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Das Bild zeigt den mit einem weißen Tuch verhüllten Kopf einer Person. rechts daneben sieht man das Gesicht eines Mannes mit einem langen, weißen Bart und schwarzem Hut.

Filmstill aus Wedding Night; photo: Avigail Sperber

From Orthodox to Queer

SEX – Jewish Positions in Film. Part of the program of events accompanying the exhibition Sex: Jewish Positions

In cooperation with the Jewish Film Festival Berlin Brandenburg (JFBB), we are showing three contemporary films from Israel that look at very different ideas and practices around sexuality, reproduction, marriage and family.

Past event

Map with all buildings that belong to the Jewish Museum Berlin. The W. M. Blumenthal Academy is marked in green

Where

W. M. Blumenthal Academy,
Klaus Mangold Auditorium
Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin
(Opposite the Museum)

Programme

2.30 pm WEDDING NIGHT
Israel | Documentary film | 2023 | 75 min | directed by Rachel Elizur | Produktion: Avigail Sperber
  IN SERVICE OF THE KING
Israel | Short movie | 2023 | 15 min | directed by Brachi Haisherik
5.00 pm TWO
Israel | Drama | 2020 | 72 min | directed by Astar Elkayam

 

Wedding Night

2.30 pm, documentary, IL 2023, 75 min. directed by Rachel Elizur 
Original version with English subtitles   

In the ultra-Orthodox community men are educated not to look at women or think about them and a girl practices modesty in clothing, actions and thoughts. Marriage requires complete strangers to suddenly encounter their partner for the first time in an intimate situation with only rudimentary information. According to Jewish law, they are required at that first intimate encounter to consummate the marriage. What was considered sinful transforms to the Holy of Holies. The film draws a portrait of a society and a place: women and men speak bravely about their hidden feelings during matchmaking, the engagement period, the guidance of brides and grooms, the canopy, the special "Yihud" room, until the morning after marriage.

In Service of the King

Short film, IL 2023, 15 min. directed by Brachi Haisherik
Original version with English subtitles  

In an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community, Minkush, a young wife and new mother, discovers a way to circumvent the law prohibiting sexual relations until six months after childbirth. She must convince her observant husband to choose her path over the community's law and his conscience in this dramatic story about love versus religious loyalty.

TWO

5.00 pm, Drama, IL 2020, 72 min. directed by Astar Elkayam 
Original language version with English subtitles

An Israeli drama about a lesbian couple who hope to start a family. Bar (Agam Schuster), a chef, and Omer (Mor Polanuer), a dancer, love each other and want to take the next step – having a baby and starting a family. To achieve this, they want to use the “services” of a sperm bank. Initially optimistic that they will quickly find the right sperm donor and that fertilization will go well, they face one failure after another. They finally decide to consider Omer’s ex-lover Yoni (Gil Desiano). How will he react and is he even suited as a potential donor?

Colorful photo collage of art objects from the exhibition.

Sex: Jewish Positions: Features & Programme

Exhibition Webpage
Sex: Jewish Positions: Exhibition, 17 May to 6 Oct 2024
Publications
Sex. Jüdische Positionen: Catalog accompanying the exhibition, German edition, 2024
Sex: Jewish Positions: Catalog accompanying the exhibition, English edition, 2024
Digital Content
Letʼs Talk About Sex: Online feature accompanying the exhibition
What do the artists say? Interview series accompanying the exhibition
Listen to the exhibition’s soundtrack: Playlist on Spotify
The Song of Songs. Between Literal and Allegorical Loves: Essay by Ilana Pardes
“Sex Is A Force:” Interview with Talli Rosenbaum
Androgynous Characters in I.B. Singer’s Literary Shtetl: Essay by Helena Lutz
Jewish Places: Find information about Jewish sites related to the exhibition on our interactive map

Where, when, what?

  • WhenSun, 23 Jun 2024, 2.30 pm
  • Where W. M. Blumenthal Academy,
    Klaus Mangold Auditorium
    Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin
    (Opposite the Museum)
    See location on map

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