March 11, 2010

January 14, 2010


Faces of Israel: A Discussion About Marriage, State, and Religion in the Jewish Homeland was released to the public on March 24, 2009. The film poses a series of questions about what it means to live in both a Jewish and democratic state, and offers a variety of answers to these questions through the lens of the Israeli marriage process. Faces of Israel is an exciting, educational and interactive documentary intended for a wide audience, from synagogue-goers to university and high school students to unaffiliated members of the Jewish community.

The documentary was filmed, edited, and produced by Amy Oppenheimer, a recent graduate of Johns Hopkins University with a strong interest in questions surrounding religion and state in Israel. Amy began filming Faces of Israel in early 2007, capturing interviews with Israelis ranging from openly gay secular university students to leaders in the Masorti movement to Ultra-Orthodox Jews, including Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi. While Amy had no formal training in film, through perseverance and many sleepless nights, she produced a feature-length documentary that has been called “powerful… mature… honest… sophisticated,” and “a must see.”

The film consists of ten themed chapters and can be viewed consecutively as a 75-minute documentary or as stand-alone five to ten minute discussion pieces. Institutional copies of the film include extensive educational materials and can be easily tailored into any curriculum or informal education program. Single-screening institutional copies are available for the highly-discounted price of $250. Permanent or multi-use copies are available to educational institutions for $400. Director speaking fee can be arranged separately.

Faces of Israel has been endorsed by a wide spectrum of Jewish leaders such as Rabbi Basil Herring (RCA), Rabbi Gordon Tucker (Conservative movement), Rabbi Judith Hauptman (JTS), Rabbi David Ellenson (HUC), Rabbi Avi Weiss (HIR / YCT), Blu Greenberg (JOFA) and Rabbi Erin Hirsh (JRF).

For more information and to view the film trailer, visit www.facesthemovie.com

Download more information about the film:

 Faces of Israel (PDF file 301Kb)

[Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4.0 or higher.]