The Book of Life

WATCH THE VIDEO     |    LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮   The Last Shepherd by Evil Sun Productions is a Hebrew-language indie comedy adventure scifi fantasy film with elements of Jewish mysticism and kabbalah, made in Israel. To summarize, "A geeky programmer and his rebellious co-worker are taken by a mysterious biblical figure on a cross country adventure, trying to stop an ancient evil force, while being chased by government agents." At the time of my interview with the filmmakers back in August 2017, the movie was not available outside of Israel. Excitingly, the film is now available to be viewed on YouTube! Check it out here: PODCAST INTERVIEW ON "THE LAST SHEPHERD" FROM AUGUST 2017

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    WATCH THE VIDEO      🕮    The Last Shepherd by Evil Sun Productions is a Hebrew-language indie comedy adventure scifi fantasy film with elements of Jewish mysticism and kabbalah, made in Israel. To summarize, "A geeky programmer and his rebellious co-worker are taken by a mysterious biblical figure on a cross country adventure, trying to stop an ancient evil force, while being chased by government agents."  Back in January 2016, I Skyped with actors Uri Lifshitz and Roni Weissman, writer Gai Bosco, and post production manager Dovi Shraga. Then I sat on the interview, waiting for the film to become available in North America. It hasn't happened yet, but I got tired of waiting. Instead, I'm hoping listeners will be proactive in helping to get the film more widely distributed. If this interview piques your interest, please request that your local Jewish film festival or your...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    VIEW THE FILM     🕮    Once in a Lifetime (in French, Les H éritiers ) is a French docudrama about a dedicated teacher who challenges her class of rowdy multicultural students to compete in a Holocaust remembrance contest, the National Contest of Resistance and Deportation . Meeting a real survivor is the "once in a lifetime" event that impacts the kids and turns their attitudes around. Ahmed Dramé was a student in the real life class that inspired the movie. He was a co-screenwriter of the film, and also had a starring role as the student Malik. I spoke to Ahmed when he came to South Florida for the film's opening. CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel   Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries     Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band     Facebook: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast  ...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST    |    BUY THE BOOK     |    WATCH THE FILM     🕮    Sue and Lloyd Ecker are fascinated with entertainer Sophie Tucker , "the last of the red hot mamas." This larger-than-life Jewish woman was a major figure in 20th century Vaudeville and Hollywood. The Eckers have created a documentary film and begun a series of "fictional memoirs" about Sophie. I interviewed them when the film The Outrageous Sophie Tucker premiered in South Florida. See SophieTucker.com to buy the film, the book, and to find supplemental video and audio by and about Sophie, or watch the full movie on YouTube . Sue & Lloyd Ecker with a picture of Sophie Tucker CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel   Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries     Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band     Facebook: faceboo...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST    |    VIEW FILMS     🕮    Emmy-nominated filmmaker and founder of The Webby Awards Tiffany Shlain joins us to talk about Character Day , coming up on September 18, 2015. Her films at Let It Ripple are meant to spark conversations that bring about social change. This year on the second annual Character Day, she will reintroduce The Science of Character and debut two new films, The Adaptable Mind and The Making of a Mensch .  Also, click here to hear Tiffany on The Book of Life in 2008 talking about her film The Tribe , which looks at Jewish life through the lens of the Barbie doll!   CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel   Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries     Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band     Facebook: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast    Twitter: @bookoflifepod ...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST    |    FILM WEBSITE     |    VIEW THE FILM     🕮    We start this episode by introducing Patreon , where you can show your love for The Book of Life as we enter our 10th year of podcasting! Then, it's on with the show.... Filmmaker Ian Rosenberg has created a loving tribute to the last Catskills resort in his film, Welcome to Kutsher's. I spoke with him at the film's opening in Delray Beach, Florida. Distributor Menemsha Films says "Kutsher's Country Club was the last surviving Jewish resort in the Catskills.  One of the legendary Borscht Belt hotels during its heyday, Kutsher's was family-owned and operated for over 100 years.  Exploring the full Dirty Dancing-era Catskills experience— and how it changed American pop culture in the comedy, sports and vacation industries— this award-winning documentary captures a last glimpse of a lost world as it disappears before o...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST    |    BUY THE FILM      🕮    Filmmaker Roberta Grossman offered a work-in-progress screening of her documentary on Hava Nagila at the Association of Jewish Libraries 2012 conference in California. Here we have her introductory remarks and the Q&A that followed the screening. The film is now opening in theaters across the country! CREDITS:  Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band  Facebook: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast Twitter: @bookoflifepod Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473.  

