SEPTEMBER 3 • 2020 | 37
C
haiFlicks, a new stream-
ing service dedicated to
Jewish and Israeli enter-
tainment, has just launched and
the timing is perfect.
Created as a Jewish Netflix,
ChaiFlicks has over 150
acclaimed movies, TV series,
documentaries, short films and
theater selections, including
multiple award-winning and
classic films, and it is available
on every major streaming
device. It’
s founded by Neil
Friedman and Heidi Bogin
Oshin of Menemsha Films, and
Bill Weiner, formerly of New
Regency Productions.
“It’
s a one-stop-shop for
Jewish entertainment,
” Oshin
said. “We are thrilled to bring
quality Jewish and Israeli pro-
gramming to the streaming
universe.
”
The inspiration for ChaiFlicks
was a response to the real Net-
flix creating more of its own
original content and purchasing
fewer titles from distributors.
Although Friedman sold two
movies to Netflix in the past,
the company declined 1945, a
Hungarian drama about the
Holocaust which brought in
$1 million at the box office
and earned 97% on Rotten
Tomatoes.
“We threw up our arms and
said we can’
t run our company
relying on others to make our
acquisitions… It’
s time for us to
be the masters of our own desti-
ny,
” he said.
In this COVID-19 pandemic,
with movie theaters shuttered
for an indeterminate amount
of time, the founders knew this
was the right plan at the right
time.
“We knew people are at
home with nothing else to do.
They can’
t go to the office and
work. We should start this now,
”
Friedman said.
With 80 Jewish and Israeli
titles from Menemsha’
s library
and programming acquired
from the American Sephardi
Federation and the Jewish
Women’
s Theater, they built
a catalog to appeal to every
interest.
The most viewed title so far
is Left Luggage, winner of the
1998 Berlin Film Festival. Set
in 1970’
s Antwerp, a Holocaust
survivor is obsessed with finding
the luggage filled with items he
buried when he escaped from
the Nazis. His daughter, a non-
observant young philosophy
student, becomes a nanny for a
Chasidic Jewish family and as
the story unfolds, they all learn
powerful lessons from each
other. Left Luggage portrays the
power of love to transform lives,
and the heartbreak of sudden
tragedy; it is one of those movies
that you think about long after
the movie ends.
Another delightful show, Soon
By You, is a hilarious, Friends-
style relatable story of a group of
young Modern Orthodox men
and women dating in New York
City. From awkward first dates
to building friendships, you will
want to see every episode.
For those wanting to know
more about Israel’
s food, the
documentary In Search of Israeli
Cuisine shows “the complexity
of things here and the beauty of
things here.
” From home chef to
restaurant owner, many cuisines
are displayed as they debate the
question: “Is there an Israeli
cuisine?
”
This is just the beginning.
According to Friedman and
Oshin, three new titles are
added each week. By the end of
this year, they expect to have 300
films, and by the end of 2021,
they plan 1,000 titles and grow-
ing. Other plans for ChaiFlicks
include more Sephardi titles, as
well as theater, dance groups,
orchestras and programming for
youth.
“We are trying to include
everyone. It’
s a great way to get
back in touch with your Jewish
values,
” Friedman said. “Our
culture is storytelling, right? You
feel a connection with other
people who have experienced
the culture and the history that
we have. These stories are in our
DNA.
”
For more information, please visit
www.ChaiFlicks.com, download the
ChaiFlicks app to your device and start
a free 14-day free trial. Subscriptions
are $5.99 a month, or $65.99 a year.
One-Stop-Shop for
Jewish Entertainment
ChaiFlicks streaming service has arrived.
CHERYL WEISS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Arts&Life
television
CHAIFLICKS
1945 –
ChaiFlicks
Dough –
ChaiFlicks
La Rafle – ChaiFlicks
The Women’
s Balcony 2 –
ChaiFlicks