A Program to Celebrate: African American History Month Preview of a Documentary Film in Process

“The Rosenwald Schools” by the noted Documentary Film maker Aviva Kempner who will show a work in progress and discuss her film with Stephanie Deutsch, author of the recently published book You Need a Schoolhouse. Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald and the Building of Schools for the Segregated South.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 12:00 pm
The Pickford Theater
3rd Floor, Madison Building
101 Independence Ave. SE
Washington, DC 20540

Sponsored by: The Rare Book Special Collections Division; African and Middle Eastern Division; and Humanities and Social Sciences Division.

 

AVIVA’S WORK IN PROGRESS AT ROCKLAND JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

The Rosenwald Schools (Work in Progress) at Rockland Jewish Film Festival

Tuesday, March 20th @ 7:30 pm

AMC Theatres Palisades Center Mall, West Nyack

Early in the 20th Century, philanthropist Julius Rosenwald partnered with Booker T. Washington to build 5,300 schools for rural African American communities in the South at a time when few African Americans received any public education. Born in Springfield, Illinois, Rosenwald was the son of German Jewish immigrants who rose to become one of the wealthiest men in America as the head of Sears Roebuck and Company. Influenced by the social reform gospel espoused by Rabbi Emil Hirsch of Chicago’s Sinai Congregation, Rosenwald used his great wealth and talent for leadership as he tried to fix what he viewed was wrong with the society, truly living the ideals of tikkun olam, repairing the world.

Guest Speaker: Aviva Kempner

Sponsored by Ascape Landscape & Construction, Jennifer & Stuart Chaitin and Family

Tickets: http://www.jccrockland.org/filmfestival2012/synopses.html#rosenwald

Appearing with:

Dressing America: Tales From the Garment Center

From the directors of From Swastika to Jim Crow (NYJFF 2000) comes this fascinating documentary exploring the post-World War II heyday of the garment district in Manhattan. Mavens of the “shmatte” business pay tribute to the Jewish immigrant roots of the garment industry, when Sam, You Made the Pants Too Long was a top musical hit and American designers challenged the hegemony of Paris fashion.

The Tailor

A delightful short comedy with influences of Buster Keaton, it is crafted as an homage to the past with a present day twist. Culture and confusion meet on a Brooklyn street in this hilariously charming tale.

Gathering after the Politics and Prose book discussion on January 21st

photo by David L. Sacks

A gathering after Stephanie Deutsch’s book signing at D.C. bookstore Politics and Prose provided a venue for a discussion between relatives of Julius Rosenwald and descendants of Rosenwald Fund beneficiaries and fellow donors. Stephanie Deutsch’s new book, You Need a Schoolhouse: Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald, and the Building of Schools for the Segregated South, describes the productive relationship between the famous African American educator Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald. Together they built over 5,000 schools in the rural South for African Americans.  Rosenwald also set up the Rosenwald Fund in 1917 to continue this work on a larger scale. The Rosenwald Fund aided gifted Black intellectuals and artists in order to give them one to three years to concentrate on their work and develop their abilities.