A comedy of survival, identity, and unexpected friendships in the Sinai Desert.
When Ben, an ultra-Orthodox Jew from Brooklyn, sets out on a journey to save Alexandria’s Jewish synagogue from closing, he never expects to end up stranded in the Sinai Desert with a grumpy Bedouin named Adel. With no transportation and only a camel for company, the two must navigate their differences—and the vast desert—before time runs out.
Despite living legally in Israel for five years, Eritrean refugee Aumari is slated for deportation on a technicality. After ducking immigration authorities at the airport, he becomes the unlikely and very perplexed recipient of a hero’s welcome, courtesy of local football club Maccabi Netanya. Mistaken for an eagerly anticipated Nigerian striker who is supposed to arrive at the same time, Aumari is in an absurd situation. Though completely lacking a fundamental knowledge of the sport, he finds himself the face of the franchise. Caught between his new identity as “Jimmy Mikel,” the nascent star invigorating the team and fanbase, and the refugee with expired papers, Aumari must remain focused on his mission: keeping his identity under wraps long enough to secure safe passage out of the country to reunite with his beloved younger brother.
Isaac Bashevis Singer, the famous Yiddish writer and Nobel Prize winner wrote with a ‘harem’ of dozens of translators behind him. Beyond simple translation, these women were a vital source of his creativity. The inspiration he drew from them came in many forms, often mixing romance with professional aspirations. Today nine remain to tell his story.
The South Carolina premiere of Welcome to Yiddishland, the acclaimed documentary exploring the global revival of Yiddish culture.
