The 32nd Annual Virginia Festival of Jewish Film overcame a chilly beginning to deliver a week of outstanding films and vibrant community spirit across Virginia Beach and Norfolk.
After a strong start on Sunday, Feb.16 with the Israeli film, Running on Sand, the festival was forced to pivot following the announcement of Winter Storm Kingston, which dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of Tidewater. The festival rescheduled its screening of Yaniv, a quirky comedy by director Amnon Carmi, to Thursday, Feb. 27.
One of the festival’s highlights was the Big Saturday Night Celebration at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, which went on as planned, after the storm. Keeping with the theme of Midas Man, which chronicled the life of Beatles manager Brian Epstein, guests joined John Lennon Tribute Star Tim Beasley for a lively evening of Beatles karaoke, desserts, and drinks.
The festival also remembered two great men who made it what it is today: William Laderberg and Dr. Barry Einhorn, who both passed away before the 32nd festival. As Einhorn’s daughter, Wendy Brodsky, shared before Running on Sand, Einhorn and his wife, Lois, who attended the festival this year, were the first chairpersons of the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film. Laderberg, who was a longtime chair of the festival’s screening committee, was recognized on Saturday night as his siblings and their spouses, Harry Laderberg, Linda (Laderberg) and Leigh Baltuch, and Mallory (Stark) and Romney Laderberg, sponsored the event.
The Sunday, Feb. 23 screening of October H8te sparked an engaging panel discussion following director Wendy Sachs’ powerful documentary on rising antisemitism following the invasion of Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Panelists included Jonathan Zur, president and CEO of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities; Amy Milligan, PhD, director of the Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding at Old Dominion University and director of ODU Hillel; Ben Rosenthal, student president of ODU Hillel; Virginia Beach City Councilman Joash Schulman; and Craig Wansink, PhD, director of the Robert Nusbaum Center at Virginia Wesleyan University.
The festival’s largest turnout was at Naro Expanded Cinema for Bad Shabbos. More than 300 attendees could be heard laughing at the off-beat comedy, which was preceded by the short film, We Should Eat. Both films had star-studded casts and were a welcomed reprieve by a Jewish community that has gone through so much in recent months. “Bad Shabbos reminded me that we can and must still laugh in difficult times,” says Abbey Pachter.
Presented by Alma & Howard Laderberg and supported by community partners, the festival proved once again that storytelling through film unites and inspires.
THANK YOU FILM FESTIVAL SPONSORS
The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC extend their sincere appreciation to the festival’s corporate sponsors for supporting the arts in the Jewish community: Harbor Group International, Gentry Locke Attorneys, Jody’s Gourmet Popcorn, Law Offices of Daniel J. Miller, Mercedes-Benz of Virginia, Palms Associates, LLC, S.L. Nusbaum Realty Co., Wall Einhorn & Chernitzer CPAs and Advisors, and Wegmans.