Ethan Isenberg
www.lonelymanoffaith.com
Ethan Isenberg is a filmmaker. He has a BA in English Literature, with a concentration in Film Studies, and a BS in Computer Science, from the University of Pennsylvania. Before embarking on a career in filmmaking, Ethan worked as a computer programmer. He also spent two years studying in Israel, at Yeshivat Sha’alvim and Yeshivat Har Etzion. Ethan currently lives with his wife, Nili, in Los Angeles. “Lonely Man of Faith” is Ethan's first documentary film.
Reel Jews: Filmmakers on the Cutting Edge
Gabriela Bohm,
Ethan Isenberg,
Pazit Varda Lichtman,
Salvador Litvak,
Sharon Rennert,
Suzannah Warlick,
Pamela Weisberger
Arts and Performance,
Global History and Culture
What motivates Jewish filmmakers to write, produce and direct documentaries and fictional films? How do they deal with the illusion of authenticity in filmmaking? How to they manipulate---or avoid manipulating--their audiences? Why are some drawn to document history, while others to fictional subjects? Do they exploit their own life experience for material? Listen, learn and ask your own questions of six of the filmmakers who are presenting their works at LimmudLA.
With Suzannah Warlick, Gabriela Bohm, Sharon Rennert, Ethan Isenberg, Sal Litvak and Pazit Lichtman, all of whom are showing films at LimmudLA, moderated by Pamela Weisberger
FILM: Out of Faith
Arts and Performance
This documentary follows three generations of a family torn apart by conflicts over interfaith marriage. The family’s matriarch, Leah Welbel, and her husband Eliezer, both survived nearly three years in Auschwitz; however, in their minds, their grandchildren marrying non-Jews represents a posthumous victory for Hitler. "Out of Faith" examines these issues by capturing the intimate details of one family's attempt to persevere in the face of a heart wrenching intra-familial conflict; a conflict that impacts countless families in multicultural societies. Anyone who has ever struggled to remain loyal to a cultural identity in the face of great societal pressure to assimilate will undoubtedly relate.
FILM: Lonely Man of Faith
Arts and Performance
"Lonely Man of Faith" is the moving story of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, the famous scholar who battled ignorance, fundamentalism, and corruption in order to prove that a genuine life of faith, although lonely, can be lived in consonance with the modern world. The film is about his inspiring life, his tremendous impact, and the complicated legacy he left behind. "Lonely Man of Faith" is narrated by Tovah Feldshuh and includes readings by Theodore Bikel.
