Esther Broner: A Weave of Women

WestbethPoster

Lilly Rivlin’s film, profiles the life of Esther Broner, Jewish feminist, and stalwart pioneer of the Women’s Rights Movement.

Esther Broner: A Weave of Women, is a film, which documents the role of women in Jewish tradition and how accepted customs were impacted by an evolving feminist consciousness. The journey of Jewish women into the modern era is seen through archival footage and interviews with leading Jewish feminists. At the same time it tells the story of Esther Broner, described by the New York Times as “a writer who explored the double marginalization of being Jewish and female.”

In 1975 Esther Broner and Israeli feminist and author Naomi Nimrod wrote the first Women’s Haggadah, creating a new Passover text and tradition designed for women. For the next 36 years, Esther Broner led the Feminist Passover Seder in New York City attended by a core group of women who came together annually for this event. Ms. Rivlin documented the seders as they evolved over time. Today, feminist seders are held around the world and many Jewish women have expressed their gratitude to Esther for allowing them a way to come back into the “tent”.

Rivlin’s work has been aptly described by a colleague who said, “Lilly’s films…are artifacts, slices of history that are personal but also political. She goes behind the curtain of what is public to find stories we might otherwise not know about. With tiny budgets and a huge amount of energy, she reveals with each film a fascinating subtext to our history that always captures the interest and affection of her audience.”

Esther Broner: A Weave of Women,was recently screened at the Wasdworth Atheneum Museum where Lilly was honored with the 2013-2014 Miller Reel Award. This award, given to distinguished Jewish women filmmakers is affiliated with both the Charter Oak Cultural Center and the Wadsworth Atheneum of Hartford.

Running time: 62 minutes
FREE

Thursday March 12, 2015 at 7 PM
@ the Westbeth Community Room
55 Bethune or entrance on 100 Bank st.

There are two entrances, 55 Bethune or entrance on 155 Bank St.
Screenings will be announced on www.estherbronerthefilm.com

Women Make Movies is the Distributor of the film Esther Broner: A Weave of Women.

For further information contact Lilly Rivlin: