FILM FESTIVAL
Wednesday, 9:15 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

BLESSED IS THE MATCH
Blessed is the Match is the first documentary feature about Hannah Senesh, the World War II-era poet and diarist who became a paratrooper, resistance fighter, and modern-day Joan of Arc. In 1944, Hannah joined a mission to rescue Jews in her native Hungary. Shockingly, it was the only military rescue mission for Jews during the Holocaust. Hannah parachuted behind enemy lines, was captured, tortured, and ultimately executed by the Nazis. Blessed Is the Match retraces the perilous mission of Hannah and 31 other Jewish-Palestinian parachutists. Through Hannah's diary entries and poetry, and through her correspondence with her mother, Blessed Is the Match looks back on the life of a uniquely talented and complex girl who came of age in a world descending into madness.

PRAYING WITH LIOR
Praying with Lior introduces Lior Liebling, who has Down syndrome, and has spent his entire life praying with utter abandon. Is he a "spiritual genius" as many around him say? Or simply the vessel that contains everyone's unfulfilled wishes and expectations? Lior lost his mother at age six and her words and spirit hover over the film. While everyone agrees Lior is closer to God, he's also a burden, a best friend, an inspiration, and an embarrassment, depending on which family member is speaking. As Lior approaches Bar Mitzvah, different characters provide a window into life spent "praying with Lior." The movie poses difficult questions such as what is "disability" and who really talks to God? Told with intimacy and humor, Praying with Lior is a family story, a triumph story, a grief story, a divinely-inspired story.

THE LONGING
A small group of South Americans are eager to affirm their Jewish faith. Even after centuries of living as Catholics and intermarrying, their families still managed to secretly pass down some Jewish traditions. These practices have convinced them that they were originally Jews and fuel their desire to convert. Set in Ecuador, The Longing tells the story of a group of "conversos" attempting to regain their birthright. Among those featured are three women who travel by bus from Colombia and a couple from a small Ecuadorian town. They have found a rabbi from Kansas City committed to helping "lost Jews" throughout the world reclaim their identities. Now they are meeting the rabbi in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The film provides a rare glimpse into the conversion process, though the Ecuadorian Jewish community is uncooperative. The congregation is suspicious of the group's claim to their Jewish roots. Ultimately, the new converts' dreams are fulfilled. Yet they face an uncertain future.

THE GEFILTE FISH CHRONICLES
Welcome to the Dubroff family Passover! With 86-year-old twin sisters narrating, The Gefilte Fish Chronicles tells the story of how a family uses Passover, not only as a religious event, but to stay spiritually and physically connected through traditional meal preparations. Although this is a tale about one family, it crosses cultural and religious lines. The family's Passover tradition extends back almost 100 years, when immigrants Minnie and Abe, and their eight children celebrated in the small Dubroff house in Brooklyn. Today, anywhere from 60 to 110 gefilte fish eating family and friends attend. Join the clan and become a part of the family as they laugh, cry, argue, cook, and reminisce.