One of the wonderful by-products of working on this project has been that as people learn about the work being done and the goal of this documentary, I have been getting invitations to speak about it at events around Los Angeles. The first was the presentation at BINA in July, which I was thrilled to reprise recently at a benefit for Cycles and Revolutions hosted by the Ru-Ju-LA group which featured the film Refusenik and filmmaker Laura Bialis. With several more in the works, these engagements offer a personal outreach to the greater community and hopefully help bridge the gap between ex-Soviet and American Jewry.
On December 4th, I will be speaking at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles’s “Imagining Our Future” event, an opportunity I couldn’t be more excited about. Described as “A Day of Jewish Learning and Culture,” during which, rabbis, artists, and performers will be giving their interpretations on our Jewish life and future.
As part of a block called “A Future Big Enough for All of Us,” I have been invited to present on the integration of Soviet Jews into the greater American Jewish community. Using information I’ve learned and videos I’ve generated for Cycles and Revolutions, I’ll discuss the specific challenges facing Russian-speaking Jews in the U.S., and how we can better integrate into larger communities without losing our culture and identity.
For more information or register, click here!
Thanks to an anonymous donor, admission is FREE (and includes lunch!). I hope you’ll come learn, discuss and participate! If you’re going, please let me know and say “hi!”