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Monthly Screenings

On the occasion of the Year of the Vilna Gaon and of the history of the Jews of Lithuania - a short film and two panel discussions.

This video has been commissioned by the Lithuanian Culture Institute in cooperation with Lithuanian cultural attachés.

Viewing is free, starting November 12, 2020 .

 

Saturday | 31.10.20 to Monday | 25.11.30

Searching for the Vilna Gaon

Dir.: Vytautas Puidokas
| 7 minutes
Many things about the legendary figure of the Vilna Gaon remain a mystery to this day - what did he look like? Are all the stories about his ascetic yet profoundly enlightened life mere fiction? Lithuanian film director Vytautas Puidokas attempts to tap into the mystery of this prolific Talmudist, halakhist, kabbalist and thinker, born as Elijah ben Solomon Zalman in 1720. In a short, but poignant film he highlights our elusive knowledge, yet enduring impact, of this man's legacy. What in fact are we searching for when we embark upon the quest to find the genius of the Vilna Gaon?
Friday | 30.10.20 to Monday | 28.10.30

Conversation 1: The Disappearing Jew

Vytautas Puidokas, Film Director & Maya Zack, Artist-Filmmaker in conversation with Benjamin Freidenberg, Film Director & Cinema Studies Scholar. (Eng., Heb. subt.)

Friday | 30.10.20 to Monday | 28.10.30

Conversation 2: Vilna Gaon - A Contemporary Jewish Memory

Prof. Elli Stern, Associate Professor of Modern Jewish Intellectual and Cultural History in the Departments of Religious Studies and History, Yale University and Dr. Lara Lempertiene, Head of Judaica Research Center at the National Library of Lithuania in conversation with Benjamin Freidenberg, Film Director & Cinema Studies Scholar. (Eng., Heb. subt.)

Friday | 30.10.20 to Monday | 14.10.30
Saturday | 31.10.20 to Monday | 31.12.29