CARPATI: 50 Miles, 50 Years

CARPATI: 50 Miles, 50 Years

    Price: $310.00

    Code: 2201

    Narrated by Leonard Nimoy
    Directed by Yale Strom
    1996, 80 Minutes
    Purchase: $310 Classroom Rental: $125


    CARPATI: 50 MILES, 50 YEARS focuses on Zev Godinger, a Jewish ice cream man of the Carpathian Mountains, a self-described "proste" (ordinary) Jew who embarks on a symbolic pilgrimage to his hometown.

    In 1931 the Jewish community of mostly poor farmers in the Carpathian region (then Czechoslovakia, today Ukraine) numbered a quarter million. Today, there are fewer than 1,500. Zev lives in Beregovo, where he has special friendship with his Rom (Gypsy) neighbors. Through their exhilarating musical "jam" sessions they demonstrate the subtle interrelationships and influences between Gypsy and Jewish music.

    Though only 50 miles from his birthplace, Zev has not returned since he was deported to Auschwitz in 1944. He decides to make a journey home, not only to revisit his childhood memories, but to bring a Torah to his boyhood synagogue which has been re-opened after fifty years. When Zev triumphantly carries the Torah he is accompanied by Gypsy friends who play a Yiddish tune.

    Carpati captures the unique melodies and cadences created by communities in this region. Zev's experiences and unique insights are representative of the rich Jewish culture that once thrived in the Carpathian Mountains. Moving and beautiful, this film, uncovers the last stronghold of Jewish life in this region once vibrant with a melting pot of thriving cultures.

    Subjects & Collections



    Festivals & Awards

    * Official Selection, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, 1996.


    Reviews

    "Carpati overflows with camaraderie and intoxicating music." - LA TIMES