An Evening of Mizrahi Culture: Food, Film, and Art
Join us Wednesday, July 20 for a buffet dinner of Israeli food, infused with Iraqi flair, by Dina’s Kosher Catering, and a film screening of The Dove Flyer: Farewell Baghdad.
The Dove Flyer
Drama / 2014 / Israel / Judeo-Arabic with English subtitles / PG-13
108 minutes / Director: Nissim Dayan
Based on the autobiographical blockbuster novel by Eli Amir, this sweeping epic recalls a lost time when over 130,000 Jews lived in Iraq. We follow the teenage Kabi as he navigates the final years of the community’s existence in Iraq, before its expulsion and resettlement to 1950s Israel. When his uncle Hizkel is imprisoned, Kabi sets off to find him, joining the Zionist underground movement. Each member of Kabi’s circle has a different dream: his mother wants to return to the Muslim quarter where she felt safer; his father wants to emigrate to Israel; Salim, his headmaster, wants Arabs and Jews to be equal, and Abu just wants to care for his adored doves. The film beautifully illustrates the complex existence of the Jewish community in Iraq, which had strong ties to the surrounding Muslim world and Arabic culture, yet simultaneously feared for its safety.
Not Forgotten
Marin JCC Exhibit Dates: June 20-August 31, 2016
The Osher Marin JCC is pleased to host an exhibition of collage and multi-media works from Israeli-based Sephardic artist, Erella Teitler. The exhibit tells the story of the lost generation of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews born in the Middle East and North Africa from before they became refugees. The artist aims to enshrine this invisible Jewish community in their pride and glory, in the countries and communities in which they were born, grew up, established themselves and raised their families. Teitler’s work incorporates photographs of Sephardic families and other mementos to create multi-media visual tableaux that explore themes of identity and familial connections, while the literal fragmentation of the collaged images evoke the historical scattering of Jews from North Africa and the Middle East. Not Forgotten is now available to travel to cities throughout the United States. For more information on Erella and to inquire about the exhibit, please visit her website.