Out of Faith Blog

UPCOMING PBS BROADCASTS

noreply@blogger.com (OUT OF FAITH) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:52:00 +0000

OUT OF FAITH PBS BROADCASTS IN APRIL & MAY 2009

We've already aired on KQED, San Francisco,WHYY, Philadelphia 10:00PM,

WNET/Thirteen, NYC, WMVS, Milwaukee,KPBS, San Diego, and many more!!

UPCOMING SCREENINGS
April 13 KUHT, Houston 9:30 PM
April 19 WTVS, Detroit 4:30 PM
April 22 OPB, Oregon 11:00 PM
April 30 KUED,20Salt Lake City 7:00 PM
May 3 WQED, Pittsburgh 5:00 PM
May 10, KCET, Los Angeles, 4:00 PM

Check local listings; Call your local PBS station to see if Out of Faith will air in your city!

OUT OF FAITH to Air on PBS

noreply@blogger.com (OUT OF FAITH) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:40:00 +0000

Stay tuned for a complete list of PBS stations airing OUT OF FAITH. So far, almost all of the major television markets are covered with more to come!!!

Young Jews Want to Dialogue!

noreply@blogger.com (OUT OF FAITH) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:02:00 +0000

Many people, even those in the kiruv (Jewish outreach) movement, tell me young people are generally not interested in talking about Jewish identity and continuity. "We should only focus on helping those already interested in becoming religious develop the tools to study Torah," they opine. I disagree. Young people of all stripes want to discuss these issues and we have a moral obligation to engage them. The problem is that the methods many in kiruv use are stale and "too safe." OUT OF FAITH, as a "real" theatrical film, continues to prove that if we provide young people (and older folks as well) with inspiring material they will talk with us.

My trip to BBYO Kallah East yesterday (and today, I am writing you from there), again proves my point. We might not agree on all of the nuances of issues like intermarriage, but kids from less traditionally observant families care about the "big issues." If we continue to converse, we will all gain greater understanding of each other and hopefully end up where we should.

It's Official: The Entire Spectrum of the Jewish Community Loves OUT OF FAITH

noreply@blogger.com (OUT OF FAITH) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:28:00 +0000

Although we are just starting the national push for screenings in independent theaters, Jewish community centers, synagogues, and other locations, what is clear already is that OUT OF FAITH profoundly impacts audiences all along the religious spectrum. We have shown the film to secular audiences and two nights ago we had a screening for a predominantly "frum" group of women.

Everyone agrees that the film motivates a discussion about who we are as a people that, as many have said, we must have. Let me know if you would like to arrange a screening for your community.

Critical Acclaim for OUT OF FAITH!!

noreply@blogger.com (OUT OF FAITH) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:09:00 +0000

Chicago Reviews

PIONEER PRESS, Sun Times News Group

Review appeared in approximately 50 local newspapers

April 3, 2008

««« ½ The last thing you’re likely to expect from a documentary on interfaith marriage is a profoundly moving experience, but “OUT OF FAITH” delivers just that. Ostensibly the story of how marriage outside of the faith places stress on three generations of a North Shore-area Jewish family, “OUT OF FAITH” gradually becomes a portrait of the Welbel family’s iron-willed matriarch Leah, whose survival of Auschwitz and Birkenau makes her strong , but defines her for the rest of her life. When one of her grandchildren marries a Christian girl, Leah turns her back on him, creating a rift in the family. When a granddaughter does the same, she disapproves, but keeps the lines of communication open, hoping for a conversion. “If I let this happen, I feel like I’m betraying my family,” Leah says, thinking of the brothers, sisters, parents and cousins who were killed in the same camps she survived. “OUT OF FAITH” succeeds because it allows us to see precisely why Leah feels the way she does—personal memories arising from a return to Auschwitz and Birkenau are devastating—and to understand how, for her, there can be no other way.

Author: Bruce Ingram

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

February 29, 2008

««« (good) (U.S.; Lisa Leeman, 2006). Three generations of a Chicago-area family struggle with the issues of Jewish identity and intermarriage in this documentary by Leeman, herself a product of an interfaith union. Holocaust survivor Leah Welbel and her husband, fellow survivor Eliezer, raised two sons in Skokie in a fairly non-observant Jewish household. But when a grandson married a gentile, Leah, stoked by memories of suffering and loss in Auschwitz and Birkenau, cut him off, a six-year standoff that continues as the film opens. She maintains affectionate ties with his sister, also married to a non-Jew, in the hopes of prompting an in-law conversion. The indefatigable Leah (who travels back to the death camps for moving recollections) is the film's focus, but all sides get their say, particularly at a seminar about intermarriage and the risk to a Jewish future.

