Twentieth Century Jewish History Through Film

This year, we developed a new history project that we plan to expand next year. It’s called Twentieth Century Jewish History Through Film.

One of our goals in B Mitzvah preparation is to encourage children and their families to explore their core values and beliefs. Together, we reflect on family roots, history and politics, while considering what aspects of tradition they wish to carry forward into their personal and family lives.

After October 7th, we recognized the importance of educating students about Jewish history, including the founding of the Jewish state and the events that led to its creation. The lack of historical understanding moved us to deepen our educational offerings on 20th century Jewish history. Our goal is to provide them with a well-rounded understanding of different perspectives, encouraging them to develop their own informed views. Over the years, we have found that narrative and fiction are incredibly helpful tools to stimulate discussions about political and ethical questions. A good story naturally invites questions about the time period in which it’s set. A good character makes you want to understand their motivation. 

This 6-week unit was designed to engage students in Jewish history through a dynamic and interactive approach. Instead of traditional methods, we used film as a medium to bring historical events to life. By watching the full films at home with their parents, and then carefully selected scenes in class, students are encouraged to analyze and discuss how these moments reflect broader historical narratives. This method not only deepens their understanding of key events and historical processes, but also helps them connect emotionally and intellectually with the past, fostering a more meaningful learning experience. 

In this project and all of our educational work about Israel/Palestine we strive to engender in our students a sense of care for what takes place in the Holy Land, without supporting any single perspective. Instead, we invite each young mind to develop their own informed ideas about the conflict. This is one of the reasons why we built the program to include family viewing, which we hope will lead to conversations around the issues the films bring up. We hope you will enjoy watching and discussing these films with your children.

To see the full list of movies so far, please click here.