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    Sesame Street with its Israeli counterpart Rehov Sumsum . The program was originally produced in the 1980's, and has just been revamped and reissued on DVD. The Chanukah episode, "The Missing Menorah," will be airing on many PBS stations during December, 2010, so check your local listings. This interview with Veronica Wulff, Director of Global Production at Sesame Workshop, gives us some insight into Rehov Sumsum and Shalom Sesame . CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Facebook fan page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast Twitter: @bookoflifepod "Shalom Sesame Theme" used in this episode courtesy of Sesame Workshop (New York, NY) Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-2...

Remember back in November 2009 when I posted my interview with author Simone Elkeles and kidlit expert June Cummins , talking about the "kvetchfessional" style of YA chicklit? Simone has now produced a very fun book trailer video for her newest title in the "How to Ruin" series, How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation . Enjoy!

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    Are you a member of the tribe? Which tribe? What is a tribe, anyway? We explore the notion of "tribe" with several guests: > Aaron Kula is director of the Klezmer Company Orchestra , the ensemble-in-residence of the library at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. We spoke to him about the KCO's CD Beyond the Tribes . Scroll down for a video that includes music from the CD and commentary from the orchestra. > Tiffany Shlain is a documentary filmmaker , director of the Moxie Institute , and founder of the Webby Awards . We spoke to her about her short film The Tribe , which " enlists pop icon Barbie to tackle the challenging issue of Jewish identity." Scroll down to watch a trailer for The Tribe, the entire 18-minute film, or a promotional video for Tiffany's next film Connected : A Declaration of Interdependence.   > Rafael Goldchain is a professional photographer. His installation Familial Groun...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    The Book of Life celebrates Israel's 60th birthday with a musical extravaganza! > Composer Yuval Ron talks about the music he created for the Oscar-winning short film West Bank Story > Fran Manushkin discusses her book Come, Let Us Be Joyful: The Story of Hava Nagila > We learn about the 60 @ 60 concert tour with music promoter Michael Dorf , who tells us about the best in new Israeli pop music, including: Yael Naim (you know her from the MacBook Air ad ) Idan Raichel Habanot Nechama David Broza Rami Kleinstein Matisyahu Paul Shaffer John Zorn Noa CREDITS: Special thanks to Vaskez for the techno version of Hava Nagila , to John Zorn for permission to use the track "Nekashim" from the CD The Dreamers , and to Habanot Nechama for permission to use the track "So Far." Our regular background music is provided by The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band. Books, DVD's and CD's mention...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    In this episode of The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read, we celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month by focusing on America's favorite pastime: baseball! > We'll talk to Carol Matas , author of the middle-grade historical novel Play Ball . > We meet Aviva Kempner, the independent filmmaker behind the documentary The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg . > During our seventh-inning stretch, we take a break to "say Chai" in celebration of our 18th episode. Thanks to all our listeners who sent in greetings! > Fellow podcasters Andrea & Mark of Just One More Book review the picture book Across the Alley for us. > Finally we speak to the author of Across the Alley , Richard Michelson . Rich is also the owner of the R. Michelson Galleries in Northampton, MA. Baseball-themed music in this episode includes Take Me Out to the Ball Game (Yiddish Version) per...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    In this episode of The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read, we celebrate the holiday of Purim with jokes and interviews! We'll hear about: > The classic Purim picture book Queen Esther Saves Her People , by Rita Golden Gelman with illustrations by Frane Lessac . > Two recent Purim-related major motion pictures, One Night with the King and For Your Consideration , reviewed for us by film critic Kathryn Bernheimer, author of The 50 Greatest Jewish Movies: A Critic's Ranking of the Very Best. > Jewtopia: The Chosen Book for the Chosen People , a crazy comedy book by Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson, based on the hit play Jewtopia.   FYI: while most materials discussed on The Book of Life are family-friendly, this book has some sections that are strictly for adults! > Jewish jokes submitted by listeners Pete Pollock, Nina Black, and Maureen Reister. Mazel tov to Nina,...