Author: Maureen M. Hart

NEWCITY CHICAGO

February 29, 2008

The factors behind the fears of interfaith marriage are dealt with judiciously in Lisa Leeman’s “Out of Faith.” No answers: many questions. Leeman begins with her own curiosity, as the product of an interfaith marriage, and works her way efficiently outward. Leah, her central figure, survived “those damn Nazis’” Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Leeman meant to capture her tenacity and history, but soon realized there was a larger story to be told, eddying down beyond today. As producer L. Mark DeAngelis writes cogently, “Two of Leah’s grandchildren had married outside Judaism and this had hurt her deeply. On many occasions, Leah poured her heart out to me. She had lost nearly her entire family in the Shoah for no reason other than that they were Jewish; yet, her grandchildren seemed not to care. That she had not lived a religiously Jewish life did not matter to Leah; she was ‘Jewish in her heart,’ and she had always expected that this meant the same thing to her grandchildren. To some, Leah’s rejection of her grandchildren for their decision to ‘marry out’ seemed cold and shallow. However, to me, Leah’s pain was too sincere, deep and routed in the tenets of our faith for me to condemn her in any way. We want people to consider the balance between living one’s life independently of the obligations of the past and in proper reverence therefore. Nevertheless, I would be remiss if I did not say forthrightly, ‘Leah was my hero.’”

Author: Ray Pride

TIME OUT CHICAGO

February 28, 2008

«««« “We’re finishing the job that Hitler started.” So says a Jewish man about interfaith marriages. Fifty percent of American Jews marry out of the faith, and only about a third of their children identify as Jews. For some of the survivors of the Holocaust, that amounts to a betrayal of those who died. It certainly seems that way to Leah Welbel, the woman at the center of this emotional documentary. When we meet her, Welbel has not spoken to her grandson Danny in six years because he married a Christian. But with her granddaughter Cheryl, who has recently done the same thing, Welbel tries to keep the channels of communication open in hopes that her grandson-in-law might convert. Leeman started this documentary with her focus on Welbel as a Holocaust survivor. Only during filming did Leeman realize how central the issue of interfaith marriage is to the family. While Welbel’s return to Auschwitz is undeniably powerful, a number of films have been made about survivors recounting the horrors of the camps. Leeman brings something fresh to the screen when we hear a family (and, in one remarkable scene, a whole discussion group at a conference) talk about what marrying out of the faith means. Rather than explore the topic in cool abstractions, Leeman takes us into one family’s struggle with these big questions. To her credit, Leeman leaves us as uncertain as the Welbels about what the answers might be.

Author: Hank Sartin

The Windy City Joins the OUT OF FAITH Dialogue

noreply@blogger.com (OUT OF FAITH) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:51:00 +0000

For the past week at the Wilmette Theatre, and at the Gene Siskel Theater downtown before that, we have enjoyed several evenings of thoughtful, inspirational, and often lively post screening conversations. The conversations--concerning how the Jewish community can survive as a distinct group in a society that places great pressure on its members to assimilate and embrace secular lifestyles--presents the most important issue facing Jews today. It has become clear to all that have heard me speak at these discussions what I believe. However, we produced a film that provides a balanced, non-propagandist, approach to the questions. Rather, it invites all Jews who care about the future of Judaism to participate, to have their voices heard, on this essential issue. We hope to replicate our efforts in other cities. Stay tuned and thank you for the wonder support we have received from those of you in Chicago.

Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival

noreply@blogger.com (OUT OF FAITH) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:20:00 +0000

Wow! I cannot begin to tell you how blown away I was by the turnout at our screening last night in Minneapolis. There had to be over 200 people there and the post screening discussion went on for some time and was amazing. I have to be honest: with one of the highest intermarriage rates in the United States, I had no idea what the discussion would produce. However, although I am sure some did not agree with my slant on the issues presented in the film, the dialogue was civil and heartfelt. My hat goes off to fine folks of Minneapolis. And a special thanks to AISH Minnesota, especially Rabbi and Rebbetzin Simpser and Chaim Fink, for their generous support of the screening and hospitality to yours truly.

CHICAGO PREMIERE SPARKS MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE

noreply@blogger.com (L. Mark DeAngelis) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 04:32:00 +0000

Well, there is only one screening of OUT OF FAITH left--tonight! It's our College and Young Professional Night. We are expecting a packed house, so get there early and stay afterwards to enjoy a lively and meaningful dialogue. As you will see from the comments here, we discuss just about anything.

