Joshua Lazoff

Rabbi Avraham Sutton and Steven Bram Product Description Kabbalah Me is a personal journey into the esoteric spiritual phenomenon known as Kabbalah. Throughout history, Kabbalah was studied by only the holiest Talmud scholars. The misinformation, innuendo, and prohibition surrounding Kabbalah kept its wisdom from most Jews; many were even unaware of its existence. In Kabbalah Me, director Steven Bram embarks on a spiritual investigation that leads him to reunite with the Hasidic branch of his family and connect to the community of Judaic scholarship. Eventually, his curiosity takes him on a pilgrimage to Israel, where he immerses himself in the history and traditions of the Holy Land. Along the way, leading authorities discuss the complex, mystical world of Kabbalah - its varying interpretations and the myriad paths of its rituals and lessons. Bram's new commitment to spirituality and religious observance draws skepticism from family and friends but ultimately leads to profound changes across all aspects of his life. Review "Kabbalah Me is most satisfying as a personal artifact that traces Bram's quest, bumps and all...This is, after all, a journey of faith, not one of facts, and the film sparks when it focuses on the universality of Bram's struggles." --The Dissolve "A fascinating and inspiring story about a man's spiritual journey into the complex world of Jewish mysticism. But on another level, it is also a revelatory documentary about how faith and religious observance are marginalized in our society." --Jewish Daily Forward "Welcoming and intriguing." --The Village Voice

Rabbi Avraham Sutton and Steven Bram Product Description Kabbalah Me is a personal journey into the esoteric spiritual phenomenon known as Kabbalah. Throughout history, Kabbalah was studied by only the holiest Talmud scholars. The misinformation, innuendo, and prohibition surrounding Kabbalah kept its wisdom from most Jews; many were even unaware of its existence. In Kabbalah Me, director Steven Bram embarks on a spiritual investigation that leads him to reunite with the Hasidic branch of his family and connect to the community of Judaic scholarship. Eventually, his curiosity takes him on a pilgrimage to Israel, where he immerses himself in the history and traditions of the Holy Land. Along the way, leading authorities discuss the complex, mystical world of Kabbalah - its varying interpretations and the myriad paths of its rituals and lessons. Bram's new commitment to spirituality and religious observance draws skepticism from family and friends but ultimately leads to profound changes across all aspects of his life. Review "Kabbalah Me is most satisfying as a personal artifact that traces Bram's quest, bumps and all...This is, after all, a journey of faith, not one of facts, and the film sparks when it focuses on the universality of Bram's struggles." --The Dissolve "A fascinating and inspiring story about a man's spiritual journey into the complex world of Jewish mysticism. But on another level, it is also a revelatory documentary about how faith and religious observance are marginalized in our society." --Jewish Daily Forward "Welcoming and intriguing." --The Village Voice

Rabbi Avraham Sutton and Steven Bram Product Description Kabbalah Me is a personal journey into the esoteric spiritual phenomenon known as Kabbalah. Throughout history, Kabbalah was studied by only the holiest Talmud scholars. The misinformation, innuendo, and prohibition surrounding Kabbalah kept its wisdom from most Jews; many were even unaware of its existence. In Kabbalah Me, director Steven Bram embarks on a spiritual investigation that leads him to reunite with the Hasidic branch of his family and connect to the community of Judaic scholarship. Eventually, his curiosity takes him on a pilgrimage to Israel, where he immerses himself in the history and traditions of the Holy Land. Along the way, leading authorities discuss the complex, mystical world of Kabbalah - its varying interpretations and the myriad paths of its rituals and lessons. Bram's new commitment to spirituality and religious observance draws skepticism from family and friends but ultimately leads to profound changes across all aspects of his life. Review "Kabbalah Me is most satisfying as a personal artifact that traces Bram's quest, bumps and all...This is, after all, a journey of faith, not one of facts, and the film sparks when it focuses on the universality of Bram's struggles." --The Dissolve "A fascinating and inspiring story about a man's spiritual journey into the complex world of Jewish mysticism. But on another level, it is also a revelatory documentary about how faith and religious observance are marginalized in our society." --Jewish Daily Forward "Welcoming and intriguing." --The Village Voice

Rabbi Avraham Sutton and Steven Bram Product Description Kabbalah Me is a personal journey into the esoteric spiritual phenomenon known as Kabbalah. Throughout history, Kabbalah was studied by only the holiest Talmud scholars. The misinformation, innuendo, and prohibition surrounding Kabbalah kept its wisdom from most Jews; many were even unaware of its existence. In Kabbalah Me, director Steven Bram embarks on a spiritual investigation that leads him to reunite with the Hasidic branch of his family and connect to the community of Judaic scholarship. Eventually, his curiosity takes him on a pilgrimage to Israel, where he immerses himself in the history and traditions of the Holy Land. Along the way, leading authorities discuss the complex, mystical world of Kabbalah - its varying interpretations and the myriad paths of its rituals and lessons. Bram's new commitment to spirituality and religious observance draws skepticism from family and friends but ultimately leads to profound changes across all aspects of his life. Review "Kabbalah Me is most satisfying as a personal artifact that traces Bram's quest, bumps and all...This is, after all, a journey of faith, not one of facts, and the film sparks when it focuses on the universality of Bram's struggles." --The Dissolve "A fascinating and inspiring story about a man's spiritual journey into the complex world of Jewish mysticism. But on another level, it is also a revelatory documentary about how faith and religious observance are marginalized in our society." --Jewish Daily Forward "Welcoming and intriguing." --The Village Voice

