Wednesdays at The Sandler
“Fascinating Sephardim: A Film Series” at 1:00pm
In-Person with Rose Pappo Allen
$8/$10 Members/Guests, Prepaid $40/$45 Members/Guests for all 5 films.
This season the film selection will feature Sephardim in America; their roots and immigrant experience. Each film viewing will be followed by discussion providing historic and cultural context as well as Q&A.
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 — A Double Bill 
“Luis Moses Gomez and His Mill House”
Gomez MillUncover the fascinating history of American Jewish Colonial enterprise in New York City and the Hudson River Valley. A descendant of refugees from the Spanish Inquisition, Luis Moses Gomez was concerned about the future of Jewish life in the New World. His upstate New York estate represents the earliest Jewish-built dwelling still standing in North America.
2018, 17 mins. English. Tobe Carey, Gomez Foundation for Mill House
“Carvalho’s Journey”
A real life 19th century American western adventure story tells the extraordinary story of Solomon Nunes Carvalho (1815-1897). An observant Sephardic Jew born in Charleston, Carvalho has been considered a groundbreaking photographer, artist and pioneer in American history.
2015, 85 mins. English. Steve Rivo
Wednesday, January 29, 2025 — “The Levys of Monticello”
When Thomas Jefferson died in 1826, he left behind a mountain of personal debt, which forced his heirs to sell his beloved Monticello home and all of its possessions. The Levys of Monticello is a documentary film that tells the little-known story of the Sephardic Levy family, which owned and carefully preserved Monticello for nearly a century – far longer than Jefferson or his descendants. The remarkable story intersects with the rise of antisemitism in American history.
2022, 71 mins, English, Steven Pressman
Wednesday, February 19, 2025 — “Remember My Soul” — South Florida Premier 
Remember My Soul unearths the history of Sephardic Jews in South Texas and explores how their contributions to regional customs and culture have shaped the identity of people in the borderlands. Filmed entirely in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, a moving documentary exploring the personal and spiritual aspects of identity.
2019, 1h 28m, English, Spanish with subtitles, Jillian Glantz
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 — A Double Bill
“Island of Roses: The Jews of Rhodes in Los Angeles” 
Immigrants from Rhodes settled in Los Angeles during and after World War II. They passed down traditions,
food, songs, rituals, and a medieval Ladino Spanish dialect to their American-born children and grandchildren.
1995, 55 minutes, English, Italian, French & Ladino with English subtitles, Gregori Viens
“The Sephardic Jews and the Pike Place Market”
At the turn of the century, Sephardic Jews fled the turmoil of their homelands. Filled with
interviews, archival photos and dozens of Ladino phrases, this slice of Northwest history
captures their arrival in Seattle and the Pike Place Market.
2001, 30 mins, English and subtitles, Stephen Sadis
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 — “Challah Rising in the Desert”
New Mexico’s unique Jewish community grew from five waves of Jewish settlement including Conversos
escaping the Spanish Inquisition, German merchants on the Santa Fe Trail in the early 1800’s, international
scientists at Los Alamos in the 1940’s and the counterculture of the 1960’s. A moving tapestry of the Jewish
experience woven into New Mexico’s fascinating landscape and history.
2017, 84 mins. English. Isaac Artenstein
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 _— “To The Ends Of The Earth: A Portrait of Jewish San Diego”
Jews began arriving in San Diego in 1850 when it was a small pueblo in the remote southwest corner of the U.S.
This film is a living portrait of a vibrant and culturally-dynamic community including descendants of early
Jewish pioneers, scientists, entrepreneurs, avant-garde artists, rabbis, and surfers who settle the end of the line
for Frontier Jews.
2018, 75 min. English, Isaac Artenstein
