APRIL 20 • 2023 | 43
“The film excerpts will be shown in
Yiddish with English subtitles. I’ll be
singing the original Yiddish lyrics from
these shows.
”
Yashinsky, whose Yiddish work moved
him from using the first name of Michael
to the first name of Mikhl, was a European
history and literature major at Harvard
University while tied to experiences with
grandparents that stirred his interest in
Yiddish. He learned the language more
thoroughly while attending various
educational programs inside and outside
the United States.
Yashinsky writes for Yiddish publications,
translates Yiddish literature and teaches
Yiddish in addition to appearing in musical
productions.
“I’ll be singing a few songs from the film
Mamele, which starred Molly Picon and
was made in 1930s Poland,
” said Yashinsky,
a member of Actors Equity Association.
He explains that the film is about an oldest
daughter who takes charge of the family
after her mother’s death.
“Yiddish has become the language of my
artistic soul,
” he said.
ISRAELI BASEBALL
Kramer, one of three directors of the film
Israel Swings for Gold, is looking forward
to hearing audience comments about the
movie being shown April 30 as part of the
celebration of the Israel anniversary.
“This movie for me is really personal,
”
he said. “This is the second film I’ve
made about these players. I know a lot of
them personally, and I love these guys.
They’re talented, smart and funny. I’m
so invested in them it’s almost like I’m
looking at friends.
“They’re doing something extraordinary
— competing in the Olympics under pretty
unusual circumstances representing Israel.
They face a lot of anti-Israel sentiment and
antisemitism.
“I watch it with this sense of wonder
about how they’re able to manage
everything — the social and political
pressures and the pressures of playing a
game at the highest level.
”
Kramer, 51, who has been making films
for some 25 years with Ironbound Films,
explained that this is not a film restricted to
baseball or sports fans. Rather, it tells about
the relationship between Israeli Jews and
American Jews.
The filmmaker, raised in New Jersey,
started in community college as a history
major and decided he wanted to make
documentaries. He moved on to the
University of the Arts in Philadelphia and
found early film work in New York.
Although he has made a variety of films
on various topics unrelated to Judaism,
he also covered the topic in the movie
Resistance: Untold Stories of Jewish Partisans.
“I’ve screened many of my films in
Michigan,
” he said. “I’m working on one
about antisemitism on college campuses.
”
MORE VARIETY
Among the other 20-plus films being
shown throughout the festival are Paris
Boutique, a rom-com that unravels a
mystery; The Way to Happiness, a story
about a Holocaust survivor who becomes
a restaurant owner; Back in Berlin, a tale
that unravels family secrets revealed in a
suitcase; The Students of Umberto Primo, an
exploration about Nazis and a school, and
iMordecai, a placement of Judd Hirsch as
the star finding adventures after getting his
first iPhone.
“We are excited to share so many
incredible movies from around the world,
”
said Eric Lumberg, chairman of this year’s
festival. “There is nothing like watching
these great films together with friends and
family. The laughs are bigger; the tears
seem more heartfelt, and the bonds we
build with one another are stronger and
more relevant now than ever.
”
Details
The Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish
Film Festival runs April 27-May
7 at the West Bloomfield Jewish
Community Center (JCC) and
has repeat screenings May 8-9
at Emagine Royal Oak, 200 N.
Main Street. Most tickets are $12.
To get more information on the
entire program, go to jccdet.org/
filmfestival/. To purchase tickets,
go to theberman@jccdet.org or call
(248) 406-6677.
Mikhl
Yashinsky
GATELY WILLIAMS