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Savannah Jewish Federation to Host Savannah Jewish Cultural Arts Festival March 1-31, 2023
The Savannah Jewish Federation (SJF) is hosting the second annual Savannah Jewish Cultural Arts Festival March 1-31, 2023.
The month will commence with the opening night reception featuring works from local Jewish artists and the film, Four Winters, which will have its regional debut as part of the Joan & Murray Gefen Memorial Savannah Jewish Film Festival Series. This essential documentary tells the stories of the last surviving Jewish partisans who fought the Nazis and their collaborators from deep within the forests of Eastern Europe. These determined men and women, many barely in their teens, engaged in acts of sabotage, blowing up trains, burning electric stations, and attacking armed enemy headquarters. Following the screening, meet film director and producer, Julia Mintz.
Throughout the month, more comedies, dramas, documentaries and shorts highlighting music, baseball, fashion, history, romance, social justice, and the search for identity will be featured than ever before. Each week two intriguing shorts will be shown and a loaf of Israeli style challah bread will be provided.
The Food for Thought lunch series, each Thursday at 12:30 PM, will include a “Film for Thought” theme and includes the documentary, The Barn, which takes viewers on a very personal journey with Karl Shapiro, a Holocaust survivor, and his teenage granddaughter, filmmaker and Holocaust remembrance storyteller Rachel Kastner-Tamler, as they travel to Poland to be reunited with the woman who saved his life over seventy years ago. March speakers Rabbi Gelman will discuss Jewish theater, Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace archivist, Alison Beckelhymer, will share information about the Jewish Roots of the Girl Scouts, and creative force, Zelda Refsman, will explore the Art of Jewish Living with guests.
Each Sunday a community partnership event has been planned including the family-friendly JEA Camp Purim Carnival March 5th with Loop it Up, PJ Library’s Picklin’ Picnic with the Savannah Tree Foundation on March 12th, and the Easy Like Sunday Morning cycle ride with Bike Walk Savannah + the JEA Open House on March 19th. Rounding out this lively month of Sundays is an exclusive Jewish Comedy Night at Front Porch Improv March 26th. This unique show has been specifically created by Artistic Directors, Brianne Halverson and John Brennan.
Additional activities include the Jewish Authors Panel hosted by Jessica Leigh Lebos, the 10th annual JEA Preschool Art Bash, the Baby Tosh Jewish Songwriters musical performance, cooking classes, workshops, and more with multiple community organizations and businesses such as SCAD, E. Shaver Starland Bookshop, Foxy Loxy, Starland Yard, and the Savannah Music Festival.
Visit SJF’s website www.savj.org/sjcaf for a full calendar of events. There, you have access to watch trailers of the films being offered, purchase tickets, or become a “Friend of the Festival” and help support the Savannah Jewish Cultural Arts Festival and other local programs which highlight and promote Jewish heritage and culture in the Savannah community.
This event is open to the public. For additional information, please contact Katie Griffith at 912.355.8111, email artsandideas@savj.org or visit savj.org. We thank you for your support.
