Wednesday, APRIL 19, 2023: DOUBLE FEATURE (THIRD WEEK OF APRIL, WEDNESDAY)
Rhodes Forever – 60m, 2003
Discussion Leader: Ron Sidis & Renee Ferrera

Rhodes Forever is a contemporary portrait that ties the Jews of Rhodes with their descendants. It tells the remarkable but largely unknown story of these people who despite the physical destruction of their community during WWII, managed to transplant their unique Jewish culture elsewhere, notably in the Belgian Congo and Europe.

 

From Philadelphia to the Front – 37m, 2006

One of the few documentaries to explore the stories of Jewish-American World War II soldiers, this film focuses on six Philadelphia veterans in their 80's, and their individual experiences during the war and a bittersweet reunion they share in their old age. For Jews, the war to defeat Hitler had deeply personal significance. Combined with photographs from the men's personal collections, the film includes rare archival footage, stills, and newsreels, including Jewish soldiers celebrating Shabbat and Passover during wartime and the first Jewish service at Dachau after it was liberated. Milton Dank, a noted physicist and historian who flew glider planes in WWII, contributed hundreds of photographs he took on the front lines. After the death of her father-in-law Sidney Gelles in 1986, photographer Judy Gelles discovered a box of his World War II artifacts. In this box were Sidney's helmet, spats, tallis, dog tag, War Department manuals, photos, telegrams, and hundreds of letters to his future bride Clara. In these letters were hints of antisemitism that he experienced during the five years that he served. He never talked about those years in the Army. This lack of information prompted Judy and her partner in the project photographer Marianne Bernstein to investigate the experiences of Jews who served in WW II. The film premiered at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia as part of A Soldier's Story: Intimate Artifacts of World War II, an exhibition of still photographs and letters.

 

Sponsors: Lee & Sharon Cordova, Renee Ferrera, Eve Stern & Les Gutfreund, Howard & Sandy Katz, Richard & Judi Matza, Albert & Julie & Shawn & Stephanie, Hudson Albert Menashe, Albert J. & Esther Menashe, Barry & Susan Menashe, Michael Menashe, Ron & Pam Sidis, NCSY Organization, Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, Jewish Federation of Portland