Several Judaic films in Sidewalk Film Festival
From “Sabbath Queen”
By Lee J. Green
The 26th annual Sidewalk Film Festival, held in downtown Birmingham from Aug. 19 to 25, will spotlight films about Temple Beth-El’s Civil Rights Experience, Alabama Holocaust survivors, a rabbi who is a self-proclaimed “Drag Queen Rebel” and glimpse at a 1970s Jewish glam rock icon.
In Solidarity
The short film “In Solidarity” goes back to April 28, 1958, when a bag of dynamite was discovered at Temple Beth-El in Birmingham during a series of attacks on Jewish institutions across the South.
The bomb’s fuse stopped just short of detonating, but it would set of a ripple effect through the community that would affect how many responded to the Civil Rights Movement.
Director Tyler Jones said the movie starts with the violent white supremacy rally in Charlottesville in 2017 before going back to 1958.
That same year, a bomb was also found at Bethel Baptist Church. “These events really moved some people in the Jewish community and the Black community to action,” said Jones, whose 1504 company was brought in to help create the recently opened Temple Beth-El Civil Rights Experience through displays, history, photographs and film.
“It’s not comparing experiences but rather looking at the parallels and the way the communities came together against a common foe. With the Civil Rights Experience, we wanted to do a Jewish and Christian take on what social justice means.”
Jones said a friend organized the “Nosh and Learn” driving tour of historical Jewish sites around Birmingham in 2022. “It was eye-opening to learn about the history of the community and how it intersected with other communities,” he said.
Not too long after he met with Temple Beth-El’s Margaret Norman, now with the Jewish Community Relations Committee, and Michelle Forman, who grew up at Beth-El and was a producer on “4 Little Girls,” Spike Lee’s 1997 documentary about the murder of four African-American girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
“We learned about the civil rights movement through larger-than-life heroes such as John Lewis and Fred Shuttlesworth,” said Jones. “But we wanted to tell some stories of locals who were not as well known and played some supporting roles.”
“In Solidarity” also tells the story of the Kraus family, who came to Alabama during World War II. “They escaped Nazi Germany to come to the Jim Crow South. It’s hard to fathom. But because of what they went through, they were compelled to take action in protests for civil rights and equality.”
Jones credits the project leaders, also including Melissa Young at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, countless volunteers, collaborators and community members for bringing the Civil Rights Experience and “In Solidarity” to life. “It explores the Civil Rights Movement through a Jewish lens. It’s an important way to educate current and future generations,” he said.
“In Solidarity” will be part of Alabama Documentary Shorts, Aug. 24 at 10 a.m. at the Alabama School of Fine Arts.
The Torch
Another documentary short by Jenna Bedsole, “The Torch: Stories of the Holocaust shared by Alabama Families,” features four Holocaust survivors who rebuilt their lives in Alabama, their sons and their daughters sharing these heroic stories.
“It is so important that we educate current and future generations,” said Bedsole. “We must never forget.”
Bedsole is an attorney who has moonlighted as a documentary film director for the past seven years. In 2021, as the Alabama Holocaust Education Center was building toward its opening, her friend and fellow attorney David Silverstein, the AHEC president, approached her about doing a movie about the Holocaust.
“I said I’d like to do one on the Holocaust survivors in Alabama and to have them tell these stories from the heart,” said Bedsole, who now lives in Memphis. “These are four separate stories of survivors who came from four different countries, but there were shared experiences and feelings.”
Birmingham’s Riva Schuster Hirsch; Dr. Robert Maye, whose daughter is AHEC Education Director Anne Moellengarten; Selma’s Charles Pollack and the late Ruth Scheuer Siegler were interviewed, along with their family members.
“There were just so many incredible stories about harrowing events,” said Bedsole. “They were all so grateful to be in the United States and thankful that our country gave them a second life.”
