Directed by Lisa Ades
Produced by Joe Sitt, Marlene Mamiye, and the Sephardic Heritage Museum
Documentary
USA | 2010 | 94 min
In English
From Executive Producer Joseph J. Sitt (Recipient of the ASF’s 21st NYSJFF Award), the second installment of his multi-part series on the Syrian Sephardi community, the film begins in the early 20th century and charts the arrival of Syrian Jews in America. It includes why many Jews left Syria, the harrowing boat trip overseas, Ellis Island, and life on the Lower East Side. We learn how the first immigrants worked as peddlers, established their first synagogue, the first Syrian-Jewish stores, restaurants and businesses, as well as institutions such as the burial society and the charitable organization, Maoz La’Ebyon. We meet Isaac Shalom, the first great community leader. The film depicts how the community faced anti-Syrian sentiment and preserved their values and customs in the face of assimilation.
Lisa Ades — Director
Lisa Ades is a documentary filmmaker who has produced and directed films for nearly 30 years. Her most recent film is the award-winning documentary, GI JEWS: JEWISH AMERICANS IN WORLD WAR II, which was broadcast nationally on public television in 2018. Her acclaimed film MISS AMERICA, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before its broadcast on PBS in 2002. Previously, she produced historical documentaries with Ric Burns, including the 10-hour series NEW YORK (PBS, 1999), THE WAY WEST, a 6-hour series (PBS, 1995), THE DONNER PARTY (PBS, 1992), and CONEY ISLAND (PBS, 1991). She is the director and producer of the 7-part series, THE SYRIAN JEWISH COMMUNITY: OUR JOURNEY THROUGH HISTORY, for the Sephardic Heritage Museum.
Joe Sitt — Executive Producer
Joseph J. Sitt is the Founder and Chairman of the Sephardic Heritage Museum, a global center for education and preservation based in New York City. The Museum houses the largest known collection of artifacts and archives documenting the history of the Jewish communities of Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and other regions dating back some 3,000 years. Sitt’s numerous initiatives for the Museum include restoration, education, document preservation, publishing, and the 7-part documentary series, THE SYRIAN JEWISH COMMUNITY: OUR JOURNEY THROUGH HISTORY, which traces the journey of the Syrian Jewish community from ancient times until the 1990s.
Marlene Mamiye — Senior Producer
Marlene Mamiye is the Executive Director of the Sephardic Heritage Museum. She oversaw the creation of the Museum’s documentary film series, and gathered more than 300 oral histories of Syrian Jewish community members in New York City. She is the founder of the Jewish
Hostess, a website for Jewish women, and producer of the book Our Art, a compilation of the artwork of 200 artists in the Syrian Jewish community. She is currently developing SHMLearn, an educational outreach program and curriculum based on the Museum’s documentary series.