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`RETURN OF SARAH'S DAUGHTERS'

Marcia Jarmel watched a friend from high school get
married in an Orthodox ceremony and then turned
her vision inward to examine her own ties to
Judaism. That experience bounced outward again as
Jarmel showcased women's religious attitudes in the
documentary Return of Sarah's Daughters.
What had intrigued Jarmel was recalling her friend
as a strong feminist while seeing her marry someone
she barely knew according to very controlled rituals.
She wondered what had changed and what effects
those changes would have.
"I didn't anticipate that the wedding would be a per-
sonal journey for me," says Jarmel, married and the
mother of two who maintains a Jewish household that
observes only a minimum of rituals. "Ultimately, my
journey illuminates the modern conflicts between assim-
ilation and tradition, community and individualism."
Two women are at the heart of Jarmel's film. Rus, a
no-nonsense social worker, shows all aspects of the
Chasidic life she finds fulfilling, from maintaining a
kosher kitchen to using a mikvah. Myriam, who had
found solace in the same observances, must choose a
different path after coming out as a lesbian and eventu-
ally studying for the rabbinate to find her fulfillment.
"Throughout the film, Myriam and Rus' stories
are interwoven with poetic, black-and-white inter-
ludes," explains Jarmel, the film's writer, director and
producer. Jarmel offers critical commentary through-
out the production that won first place in the
Magnes Museum Jewish Video Competition.
Jarmel's other productions include Born in the
USA., which explores childbirth practices, and The F
Word: A Short Video About Feminism. Before concen-
trating on her own films, Jarmel served as associate
producer, co-editor and researcher for others' projects.
She holds a master's degree in journalism and mass
communications from the University of Colorado.
"The women don't see themselves as giving up
anything to pursue their lifestyle," Jarmel says.
Filmmaker Marcia Jarmel joins U-M Professor Anita
Norich to discuss "Return of Sarah's Daughters," which
screens with "Women of the Wall" 2 p. m. Thursday May 3.

"The Return of Sarah's Daughters" Illuminating the
conflicts between assimilation and tradition.

`WOMEN OF THE WALL'

Faye Lederman's first film seems only natural for
someone who grew up in a modern Orthodox
household, earned a degree in American studies and
political science and found work helping women get
off welfare and become independent.
In telling the story of Women of the Wall, the ones
who want equal opportunity to pray out loud in one
of the most sacred sites in Jerusalem, Lederman asserts
her commitment to religion, activism and feminism.
"The subject picked me," says the Northwestern
University graduate.
Lederman, 27, became interested in the strongly
debated issue and the people involved in the struggle
while studying in Israel and making visits to the
Western Wall in 1997. She returned to the United
States, worked for Jewish filmmakers and went back
to Israel in 1999 to put the movie together. It pre-
miered in New York the year it was completed.
"I think religion is the last stronghold against fem-
inism, and I was struck by the women's stories,"
Lederman says about her reasons for pursuing this
project. "There has been skewed media coverage of
the group, and that contributed to the rising tension
and interest within myself."
The documentary reaches back to 1989, when a
women's prayer group began. It shows how the
women hold their stand and test the limits of legal
interpretations. Although the Israeli Supreme Court
ruled in favor of the women last year, challenges
have put the decision up for reconsideration.
To enlarge the impaa of her film, Lederman has
launched a national outreach and education plan and has
screened it and facilitated discussion in more than 80 com-
munities. She has found distribution help through New
Day Films, a co-op that she describes as a "film kibbutz.
"I recognize the power of Jewish film to educate
and create political action," says Lederman, already
developing her next production, a lighter film about
Chasidic women who operate a lingerie store.
"Women of the Wall" screens 2 p. m. Thursday May
3; Professor Anita Norich and Temple Emanu-El Rabbi
Joe Klein will lead a post-film discussion.

"Women of the Wall" "Ripped from today's headlines."

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TANA'S FRIENDS'

MICHAEL FOX
Special to the Jewish News

Illor the first half-hour of the refreshing and

1111- rambunctious Israeli film Yana Friends, there

is some question as to who, exactly; Yana's friends
are.
The charming Russian husband that Yana just
made aliyah with He flees almost instantly to
shepherd a business deal in the old country, leaving
Yana to fend for herself in a less-than-hospitable
Tel Aviv.
Her reptilian roommate Eli? A wedding videog-
rapher with an overdeveloped sense of self and a
hyperactive libido, Eh eyes Yana opportunistically
as his next conquest.
Yana's brusque landlady? Since when is a land-
lord a friend, especially this untrusting, unsympa-
thetic woman.
"Yana's Friends"•
One fears the 'worst for Yana,
Won it slew of
who exudes a waif-like vulnera-
Israeli Oscars.
bait): But at her bleakest
moment, Yana (played by
Russian émigré Evlyn Kaplan)
reveals a resourcefulness and pragmatism that are
precisely the qualities needed to make it in a for-
eign country,.
Written and directed by Russian expatriate Arik
Kaplan (the actress's husband), the invigorating
Yanas Friends has the unpredictable plotting, color-
ful secondary characters and boisterous energy one
typically associates with Eastern European films.
Ricocheting from drama to slapstick, the film
reflects the Russian sensibility that comedy and
tragedy are just seconds apart. It all adds up to a
movie brimming with laughter and charm, yet
fully cognizant of the resentment and xenophobia
that greet new immigrants everywhere.
Yana:5. Friends is set during the Gulf War, and
Saddam's Scuds make a cameo appearance. That
element feels superfluous, although it underscores
the film's theme that people in a small country are
incontrovertibly interdependent — even when
they detest each other,
Yana's Friends, which dominated the 1999 Israeli
Academy Awards with 10 prizes, also points up the
pitfalls of first impressions, in real life as well as in
the movies.
This is one of those films where seemingly every-
body has a secret — a hidden talent or unexpected
character trait that is worthy of respect.
Yana herself anchors the comedy and chaos by
solving one crisis at a time and steadily moving
forward. Her willingness to learn Hebrew and land
a job will prove crucial in assimilating in her
adopted land, and finding happiness.
Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a little help
from your friends. El

"Yana's- Friends" screens 8 p. m. Thursday May 3.