Official Release of OUT OF FAITH

noreply@blogger.com (L. Mark DeAngelis) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 03:13:00 +0000

Great news. We are moving ahead with the release of our film (outside just the film festival circuit). After screening in dozens of festivals across the Western Hemisphere, OUT OF FAITH may finally be coming to your home town. Watch for various types of screenings. In some cities we will be in theaters. In some, we will be in community centers, etc. Soon you will be able to check out our new mapping feature on the homepage of our site to see when a screening will be in your area. OR, you can sign up to organize a screening in your community as well. We are quite stoked about this and hope to meet many of you in the not-too-distant future.

Also, we will have BIG NEWS about PBS soon--just a little teaser for now!

OUT OF FAITH @ the UJC GA in Nashville Next Week

noreply@blogger.com (L. Mark DeAngelis) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 08:25:00 +0000

If you are going to attend this year’s GA in Nashville, please stop by and see us in Booth 519. Just say hello, or learn about how you or your organization can participate in the OUT OF FAITH National Release and Outreach Campaign set to launch in January!

Dallas Jewish Film Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Eliezer Films) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 05:05:00 +0000

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend last week’s screening at the Dallas Jewish Film Festival, but the reports we received back were great! Huge and emotionally impacted crowd. . . With one of the most rapidly growing Jewish communities in the country, the Jewish scene in Dallas is dynamic and thriving. If you missed the screening, not to worry, we will be back there soon. Stay tuned for details!

BBYO Kallah East: Fantastic Screening & Group Sessions

noreply@blogger.com (Eliezer Films) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 18:59:00 +0000

Wow! If anyone was wondering whether OUT OF FAITH would resonate with high schoolers, after Tuesday’s screening at BBYO’s Kallah East

I can comfortably conclude the answer to that question is a resounding “yes.” Our screening on Tish B’Av went great! Not only did we manage to have a successful screening to a crowd that in large part had not eaten for well over 20 hours, we followed the screening up the next day with an insightful session dedicated to the themes of the film. (I will post some feedback results later.)

Don’t let anyone tell you that our children are not thinking about Jewish continuity—they are. And although we who care about a future for the Jewish people still have much work to do, our young people are tuned in; they will dialogue with us. We at JAFAH and Eliezer Films are willing to do our part to engage them. Are you?

Mea Culpa

noreply@blogger.com (Eliezer Films) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:44:00 +0000

Trying to keep up with our blog has proven more difficult than I thought. Since our screening in Maine, we have had five additional screenings: Vancouver, Milwaukee, Northern Virginia, Grand Rapids, and Buffalo. My apologies for not thanking everyone from those fests who made our screenings such great successes. Mea culpa. I personally attended screenings in Milwaukee, Virginia, and Grand Rapids. I continue to be thoroughly impressed with the depth of concern Jews around the country have about the issue of Jewish continuity. The Jewish spark is alive and well in the Jewish community in the United States.

We also have exciting news about new festival invitations and other exciting developments for the film! Stay tuned!!!! And thanks for stopping in. . .

Maine Jewish Film Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Eliezer Films) — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 02:38:00 +0000

Just a quick post to thank everyone who helped make our screening tonight a big success! Nancy Rosenbaum, the Festival Executive Director, Deb Tenenbaum, Festival Assistant, George and Roberta Gordon, who shared their home and a wonderful meal with Wayne and Jo Ann Goodman, who made sure I got me to where I needed to be, and me, and Robin Rubinstein, who got me into town without incident, all made my stay absolutely wonderful. And a preemptive thank you to Eleanor Goldberg, who will be getting me to the airport tomorrow morning so that I can get back to my wife and beautiful daughters.

Also, thank you to everyone who opened their hearts to me during our post screening discussion. I know that at times my statements can be a bit controversial, but as I have stated on multimple occassions, these discussions are important to the future of Judaism. I look forward to continueing the dialogue!

Thank you,
L. Mark DeAngelis

Steven Cohen's "A Tale of Two Jewries: An Inconvenient Truth for American Jews"

noreply@blogger.com (Eliezer Films) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 04:36:00 +0000

In my response to an anonymous poster in the San Diego Jewish Film Festival string below, I refer to Steven Cohen's important piece referenced above. Anyone who cares about the future of the Jewish community in the United States, and elsewhere for that matter, should read his research. You should also read the conversation in the San Diego Jewish Film Festival comment section below. Thanks for stopping in!

