For centuries and centuries throughout history, all races and religions have been hurt by racism and discrimination. One of the most compelling and unique racial histories belongs to the Jewish culture. In the name of increasing awareness of the history of Judaism and the struggles the Jews of the world have faced, we have put together a DVD compilation of some of the most rare films of history pertaining to the Jewish religion, Anti-Semitism, religious discrimination toward Judaism, national origin discrimination and racism in America. Diversity and tolerance are key to our survival, and so we extend this collection of video history in the hopes of spreading education and awareness about the history of racism. Most recent history about the Jewish culture, religion, people, history and beliefs system revolves around the Jewish Holocaust. We have found some terrific films touching on other important aspects of modern Jewish cultural history, including: Judaism, Jewish diversity and Antisemitism. The focus of this DVD is on Jewish racism, but discrimination of all races is covered. Topics on this disc include: Anti-Semitism, Jewish people, religion, culture, beliefs, History of Judaism, Racial discrimination, Religious discrimination, National origin discrimination, Prejudice towards Jews, History of racism in America, Cultural diversity
Included Films:
An American Girl
An American Girl
Produced: 1958
Length: 28 Minutes
Produced by the oldest Jewish Service Organization in the world, An American Girl is a thought provoking and touching film that aims to expose 1950s antisemitism and racial discrimination in small town America. Cultural tensions were still swirling around Jewish people in America after the Holocaust, and this film aims to expose prejudice stereotypes and the roots of anti semitism. An adolescent small town girl decides to try an experiment to find out how prevalent anti-Semitism is in her small town. She pretends to be Jewish herself and keeps a diary outlining the attacks and prejudice that she suffers during her experiment. Later, she reads the diary out loud at a PTA meeting to bring the issue out in the open. An emotionally poignant film that dramatically documents the history of anti semitism, An American Girl is a stirring commentary that reveals the often hidden, subversive nature of racism in America.
Let Us Break Bread Together
Let Us Break Bread Together
Produced: 1954
Length: 26 Minutes
As desegregation was reaching a fever pitch in the 1950s, the progressive New York City board of Education implemented a progressive and (most importantly) aggressive integration policy. The heroic efforts of the administrators, parents, and teachers are captured in this significant historical documentary, Let Us Break Bread Together. A fascinating look at the history of racism in America, prejudice in schools and the value of school integration takes center stage. With racial prejudice and hatred threatening to explode at any moment, the NYC Board of Education was one of the few in the nation to step up to the challenge of safely and justly ending discrimination by integration in the New York City public Schools. Let Us Break Bread Together is a top notch historical document in the history of discrimination in American and the difficulty and triumph of school integration.
What about Prejudice
What about Prejudice
Produced: 1959
Length: 11 Minutes
Filmed in Lawrence, Kansas, using local actors, What about Prejudice is another in Centron Corporations Discussion Problems in Group Living series which presented difficult social questions for audience discussion. More artful than your average after school special educational video, the main character Bruce Jones is never shown from the waist up in order to keep his race a mystery to the viewer. This allows Bruce to represent all minorities in the United States who suffered from racial, religious, or any other kind of prejudice. As the film follows Bruce throughout his day, it captures what the majority group of kids – a bunch of well-dressed WASPS – think about him. He is suspected of doing everything from causing fights to stealing sweaters (today minorities are still frequently wrongfully accused of a crime), and the kids say things like, I dont know why they let people like him go to our school anyway, and, Hes not like us and he never will be. At the prom, however, the kids get the news that Bruce has pulled two of their compatriots out of a fiery car wreck and gotten himself severely burned. Some of the kids rush to the hospital to support Bruce, ashamed of their past behavior. As they sit in the waiting room, voiceovers capture their thoughts, such as You hear about other peoples prejudice, but you never feel guilty until you realize its you! Youre the one whos prejudiced! At the end, Bruce has won acceptance into the group, but at a terrible cost. What about Prejudice is a precursor to the Civil Rights Movement and a valuable visual discussion about racial discrimination, prejudice stereotypes, and racial tensions.
Dont Be A Sucker
Dont Be A Sucker
Produced: 1947
Length: 17 Minutes
Dont Be a Sucker is a bizarre film from the Cold War era which attempts to resist racism in America. The War Department film warns Americans against the trap of racial prejudice and religious persecution that the Germans fell into during the reign of the Nazis. Their history is given a brief recap, and the film says that Germans were suckers for waging a war against a religious minority. The film follows an average American named Mike listening to a man up on a soapbox ranting against Catholics, Blacks, and alien foreigners. Mike doesnt mind this hateful rhetoric until the speaker adds Freemasons to the list. Since Mike is a Freemason himself, he is confused. Soon, an old Hungarian man comes over and explains to Mike that everyones liberties must be protected or all people could lose their freedoms. He warns against selfishness, and tells Mike to forget about ‘we and ‘they, lets think about ‘us! Equality and diversity were not commonly discussed in Cold War era films, which were more about jingoistic propaganda. This film that encourages equality in America is a rare example of a more progressive way of thinking in Cold War history.
