Monday, January 21, 6 pm
TCC Roper Performing Arts Center
Free with RSVP required
An Act of Defiance, a film which highlights a critical period in South Africa’s history, will be shown in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and in partnership with Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Hands United Building Bridges (HUBB), an interfaith dialogue group focused on race and faith in Tidewater.
In 1963, Nelson Mandela and nine other Black and Jewish South Africans risked their lives to free their country from segregation and were arrested for sabotage. Their lawyer, Bram Fischer, put his own life and career in jeopardy to defend them.
In this engaging historical drama, director Jean van de Velde brings to life the true story of the Rivonia trial as seen through the eyes of Fischer, highlighting the role that South African Jews played in the African resistance. A little-known moving story that pays tribute to those who brought an end to Apartheid.
The film will be shown in conjunction with the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma and Howard Laderberg and Patricia and Avraham Ashkenazi, and HUBB’s Building Bridges Week.
“By highlighting the different people involved in the defense of Mandela and others from so many different backgrounds, it shows the power in diverse communities coming together to overcome injustice and hatred,” says Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz of Congregation Beth El and co-founder of HUBB.
A panel discussion will follow the film. The Roper Performing Arts Center is located at 340 Granby Street in Norfolk.
To learn more about the CRC and other upcoming initiatives, contact Melissa Eichelbaum, assistant CRC director, at MEichelbaum@ujft.org or 965-6107.