Virtual PV Jewish Film Festival returns; one film chronicles the work of Rabbi Kevin Hale, a sofer from Northampton
Northampton Rabbi Kevin Hale, a sofer, or Torah scribe, works on a scroll in his Leeds office in a scene from “Commandement 613.” Image courtesy PVJFF
Torahs and other Judaica arriving at the Jewish Museum of Prague in the former Czechoslovakia in 1942. Rabbi Kevin Hale has since helped restore some of these Torahs, now distributed around the world. photo courtesy PVJFF
Rabbi Kevin Hale of Northampton restores the faded lettering of a Torah. PHOTO courtesy PVJFF
In a scene from “Commandment 613,” Rabbi Kevin Hale restores the final lettering of a historic Torah, originally from Central Europe, that is now part of a Pennsylvania synagogue. Photo courtesy PVJFF
Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival retools itself as virtual event
Updated Feb 01, 2021;
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This year’s Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival to be presented virtually will feature seven film screenings, including one about Northampton’s Rabbi Kevin Hale, who has dedicated his life to the 613th biblical commandment to write a Torah scroll.
Miriam B. Lewin is the director and producer of that short documentary, “Commandment 613,” and she is Hale’s cousin.
“A few years ago, he started telling me about his work on a particular set of Torah scrolls, the ones that belong to the Memorial Scrolls Trust in London, and are loaned out to communities around the world,” she said. “These scrolls come from communities in Czechoslovakia and were saved there during World War II. When he described to me the deep feelings they bring out for the people who now care for the scrolls, I thought it sounded like a good subject for a documentary.”
Arts Briefs: Jewish Film Festival goes virtual starting Feb. 6
Published: 1/19/2021 3:54:08 PM
SPRINGFIELD The Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival, presented by the Springfield Jewish Community Center, marks its 16th year with a virtual mini-festival that kicks off Feb. 6 and runs through March 22.
The 2020 festival was postponed due to COVID-19, just days before launching last year. PVJFF will present seven online film screenings, as the festival continues its tradition of showcasing some of the best independent Jewish cinema from around the world.
Thought-provoking Zoom discussions are planned for nearly all of the films, featuring directors, screenwriters, and experts on an array of topics of cultural and historical significance. This year’s festival includes an eclectic mix of dramas and documentaries, plus a short film.
Springfield Jewish Community Center establishes fund for low-income families
Updated Dec 16, 2020;
The Springfield Jewish Community Center has established the Rabbi Mark Dov Shapiro Memorial Fund for Social Justice to help lower-income families send their children to summer camp at the center. The fund honors the life and legacy of Shapiro, who died in July.
Attorney Gary Weiner initiated the endowed scholarship as a way to recognize Shapiro’s “passionate commitment to social justice and ensure that the J’s summer day camp is accessible for children of all backgrounds.”
“Mark Shapiro was someone who continually crossed boundaries, spiritually and socially, to strive for inclusion of all individuals, whether they were Jewish or not,” said Weiner. “In setting up this scholarship, it is my way to, hopefully, be part of the solution as we all try to bring people together of different faiths and cultures.”
Birmingham Jewish leader taking reins of Massachusetts Jewish community center
Updated Dec 16, 2020;
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The Springfield Jewish Community Center in Massachusetts has announced Samantha Dubrinksy will be the organization’s new chief executive officer, effective Feb. 1. She will succeed Michael Paysnick, who has served as CEO since 2008 and will retire at the end of this year, as previously announced.
Dubrinsky is currently the CEO at the Levite JCC in Birmingham, Alabama, where she has served on the leadership team since 2018. Prior to that, Dubrinsky spent seven years in a variety of programmatic and leadership positions at the Birmingham Jewish Federation.