Israel Culture Series opens with award-winning film

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This year’s Israel Culture Series opens with a screening of “The Policeman,” a film classic that has influenced Israeli cinema for the past several decades.

Directed by the satirist Ephraim Kishon, “The Policeman” was nominated for an Oscar and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The light-hearted comedy manages to combine the bizarre and absurd with the simple events of everyday life.

The story follows officer Avraham Azoulay, who patrols the streets of the Jaffa neighborhood in Tel Aviv. In his own naïve and unorthodox way, he has a rare ability to handle tough social situations – but he too frequently lets offenders off the hook.

In his personal life, the patrolman must balance his love for a charming prostitute with the turmoil he faces with his wife.

The movie will be shown at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center, in Providence, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 10, and will be followed by a discussion of the multicultural and diverse religious aspects of the film and how they are representative of modern Israel.

The Israel Culture Series will hold an event on the second Wednesday of each month from October through early June. Programs include screenings of Israeli films as well as other opportunities to learn about the food, people and culture of Israel.

The series concludes with a screening of “The Band’s Visit” on June 5, 2019. Several weeks later, the award-winning Broadway show, based on the film, has its national tour premiere at the Providence Performing Arts Center.

The presentation of “The Policeman” is made possible by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the JCC Association and the Consulate General of Israel to New England.

NIR CAFRI is the Israeli shaliach (emissary) for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. In this role, Cafri presents programs about Israel to the community and in Jewish schools. For more information, contact him at NCafri@JewishAllianceRI.org.

Israel, film, Dwares JCC