in table for each film.
The pantry is in need of the following items:
Learn more about JFS's food assistance programs here.
Thanks to the generous support of the Bartel Family, in honor of their parents and grandparents, Alan & Dolores Bartel, the following accessibility accommodations are available for these community programs (depending on the program location). Accommodations must be requested at least a week prior to the event.
Accomodations can be requested during the registration process, and include:
Anne Fleder, Chair, Arts + Ideas
Neil Rose, Co-Chair, Festival
Beth Scharlop, Co-Chair, Festival
Mark Robbins, Chair, Screening
Rebecca Auerbach
Rob Copeland
Nathan Goldin
Helen Goldsticker Sissel
Evalyn Horowitz
Scott Levin
Amy Levy
Pati Olizewski
Judit Roth
Dorothy Shiloff Hughes
Gloria Siegel
Larry Stein
Shelly Stein
Karen and Avraham Ashkenazi
Rebecca Auerbach
Babbi and Brad Bangel
Lorelei E. Brice
Wendy and Ron Brodsky
Carol and Allan Brum
Stephanie Calliott and Don London
Marsha L. Chenman, in memory of her parents Sol and Bertha
Susan and Andrew Cohen
Cheryl Dronzek
Barbara Dudley
Susan and Jim Eilberg
Lois Einhorn
Mona and Jeffrey Flax
Alan and Esther Fleder Foundation
Anne and Lawrence Fleder
Alicia London Friedman and Robert S. Friedman
Shari Friedman and Andrew King
Laura and Fred Gross
Joanna Homrighausen
Ellen Rostov Hundley
Connie Jacobson
Jaffe Family Fund
Carol and Joel Jason
Betsy and Ed Karotkin
Jodi and Jay Klebanoff
Teresa Knecht and Marc Lindgren
Anne and Edward Kramer
Abbie and Steven Laderberg
Robert Lehman
Caren and Stephen Leon
David Leon
Sandra Porter Leon and Miles Leon
Betty Ann and Scott Levin
Joan London
Nancy Loewenberg and Richard Marten
Robin and Matthew Mancoll
Ronni Marcus
Marcia and Burton Moss
Stacie and Marc Moss
Heather Nevins
Nelson Noriega
Andrew Nusbaum
Dr. Holly Puritz and Dr. Stephen Wohlgemuth
Poole Brooke Plumlee PC
Lisa and Howard Roesen
Judith Rosenblatt
Sara Jo and Joel Rubin
Shikma and Danny Rubin
Terri and Lonny Sarfan
Laure and Richard Saunders
Beth Scharlop and Roger Schultz
Lynn Schoenbaum
Deborah and Peter Segaloff
Patricia and Herman Shelanski
Sandy and Norman Sher
Lynn and Sadie Sher Cohen
Leslie and Lawrence Siegel
Helen Sissel
Sonia Stein-Bonnie
Lawrence Steingold
Renee and John Strelitz
Myrna Teck and Allan Zeno
Tidewater Jewish Foundation
Dr. Alan and Jody Wagner
Alice and Eric Werner
Helen and David Wolfe
Amy and Frank Zelenka
The Virginia Festival of Jewish Film is presented by the Alma & Howard Laderberg Restricted Fund of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation and funded in part by the citizens of Virginia Beach and Norfolk through grants from the City of Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission and the Norfolk Arts Commission.
FOR TICKETS OR MORE INFORMATION
Contact Hunter Thomas, Director of Arts & Entertainment at HThomas@ujft.org or (757) 965-6137.
Offering shared experiences and connections through film and cultural programs inspired by Jewish legacy and values for over 30 years, here’s a look back at the most recent films the community has enjoyed, many of which are now available through various streaming services.
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015