Director Kátia Mesel will join us at the screening of The Rock and the Star, an 85-minute documentary from Brazil, and lead a question and answer discussion. The film is in Portuguese with English subtitles.  The documentary is a result of over a decade of research and tells the story of the first Jewish colony in the Americas, in Recife, Brazil, during and following the Inquisition. Throughout the 16th century and especially during the Dutch colonial presence in Brazil, Recife was the most important city of the New World, due to its safe and welcoming harbor and its proximity to Europe. For a long time, it was the only place that offered religious freedom for Jews fleeing the Inquisition. There, in Recife, they founded the first synagogue in the Americas. This film traces the history of the Jews from Recife to the Port of New Amsterdam, where 23 of them arrived in 1654 to establish the first Jewish community in North America.

Two events and locations!

Mid-Manhattan Library – Program Room 476 Fifth Avenue (at 42nd Street)* New York, NY Tuesday, April 2 at 6:30 PM Click here to see the flyer. Co-sponsored by The New York Public Library, Ticún Brasil/תיקון ברזיל, and Kulanu. *Please note, during renovations of the 40th Street building, the temporary entrance to the Mid Manhattan Library is on W. 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, closer to 5th. It’s a side entrance with revolving doors, adjacent to the 5th Avenue end of Bryant Park.  Once you’re inside, follow the signs.

Lodzer Centre Congregation 12 Heaton St. Toronto, Ontario Monday, April 22 at 7:00 PM (Film at 7:30) Click here to see the flyer.