J Blog

The 15th Annual Houston Jewish Film Festival is right around the corner, and we have many exciting and entertaining Jewish and Israeli films from around the world to share with you.

Clear your calendars from March 30-April 10, 2019 as we have over 19 award-winning films, and you won’t want to miss a single one!

Imagine a world without Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, or David O. Selznick’s film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s, Gone with the Wind.  While Hamlet and “Grapes” seem secure in the Pantheon of great drama, many are unaware of how close we came to not having the beloved classic film, Gone with the Wind – or at least the version we know today. 

And it is the true story of how GWTW avoided landing on history’s trash heap that forms the basis for Ron Hutchinson’s hilarious madcap comedy, Moonlight and Magnolias, opening for a six-performance run on February 14 in the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center’s Joe Frank Theatre of the Arts.  Opening on Valentine’s Day, this play is a Valentine in its own right – a love letter to Hollywood’s golden age, and the studio system that fueled its rise.   

Are you part of a book club and looking for your group’s next read?  We’ve just announced our Community Read event for the Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival and hope you’ll join us by reading Rachel Kadish’s new novel The Weight of Ink!

Kadish will be speaking at the Book Festival on Monday, Nov 5 at 8:00 PM. For this event during the Festival, we ask book clubs and interested readers to read The Weight of Ink in advance of her author talk.

Steve Garfinkel Theatre Program Coordinator

A True Story! 

It happens all the time in fairytales and mythology.  Sleeping Beauty pricks her finger and goes to sleep for 100 years before awakening to the kiss of a handsome prince. The mythological Phoenix bird dies in flames, only to rise again from its ashes.  Today the ancient tradition continues – only this time, it’s no fairytale or myth, but the story of the Theatre Program at the J. 

For the Love Of Books

If you have been to the Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival at the J, chances are you have shopped the Bookstore. There is a dedicated group of volunteers responsible for it: Esther Chess, Linda Chess, Carol Emery, Ellen Gaber, Ann Glazier, Sandy Gomel, Robin Greenspan, Louise Kershman, Beulah Maltz, Ruth Morris, Claire Noll, Sheila Sack, Leenie Skolnik and Beverly Sufian set aside two weeks each fall and volunteer as book store managers at the Festival. Most of them have been doing it between 10-15 years.

Each lady will tell you there’s something about volunteering at the J, but they all agree that their love of books brings them to this place every fall. 

There’s Something About this Place! and that includes the Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival

The last few weeks have been a challenging and difficult time in Houston and especially in our Jewish community with so many individuals and institutions suffering significant damages that will take a long time to repair.

There is a silver lining… as a community, we are resilient.  We have strapped on our boots and resolved to rebuild - not only our homes and our beloved J, but our emotional well-being. One way forward is participating together in important community gatherings and events. 

There is a silver lining… as a community, we are resilient.  We have strapped on our boots and resolved to rebuild - not only our homes and our beloved J, but our emotional well-being. One way forward is participating together in important community gatherings and events.

It just so happens that at the end of October, the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC hosts one of the biggest community events of the year, the Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival.  Yes, you read that right... it’s not just a “Fair” anymore.  This multi-week event has evolved over the years to encompass so much more than just books. The Festival has grown into a world class showcase for theatre, music and film, in addition to top notch authors.

By Gerald Blaise LaBita, Producing Director Theater LaB Houston

As a big fan of The Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Fair at the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC for many years (decades) now, it has always been with great anticipation to see who the talented and esteemed writers that will present at the J each year. Rabbi Chaim Potok was a headliner of the Book Fair back in November 1982 and I had the good fortune to see, meet and hear Potok talk about his life, writings and literature. It was a special personal event because years earlier I had become a fan of Potok’s fiction work. I stood in a very long line that night armed with my first edition hardback books and was able to say hello and have him sign my copies of The Chosen and My Name is Asher Lev.

by John Dreyfus, Houston Jewish Film Festival Chair 

 After all the previewing and planning, it is hard to believe the 13th Annual Houston Jewish Film Festival is upon us. Doreen Joffe and Sharon Kagan gave birth to this project 13 years ago. Now our adolescent program celebrates a Bar Mitzvah. The celebration kicks off with a sneak preview of the drama Fever at Dawn on Monday February 27, and officially opens March 5 and runs through March 19.

We are bringing an outstanding show to Houston for one night only. Soul to Soul will perform at the J on Saturday, February 18 at 8:15 p.m. Soul to Soul was scheduled during the month of February, purposely. But timing is everything, who knew that in today’s America, bridging cultures, celebrating our similarities and our differences, would be so very important, urgent, actually.

In 1988, Dance Month at the Kaplan Theater presented little-known choreographer, Ohad Naharin.  In 1990, Naharin was appointed artistic director of  Batsheva Dance Company. Now Naharin is revolutionizing modern dance with the advent of his Gaga technique.