Beth Ami to Celebrate Shabbat and Discuss the Classic Film, “Avalon”

SATURDAY March 9, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Meadows Branch Library, 4800 Baseline Rd, Boulder

Beth Ami Colorado Congregation for Humanistic Judaism has launched a movie club that focuses on provocative films that have a connection to Jewish and/or humanistic values.  We watch the films on our own and then gather together for discussion. The films are always available online, either free or for a nominal rental fee.

This month’s film is “Avalon,” a 1990 film written and directed by Barry Levinson, and starring Aidan Quinn, Elizabeth Perkins, Joan Plowright, Lou Jacobi, Elijah Wood, and many other familiar faces. The discussion will be moderated by Stu Dolnick.

This is one of the moderator’s favorite films and he hopes that those who have not seen it before will love it as much as he does.

IMDB’s very short summary reads “A Polish-Jewish family comes to the U.S. at the beginning of the twentieth century. There, the family and their children try to make themselves a better future in the so-called promised land.”

This film is rich with themes worthy of discussion: immigration, assimilation, tradition, suburban migration, TV’s impact on our lives, the fragility of memory, and many more. As always, we also ask “What is Jewish or humanistic about this story?”  Clearly, there will be more than enough to talk about in the 30-45 minutes allocated for this program.

Interested? Then do this:

1. If you can, REGISTER on our Meetup page so we can plan accordingly.
2. View the film on your own, prior to March 9. Amazon Prime – rent: $3.59; purchase: $14.09. Note that IMDB has additional information, photos, and even a video clip.
3. Join us for a brief Shabbat service, followed by a discussion of the film.

Beth Ami is the only Humanistic Jewish congregation in Colorado and is a proud affiliate of the Society for Humanistic Judaism. We celebrate Jewish holidays, learning and life cycle events through the secular lens of history, culture, and reason. We believe in the human capacity to create a better world without supernatural intervention.

Beth Ami is a welcoming community where we connect to Jewish past, celebrate Jewish present and link to Jewish future through a humanistic philosophy. We encourage anyone interested in learning about Humanistic Judaism to attend this and all our events.

Let’s do Jewish together – Humanistically!