There are two days of movie magic on the docket at Beth Chaim Reform Congregation, with Philadelphia-area, Emmy award-winning documentary producer and director Ilana Trachtman coming for a scholar-in-residence program on Jan. 23 and 24.
The synagogue will screen “Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round” (2024) on Jan. 23 and “Praying with Lior” (2008) on Jan. 24. Trachtman was a producer for both films.
Both film screenings will be followed by question-and-answer sessions with Trachtman, and the Jan. 24 event will include a luncheon.
Robin Resnick, Beth Chaim’s director of operations, said that this program is part of the synagogue’s efforts to have at least one scholar-in-residence event per year.
Beth Chaim discovered Trachtman because Rabbi Michelle Pearlman, the congregation’s spiritual leader, previously saw one of Trachtman’s films.
“It worked out that she [Trachtman] was available, and we had an available weekend. Calendaring for a synagogue can be difficult, and at our synagogue, we are very social-justice oriented, so this is something that our members will really be interested in,” Resnick said.
The films are very different in content, but both have a tie to social-justice messaging.
“Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round” tells the story of five Howard University students sitting on a segregated carousel in 1960 before being arrested. In the aftermath, residents in the largely Jewish surrounding neighborhood came together to join the students and create the first organized interracial civil rights protest in U.S. history.
Resnick added that the film contains archival footage and focuses on the stories of several individuals to transport audiences back to the 1960s.
“Praying with Lior” follows Lior, a Jewish boy with Down syndrome, as he prepares for his bar mitzvah and explores the interactions between family, community and devotion to faith.
Resnick said that this film coincides with a special Shabbat service for the congregation’s sixth and seventh-grade students. The organizers are hoping that these students, who are approaching b’nai mitzvah age themselves, will stay for the post-service luncheon and film screening.
“Both films, to me personally, seem really interesting. I haven’t seen either of them, and I’m looking forward to seeing them — especially the Friday [Jan. 23] night one. I had actually never heard of that, so I am curious to see the documentary and find out more about it,” Resnick said.
Resnick said this is the third year that Beth Chaim is hosting the scholar-in-residence program, with each featuring different types of content. She added that, this year, the only two programs scheduled for people to hear from Trachtman are the screenings, but she’s confident that the filmmaker will find time to interact with interested congregants.
“I’m sure, as with other scholar-in-residences that we’ve had, she will make herself available to talk to people aside from the Q&A. All our scholar-in-residents have been very personable and made time to speak with people outside of the event,” Resnick said.
The synagogue has a social justice committee that meets once a month to review and discuss a podcast featuring social justice topics. Resnick said the synagogue has also been involved in a program called Kulanu: Synagogues in Action Against Antisemitism, which was launched by the Anti-Defamation League in 2022.
“It started off as an eight-month program dedicated to empowering congregations to address antisemitism and hate in the communities through education, community engagement and advocacy. So, we’ve been involved in that the last few years,” Resnick said.
For people thinking about attending the scholar-in-residence program, Resnick said it’s an interesting opportunity to learn more about Jewish history and Jewish culture, along with an opportunity to hear from an award-winning filmmaker.