May 28, 2008
Iyyar 23, 5768
This is an email announcement regarding the documentary film, Lonely Man of Faith: The Life and Legacy of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik.
First of all, welcome to the over 100 people who joined this list since my last announcement!
Here are the upcoming screenings, with some new additions:
This Sunday, June 1st (Iyyar 27), at
6 PM, will be a special preview screening of the film -- the first screening in Europe. The film will screen at
Congregation Tiferet Israel, in
Zurich, Switzerland, at
Haus der judischen Jugend
, Grutlistrasse 68.
Rabbi Aaron Adler, their congregational leader, who was a
shamash (assistant) of the Rav in the '70s (and is the brother of R. Yosef Adler, who is featured in the film), will speak afterwards. There will also be a
tefillah chagigit (celebratory prayer service) celebrating
Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) along with refreshments. The screening will include Hebrew subtitles. For more information,
see the synagogue website. For the Facebook event,
click here.
NEW: Wednesday, June 11 (Sivan 8), right after
Shavuot, at
7:30 PM, the film will return to the
Jerusalem Cinematheque. Thank God, the last screening there was full, so they've decided to bring the film back another time.
NEW: Wednesday, June 18 (Sivan 15),
at
7:30 PM, the film will return to the Upper West Side of
Manhattan, for a screening at
Congregation Ohab Zedek, at
118 W. 95th St. The screening will be followed by a discussion titled “The Early Years & Later Years of the Rav”, and featuring
R. Allen Schwartz, Rabbi of Ohab Zedek and a student of the Rav in the 80s, and
R. Shalom Rephun, who was in one of the Rav's first classes. I will also participate in the discussion. To order tickets online,
click here (be sure to mention in the form that you're paying for the screening). For more information,
click here or call 212-749-5150. The Facebook event
is here.
NEW: On June 22 (Sivan 19), there may be a screening in Woodmere, NY (Long Island). I will send out another email when this is confirmed.
June 26 at 4 PM, June 29 at 12:45 PM, and
July 3 at 3 PM, the film will be back in
Boston at the
Museum of Fine Arts. I plan to attend the screening on Sunday, June 29, and to answer questions afterward.
In August, there will hopefully be screenings of the film in Miami and Lido Beach, NY (Long Island).
In September, there should be screenings in Englewood/Ft. Lee, NJ and in Rochester, NY.
More information to follow.
I'd appreciate it if you could forward this email to anyone else who might be interested in this information. And here's a link to
the Facebook group for the film.
I recently wrote a review in the Y.U. Commentator of the new book, "Mentor of Generations". The article was titled, "Yet another Soloveitchik book?" and
you can read it here. I'm interested in your comments.
The Bergen County Premiere of Lonely Man of Faith, a few weeks ago, in Teaneck, NJ, was extremely well attended! Between 600-700 people turned out at Congregation Keter Torah to watch the film, and to hear Rabbis Jacob J. Schacter, Yosef Adler, and Rabbi Michael Taubes speak about the Rav. This was our third largest turnout, after the screenings at Yeshiva University and the Orthodox Union convention in Israel!
The turnout at the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival, a few days later, was decidedly smaller, at under a hundred. That could in part be chalked up to competition with four other of their films, one of which was followed by a rock concert! In any case, the audience seemed rather engrossed in the film, and many stayed for the discussion with myself and Rabbi Elliot Dorff, as well as for questions/answers.
If anyone is interested in organizing a screening outside of Israel, contact
Matt Stein.
Have a good rest of the week,
Ethan Isenberg