Jewish Film Festival: Annual Event to Spotlight Important Film

The 21st Annual Jewish Film festival will take place on Aug. 29. For those who have an interest in films with a Jewish theme, you should head to the event at 7:15 p.m. to view, “An Article of Hope,” being screened at the David & Dorotha Garfield Theatre at 4126 Executive Drive in La Jolla. The film is the true story of Colonel Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut.

This year’s film festival is being sponsored by the Leichtag Family Foundation, and presented by the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jacobs Family Campus.

Guest Speakers

In addition to the film, there will be a featured speaker following the screening–, Astronaut Garrett Reisman, the first Jewish crew member on the International Space Station. He will be discussing events that led to the filming of “An Article of Hope.”

The film’s director, Dan Cohen will also participate in a discussion session. The evening will conclude with a Q&A session with Reisman, the film’s director, Daniel Cohen, and its producer, Christopher Cowen.

More on the Subject

On Feb. 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke up above Texas. Its seven astronauts from around the world, including Col. Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut, all perished.

Also destroyed was an artifact that had survived the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp during the Holocaust – the small Torah scroll that Colonel Ramon carried into space.  “An Article of Hope” explores the journey of the Torah from pre-World War II Europe, to Israel, and then into space.

Reisman, a native of New Jersey, earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1997 and was selected by NASA as a Mission Specialist in 1998. He was a back-up crew member for Expedition 15 and joined Expedition 16 aboard the International Space Station for a short time before becoming a member of Expedition 17.

Reisman sent a greeting from space to the people of Israel during the celebration of Israel 60th Independence Day in May 2008. He returned to Earth in June 2008 on board STS-124 on the space shuttle Discovery. Reisman was also a member of the STS-132 mission that traveled to the International Space Station aboard the space shuttle Atlantis from May 14 to 26.

Tickets are $11.25 for Jewish Center members and $13.25 for non-members.

For tickets or information, call (858) 362-1348 or visit www.lfjcc.org/sdjff.

Photo courtesy of NightRPStar via flickr