Video at the Vilna: Expulsion and Memory

Thu 23 Oct, 7-9 pm. Vilna Shul, 18 Phillips Street, Boston, 02114. Steven Greenberg, Director, 617 523 2324. Boston Center for Jewish Heritage - [email][events]

In 1492, with the stroke of a pen, fifteen hundred years of Jewish life in Spain came to an abrupt end. In a Medival example of ethnic cleansing, the Jews of Spain were given a choice: expulsion or conversion. Half the community left, half converted. Many of the converted, known as Conversos, continued to practive Judaism in secret establishing a way of life that has survived to the present day.

Shot on location in Spain, Portugal, Israel, Canada, and the United States, this documentary tells the story of the Conversos and the memories that still haunt their descendants. Beautifully photographed and edited, the film features a lyrical Spanish/Sephardic soundtrack by some of the world’s leading artists, including Placido Domingo, Zubin Metha and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Through extensive interviews with the children of secret believers, the film captures the modern resurrection of something ethereal: the ghost of a people.