Interview with Rabbi Avraham Sutton and Steven Bram Product Description Kabbalah Me is a personal journey into the esoteric spiritual phenomenon known as Kabbalah. Throughout history, Kabbalah was studied by only the holiest Talmud scholars. The misinformation, innuendo, and prohibition surrounding Kabbalah kept its wisdom from most Jews; many were even unaware of its existence. In Kabbalah Me, director Steven Bram embarks on a spiritual investigation that leads him to reunite with the Hasidic branch of his family and connect to the community of Judaic scholarship. Eventually, his curiosity takes him on a pilgrimage to Israel, where he immerses himself in the history and traditions of the Holy Land. Along the way, leading authorities discuss the complex, mystical world of Kabbalah - its varying interpretations and the myriad paths of its rituals and lessons. Bram's new commitment to spirituality and religious observance draws skepticism from family and friends but ultimately leads to profound changes across all aspects of his life. Review "Kabbalah Me is most satisfying as a personal artifact that traces Bram's quest, bumps and all...This is, after all, a journey of faith, not one of facts, and the film sparks when it focuses on the universality of Bram's struggles." --The Dissolve "A fascinating and inspiring story about a man's spiritual journey into the complex world of Jewish mysticism. But on another level, it is also a revelatory documentary about how faith and religious observance are marginalized in our society." --Jewish Daily Forward "Welcoming and intriguing." --The Village Voice

Interview with Rabbi Avraham Sutton and Steven Bram Product Description Kabbalah Me is a personal journey into the esoteric spiritual phenomenon known as Kabbalah. Throughout history, Kabbalah was studied by only the holiest Talmud scholars. The misinformation, innuendo, and prohibition surrounding Kabbalah kept its wisdom from most Jews; many were even unaware of its existence. In Kabbalah Me, director Steven Bram embarks on a spiritual investigation that leads him to reunite with the Hasidic branch of his family and connect to the community of Judaic scholarship. Eventually, his curiosity takes him on a pilgrimage to Israel, where he immerses himself in the history and traditions of the Holy Land. Along the way, leading authorities discuss the complex, mystical world of Kabbalah - its varying interpretations and the myriad paths of its rituals and lessons. Bram's new commitment to spirituality and religious observance draws skepticism from family and friends but ultimately leads to profound changes across all aspects of his life. Review "Kabbalah Me is most satisfying as a personal artifact that traces Bram's quest, bumps and all...This is, after all, a journey of faith, not one of facts, and the film sparks when it focuses on the universality of Bram's struggles." --The Dissolve "A fascinating and inspiring story about a man's spiritual journey into the complex world of Jewish mysticism. But on another level, it is also a revelatory documentary about how faith and religious observance are marginalized in our society." --Jewish Daily Forward "Welcoming and intriguing." --The Village Voice

Concept, Research, Script and Creative Direction: Sreekala Sivasankaran Music, Cinematography and Direction: Sanjay Maharishi Language: Multilingual with English subtitles Duration: 1 hour 8 minutes https://independent.academia.edu/SreekalaSivasankaran The film moves between the past and present Cochin Jewish life through memoirs, interviews of local communities, writers and scholars and places that tell the stories of presence and absence of Jews in Kerala today. About Cochin Jews of Kerala: There were once 2,500 Jews recorded in the area where now only about 60 remain. Varied traditions about the origin of the Cochin Jews appear in travelers’ accounts and in Hebrew chronicles from Malabar, some written as early as the 10th century. Some records say the first Jews sailed to South India on the ships of King Solomon; others say they came during the Babylonian exile; others that they fled to Malabar after the destruction of the Second Temple; and others refer to a fourth-century migration from Majorca. Most of these stories revolve around the existence of a Jewish community in the ancient trade center of Cranganore (which the Jews called Shingly), north of Cochin. Sreekala Sivasankaran is Associate Professor in the Janapada Sampada Division of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi. She was educated at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala (M.A) and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (M.Phil-Ph.D). She has held visiting research fellowship at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and post- doctoral fellowship at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. She has taught Sociology in the Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur. She has been an academic coordinator of inter-disciplinary studies on art and culture in South India at IGNCA. She also holds project directorship of Worldview of Visvakarmas and Jewish Cultural Heritage of India under the Janapada Sampada Division. Areas of her research interest include Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies, Migration, Indian Diaspora and Jews of India. Her publications include a book, “Immigration, State Policy and Identity: Jews of India in Israel, New Century Publications, New Delhi, 2009” and several articles in various journals in Malayalam and English. Her film, “Remains of a Dream: The Jewish Saga of Kerala” has been completed and screened at IGNCA in the year 2016. She has also published poems in journals like Indian Literature and Muse India.

Host Jay Fidell speaks with Professor of Chinese & East Asian Studies, Dr. Ping Zhang (Department of East Asian Studies Tel Aviv University) about the history of Jewish people in China.

Only few people know about the Chuetas of Palma de Mallorca. Chuetas are descendants of Jews who were forced to convert to Catholizism in the 15th century. While officially Christians, their descendants secretly continued to live as Jews, always in danger to be caught and executed by the infamous Inquisition. In 2006 Rabbi Shaul Friberg is sent to Mallorca. He is the first official Rabbi to Palma de Mallorca in centuries, and he is out on a mission to find out if there are any traces of Jewdaism left among the Chuetas. While diving into the past and present, discovering a lot more than he had expected, he also finds out something about himself and his own family. A documentary by Paula Zimerman Targownik and Daniel Targownik