“In Torch” will be screened Sunday, Aug. 25 at 3 p.m. at the Birmingham Museum of Art, and AHEC Executive Director Lisa Bachman will speak. The 45-minute documentary will also debut on Alabama Public Television on Sept. 26.
North Putnam
Joel Fendelman, a North Carolina filmmaker whose cousin Barry Dreayer is part of the Birmingham Jewish community, is back in Sidewalk following his successful “Finding Lucinda” documentary in 2023.
His latest documentary titled “North Putnam” depicts a year in the life of the community served by North Putnam School Corporation in Indiana.
Taking a “fly-on-the-wall” approach, the film provides a candid glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of the community, showcasing the visionary work of a school district that makes the most out of minimal resources.
Fendelman said while screening his documentary “Man on Fire” at DePauw University in Indiana, a Jewish professor at the University — Beth Benedix — discussed the idea for “North Putnam” with him. Benedix would become a producer of the movie.
“She mentioned the community (about 30 minutes from DePauw) and what an overwhelmingly cohesive culture that bonded them together,” said Fendelman. “It’s a beautiful thing to see a community that unites together; helps those in need and a school system that really cares.”
Fendelman is Jewish and from Miami. He said he wanted to learn more about the rural, primarily Christian Midwestern town, experiencing that culture and the different issues they faced.
“It was everything from the revitalization efforts downtown to getting together for school sporting events and Future Farmers of America meetings,” he said. “I learned that while our backgrounds were different, our core values were similar.”
The screening will be Aug. 25 at 5 p.m. in Sidewalk Cinema A.
Sabbath Queen
“Sabbath Queen” paints a deeply human portrait about embracing complexity and conflict in pursuit of something higher.
The documentary feature follows gay Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie’s epic journey. Lau-Lavie is torn between rejecting and embracing his identity. He becomes a “a drag-queen rebel,” queer bio-dad and the founder of Lab/Shul — an LGBTQ-plus-friendly, all-inclusive, artist-driven, “experimental” congregation.
Director Sandi DuBowski met Lau-Lavie in 2000 when DuBowski was working on his unprecedented 2001 feature documentary “Trembling before G-d,” built around intimately-told personal stories of gay and lesbian Hasidic and Orthodox Jews.
“I asked him to be in the movie but he didn’t want to be in a montage,” he said. “We built a bedrock of friendship and in 2003 started an epic journey with this film.”
Lau-Levie is from Israel and is the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis, including the Chief Rabbis of Israel.
“When we began he said artists were the new rabbis,” said DuBowski. “He could never be ordained as an Orthodox rabbi like his brother was. Amichai was wrestling with his sexuality and his beliefs. It has been really powerful to go with him on this journey.”
Lau-Levie founded Lab/Shul in lower Manhattan 2012 when he was a rabbinical student. He was ordained as a rabbi in 2016.
DuBowski became a co-creator of Lab Shul. “Amichai officiated my wedding with my husband, Eric. We share such a special bond. I was really drawn to Amichai’s openness,” he said.
The filmmaker grew up in Brooklyn with his family involved in a Conservative congregation. “I led the services at my Bar Mitzvah. When I came out as gay, my family was supportive but there were challenges and conflicts,” he said. “This is Amichai’s story but it’s in some ways our story. It’s a very personal film for me.”
DuBowski said he and his team got 1,800 hours of footage and had been editing “Sabbath Queen” for six years. It premiered in early June at a film festival in New York.
The film will be on Aug. 25 at 1 p.m. at First Church Birmingham. DuBowski is scheduled to speak.
Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex
The legacy of Jewish glam rock legend Marc Bolan and his band T. Rex are put in vibrant light in a new film by Oded Horowitz – “Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex.”
The documentary, which will be screened at the Lyric Theatre on Aug. 24 at 5:15 p.m., blends rare archival footage with a behind-the-scenes look at modern artists such as U2 and Nick Cage creating a tribute album. It offers longtime fans and newcomers an engaging glimpse into the life and enduring influence of the British rocker.
