Hungarian documentary film maker Diana Groó tells the extraordinary story of Regina Jonas: the first known female Rabbi, born in Berlin in 1902. Through the use of extensive contemporary, often fascinating documentary footage, Groó shapes for her audience a familiarity with the ordinary comings and goings that Regina Jonas would have experienced as a native Jewish Berliner throughout her lifetime; from the poverty of the slums where Jonas grew up to the rise of Hitler’s Nazi regime who condemned so many of her community to emigration and death.
The significance of her achieved religious aspiration is shown through the eyes of her contemporary Jewish community via letters and stories retold by her friends and students with the English speaking cast including actor Rachel Weisz.
Living through a genocide, Jonas’ remembered sermons and academic work depict a woman with an inner resolve and confirmed belief in the innate potential for good in people. This is a Holocaust story told through the prism of a remarkable woman’s life. Her legacy is felt around the world’s Judaic community to this day.
The UK Premiere of Regina will take place on 06 November http://ukjewishfilm.org/event/regina/ at the Tricycle, London with an additional screening on 14 November at Cornerhouse, Manchester http://ukjewishfilm.org/event/regina-manchester/
Mairéad has awarded Regina three Torches of Truth
