My mom is the education directer of one of the local Sunday schools and needs movie ideas for later this month, when most of her teachers (college students) will be out of town.
Fiddler on the Roof is out. Apparantly that was last year’s choice. So we need something Jewish-themed (but it’ll be too late for Hannukah), and entertaining enough to keep kids from Kindergarten to sixth grade still for an hour-and-a-half.
I’m throwing the problem to the Cafe Society. Ideas?
Annie Hall? ;j
Prince of Egypt, Dreamwork’s animated retelling of the story of Moses. One of my personal favorites.
There’s always The Hebrew Hammer “Part man. Part street. 100% kosher.” though it may be just a tad R rated for the young uns. A specifically Jewish movie that’s not about Chanukah or sexual neuroses… um… dang, there’s got to be at least one.
There’s The Chosen, based on the novel by Chaim Potok. It’s a great book (and good movie) about two boys growing up in New York. Both are from very faithful Jewish families, but one is Hasidic and the other is modern Orthodox. (forgive me if I am not quite using the correct terms) Anyhow, they become friends despite their differences but it isn’t always easy.
I don’t know how it plays in the Jewish community, but as a christian-raised suburban kid from Texas I found it quite interesting for its insight into Judeism and as a good comment on friendship in general. It’s been a while since I’ve read the book or seen the movie–I can’t remember anything that would be inappropriate for kids, though some of the younger ones might not be able to work out the meaning/themes of the story on their own.
Neil Diamond’s “The Jazz Singer”?
I’m guessing The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz is a bit too, ahem, advanced for this audience, but see if you can lay hands on Lies My Father Told Me, either version.
How about a Krusty the Clown film festival?
The animated feature Aaron’s Magic Village, adapted from children’s stories written by Isaac Bashevis Singer. It takes place during Hanukkah, and it has a rampaging Golem! Cool!
More info from Amazon.
We were taken on a field trip to see a the movie when I was in Hebrew school so I would think it should be entirely appropriate.
How about Stolen Summer? A little Catholic boy is told by the sister who teaches him that he’s headed for hell, so he decides his good deed to get into heaven will be to help his terminally ill friend, who is Jewish, get into heaven himself.
I stayed away from this one when it was in the theaters because it looked like the typical “let’s futz with the story until it’ll sell better” type of movie. Overall quality aside, do you think it’s true enough to the OT story to be shown at a Sunday school?
And Tangent, that book plays just fine in the Jewish community. Chaim Potok is one of the most influential Jewish writers of the 20th century. I’ll definitely suggest that one, especially since I’ve never actually seen the movie myself.
Walloon, that looks like a movie I’d like to sit down and watch myself, but I’m afraid the older kids would get bored with it too quickly. Me, I’m all about the rampaging golems.
Prince of Egypt is about the only Kindergarten level one I saw here.
Late grade school & middle-to-high school- The Devil’s Arithmetic (a Holocaust film)
Not sure how Stolen Summer would play to little Jewish kids, it would seem more like a film for an interfaith relations class for late-grade school to older.
No one’s suggested “A Stranger Among Us” or “South Park’s The Passion of the Jew”?!? OH! How about the South Park Jewish kids camp episode with Moses vs. Haman! ducks & runs for this whole paragraph!
You might check out some of the Veggie Tales tapes- they tend not to be Christian-specific (tho you’d want to review them first).
Also, HBO did a great multi-styled animated series called TESTAMENT, which includes Creation & the Flood, Esther, Elijah, Moses, and Jonah. It was exclusively Hebrew Bible… the same company did The Miracle Maker-the Story of Jesus, however. Oh- it was a Welsh-Russian [?] company called “Christmas Productions”[!]- sorry. But TESTAMENT is still good & non-Christiany.
Hey, the silent The Golem is available on DVD!
May I recommend The Frisco Kid? (After all, it’s only the greatest Jewish-themed comedy-western of all time!)
Gene Wilder as a sheltered Polish rabbi bound for a new synagogue in San Francisco, Harrison Ford as a self-interested bank robber who helps the rabbi across the Old West. The rabbi carries a precious Torah which he is sworn to protect.
You seem to be under the misaprehension that the OP is asking for movies to show to Jewish kids. Actually it says, “My mom is the education directer of one of the local Sunday schools and needs movie ideas for later this month.”
I thought that some Jewish groups have Sunday activities/classes for kids, not as part of Synagogue/Sabbath worship, but to have something to do for the kids on Sunday.
Reilly, Ace of Spies with Sam Neil. Allegedly a template for James Bond, “He’s probably a Socialist and certainly a Jew!”
Exodus with Sophia Loren
Oh God! with George Burns
There was an unaired pilot for Will Eisner’s The Spirit some years back. Eisner calls the Spirit the world’s first Jewish suoerhero, but (a) I’m not sure how much Judaic content actually made it into this, and (b) with a goyische name like Denny Colt, I’m not sure how well that claim stands up to scrutiny.
I’m not sure how well this movie has aged, but how about The Summer of My German Soldier with Kristy McNichol, Esther Rolle and Michael Constantine? The conflict between following your heart and your obligations during wartime is seldom this basic in a kids’ movie.