Exploring the Dilemmas of Contemporary American Jewish life in film and media: A screening and discussion of The Anne Frank Gift Shop

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Abstract

We propose a screening of a short film, The Anne Frank Gift Shop, followed by an interactive discussion between the writer/director, three scholars of Jewish cultural arts, and CEO of the nonprofit cultural arts organization that funded the project. With a runtime of 15 minutes, the film is well suited for a virtual AJS session.

Shortlisted for the best live action short category for the 96th Academy Award, this film creatively raises important and timely themes for the field of Jewish studies, which is increasingly interested in the intersection of cultural arts in American Jewish life. This roundtable will address the following questions:

How does this film inform our understanding of the social and cultural situatedness of Gen Z and Gen Alpha in the context of Holocaust commemoration, generational identity, and commercialism?
What are the opportunities and limitations of using social media for education about Jews and Judaism?
What is the role of the cultural art creatives and funders in re-imagining Jewish rituals and traditions?
In what way do these types of Jewish experiences and cultural products intersect with traditional and alternative understandings of Jewish learning and education?

Mickey Rapkin, the writer/creator of the film will discuss the impetus, creation, and goals of his film. Laura Yares and Sharon Avni, who are currently working on a book manuscript exploring Jewish cultural artistic productions as sites of Jewish learning, will speak to the educational utility of varying Jewish creative works. Josh Lambert, who has written about Reboot’s support of other comedy projects, will consider Rapkin’s work in relation to contemporary commercial and noncommercial works of Jewish comedy in the U.S. David Katznelson, CEO of Reboot, a nonprofit Jewish cultural arts accelerator, will share his perspective on this film’s alignment with his organization’s mission to catalyze creatives to produce experiences and products that foster Jewish conversation. Attendees will have opportunities to react to the film and to engage in conversation with Rapkin, Katznelson, and the panelists. Avi Patt, who recently published a co-edited book on Holocaust humor, will moderate.

NOTE: we imagine this as a performer/scholar session - with the "performance" consisting of the screening of the film. However, the submission portal for this type of session required submitting paper abstracts for each presenter. In this case, we do not have such abstracts.

Sub Unit

• Jews, Film, and the Arts

Moderator

• Avinoam Patt, New York University

Discussants

• Sharon Avni, Sharon Avni

• Josh Lambert, Wellesley College

• Mickey Rapkin

• David Katznelson

• Laura Yares, Michigan State University

Zoom Host

• Zoom Host 04