In the Synagogue is a short film by young Ukrainian director Ivan Orlenko based on an unfinished story by Franz Kafka. One of few works by Kafka to deal with Jewish culture overtly, the story describes a strange vision of a beast that a Jewish boy experiences while praying in a synagogue, a metaphor which could be interpreted in several ways. Young Ukrainian director Ivan Orlenko has adapted Kafka’s fragment into a 30-minute film, shot entirely in Yiddish, and transposed its action to a synagogue in western Ukraine.
The screening will be preceded by a talk by Dr Uilleam Blacker of UCL SSEES on the ways in which the rich Jewish cultural heritage of Ukraine is remembered and reimagined in the country today, and the challenges which this process of recovery faces.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with the director.
The event is co-organised by Ukrainian Institute, London and UCL SSEES, with the support of the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter.
Screening of the film Jewish Routes in Romania, a documentary about Jewish heritage sites in the country.
According to a press release:
Jewish itineraries in Romania is a documentary film that captures a small part of the traces left by the Jewish communities in Romania. From Săpânţa to Ştefăneşti, from Bacău to Siret, the film crew tried to recover the atmosphere in the visited cemeteries and synagogues. Hard to locate, remaining outside the tourist circuit of many localities in Romania, the Jewish cemeteries are in an accelerated process of degradation, although they represent an invaluable heritage. And in the few synagogues that remained functional in Romania, only a handful of people celebrate the old beliefs.
For over 40 minutes, the viewer can admire unique funeral stones or synagogues painted in an impressive manner. Botoşani, Bucureşti, Câmpulung Moldovenesc, Fălticeni, Săpânţa, Ştefăneşti, Suceava, Dorohoi, Piatra Neamt, Sighetu Marmaiei, Simleu Silvaniei, Buhuşi, Târgu Neamţ, Sighet, Siret, Rădăuţi and Bacău, are the following localities: they revealed a flourishing world, a Jewish world that used to call Romania’s territory home.
The 17th annual Singer’s Warsaw festival — many on-site and online events are on the program, including concerts, lectures, guided tours, theatrical performances, and more.
On the program, click the title for more information and registration details.
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