Social & Cultural
About this event
@ The Asheville JCC is pleased to be a sponsor of this year’s Asheville Jewish Film Festival. About the Oct. 17 & 18 film: Sabbath Queen , a feature documentary filmed over 21 years, follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie’s epic journey as the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis including the Chief Rabbis of Israel.
He is torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny and becomes a drag-queen rebel, a queer bio-dad and the founder of Lab/Shul—an everybody-friendly, God-optional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation. Sabbath Queen joins Amichai on a lifelong quest to creatively and radically reinvent religion and ritual, challenge patriarchy and supremacy, champion interfaith love, and stand up for peace, ceasefire, and an end to the Occupation in Israel/Palestine. The film interrogates what Jewish survival means in a difficult rapidly changing 21st century.
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Directed by Sandi DuBowski. Click here to watch the trailer. About The Asheville Jewish Film Festival: The Asheville Jewish Film Festival returns in 2026 with four award-winning Asheville premieres plus special guests, post-film discussions, and an opening night reception.
These films celebrate and grapple with cultural, historical, religious, and political themes within the wide range of contemporary international Jewish experiences in the United States, Israel, France, and Hungary. While the contexts rest in Jewish experiences, the themes are universal and reflect a shared humanity. The 2026 Asheville Jewish Film Festival will inform, inspire, and entertain diverse audiences during challenging times.
The Festival offers a place where we can, once again, share new perspectives, insights, and heartfelt experiences through the magical lens of film. Add to calendar Google Calendar iCalendar Outlook 365 Outlook Live
Description from Jewish Community Center.
Registration, tickets, accessibility and last-minute changes are handled by the organizer. Confirm details before you go.
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