Overview
Jewish people and Black people have experienced a history of intolerance and discrimination and both groups have used the arts as tools of resistance. In a climate of growing antisemitism in the United States it is vital that people form allyships to combat hatred because intolerance of all kinds is a threat to humankind. In this PSEG True Diversity Film Series event, we’ll explore how creativity is a resource for building unity and positively shaping the future.
In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, observed on January 27, this month’s PSEG True Diversity Film Series selection is Petit Rat. This award-winning documentary tells the story of a French Jewish girl’s dream of becoming a ballerina, cut short by World War II. She and her parents are hidden by French Christians in a small town in Vichy France where they survive the war. Petit Rat is a portrait of a mother and her daughters, bonded by the intergenerational trauma of war and uplifted by the resilience of familial love.
We’ll be joined by the filmmaker for a panel conversation, along with other multicultural leaders who are combining social justice and the arts.
How to participate:
- Register here.
- Following registration you’ll receive a link to watch Petit Rat; it is also available for streaming on PBS Passport.
- Join us for a virtual panel discussion at 7PM on Monday, January 23.
Our panel will be moderated by Isaiah Rothstein, Rabbinic Scholar and Public Affairs Advisor at Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), and the founder of JFNA’s Initiative for Jewish Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; the Jewish Youth Climate Movement; and Kamochah, a community for Black Orthodox Jews.
Our panelists include:
Vera Wagman, Director and Producer of Petit Rat
Anna Glass, Executive Director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem
Greg Thomas, Co-director of the Omni-American Future Project, an initiative committed to fighting racism and antisemitism and strengthening unity through music
Daniel Wise, Playwright and Director of the Broadway musical Soul Doctor, the untold story of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and Nina Simone and the impact of gospel on Jewish music
