Presented in partnership with the Beth Tzedec Jewish Film Festival
GI JEWS: JEWISH AMERICANS IN WORLD WAR II
This year’s Jay Joffe Memorial Program presentation offers a broader view of the experience of Jewish military personnel in World War II. GI JEWS: JEWISH AMERICANS IN WORLD WAR II tells the profound and unique story of the 550,000 American Jewish men and women who served in World War II. Through the eyes of the servicemen and women, the film brings to life the little-known story of Jews in World War II—as active participants in the fight against Hitler, bigotry, and intolerance. GI JEWS is directed and produced by Lisa Ades, produced by Amanda Bonavita, and written by Maia Harris. Jewish servicemen and women were changed forever by their military service and their encounter with Hitler’s atrocities. Returning home, they continued to fight for the values for which they had risked their lives—religious freedom and civil rights in America.
In the end, the story of the Jewish GIs is the story of becoming American—the story of immigrants who earned their citizenship by shedding blood; they fought for democracy and tolerance abroad and at home.