Young People Respond to OUT OF FAITH

noreply@blogger.com (Eliezer Films) — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 06:23:00 +0000

I have been really moved by how young people (on MySpace and elsewhere) have responded to our trailer. Contrary to popular belief, many young people do contemplate the issues raised in our film. My greatest hope would be to engage young people about the importance of thinking about interfaith marriage seriously before entering into an interfaith marriage lightly.

San Diego Jewish Film Festival Stimulates Heartfelt Audiene Discourse

noreply@blogger.com (Eliezer Films) — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 00:10:00 +0000

As I sit here in the San Diego Airport, waiting to get back to Chicago, I am still abuzz from this morning’s OUT OF FAITH screening. In addition to being blown away by the beautiful theater at the Lawrence Family JCC, and deeply appreciative of the hospitality everyone involved with the festival showed us, I cannot help but take away a sense--yet again--of how much OOF impacts our audiences. I say this not to boast--after all, as I become more religious I have to accept that G-d is really the one pulling the strings--but rather, through our screenings I see how deeply our film is of the Jewish zeitgeist. So many of us are struggling to determine what is the best way of reconnecting, or connecting for the first time like my family, to our Judaism. Our screening this morning stimulated many a comment from Jews who all care about our existence as a people. We may have different beliefs and approaches to things such as the manner in which we speak to our children about interfaith marriage, but for the most part, we are all people of good faith trying to figure it out. And that is a good place to start.

OUT OF FAITH in New York

noreply@blogger.com (Eliezer Films) — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 17:39:00 +0000

We hope to see our New York friends this Thursday night at 7:30 PM at the Makor Screening Room. CLICK HERE to visit the Makor Blog on OUT OF FAITH, or to book your tickets.

Just Screened in Atlanta

noreply@blogger.com (Eliezer Films) — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 05:17:00 +0000

I just got in from our Atlanta premiere at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and all I can say is, “I knew that there was a reason I love the South!” The theater was full of eager viewers who all laughed and cried at all the right spots. J Q & A was great and I spent a great deal of time chatting with people after they kicked us out of the theater. Kudos to Kenny Blank, Peggy Roth, Jan Epstein and the whole film festival crew! You guys did a great job!

Come See Us In Atlanta!

noreply@blogger.com (Eliezer Films) — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 07:36:00 +0000

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival

We're on our way to our screening at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival!

Also, some more invites:

Vancouver Jewish Film Festival

March 22 - April 2, 2007

Grand Rapids Jewish Film Festival

May 6, 2007

Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival

May 6 - 12, 2007

More Festival Invitations

noreply@blogger.com (Eliezer Films) — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 18:05:00 +0000

Let’s get you up-to-date!

San Diego Jewish Film Festival

2 Screenings:

Friday, February 16, 2007; and

Sunday, February, 18, 2007, Times TBD

Maine Jewish Film Festival

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Special Milwaukee Screening

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Northern Virginia Jewish Film Festival

2 or 3 Screenings:

April 19 – May 3, 2007

Check Back Frequently for More!

Another Great Screening!

noreply@blogger.com (Eliezer Films) — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 17:20:00 +0000

Director Lisa Leeman and I, namely Producer L. Mark DeAngelis, enjoyed another meaningful post screening panel discussion (led by Dr. Marion Usher) on the significance of assimilation on the Jewish community and the approach those of us concerned with a dwindling Jewish population should take to interfaith marriage. Hopefully we will have some photos to post from the event soon. Check out the feedback on OUT OF FAITH at the Festival’s blog.

Washington DC Jewish Film Festival Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Eliezer Films) — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 03:42:00 +0000

If you never had a chance to read Lisa and my positions on interfaith marriage—you can do so on the Washington Jewish Film Festival blog by CLICKING HERE. We hope to see you tomorrow at our screening in the nation’s capitol!!

Two More Festival Invites & Our First Public New York Screening Announced!

noreply@blogger.com (Eliezer Films) — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 19:23:00 +0000

Make sure you check our festival page for our latest two festival invitations: Washington (DC) Jewish and Atlanta Jewish Film Festivals. Also, the famous 92^nd Street Y has asked us to screen in February, complete with a panel discussion on interfaith marriage. We can’t wait!!

Read Our Essays on Interfaithfamily.org

noreply@blogger.com (Eliezer Films) — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 04:19:00 +0000

Interfaithfamily.org asked Lisa Leeman and I to share our differing views on interfaith marriage with them. Read our essays there by CLICKING HERE.