About Anti-Semitism in America - Documentary
Donation protected
Project Description
A documentary film that explores anti-Semitism in the United States through intimate, personal accounts.
The Story
Growing up, I was taught about anti-Semitism's long history, both from my Jewish Day School and from my grandmother, herself a survivor of the Holocaust. I wondered why the Jewish people were so hated. Why did anti-Semitism exist? In classes, teachers spoke of the perpetrators of these hate crimes as inhuman and innately evil, but real life can rarely be simplified into black and white, evil and good.
What my education failed to inform me is that anti-Semitism is not just a thing of the history. With this placement of anti-Semitism in the past, I felt safe; although my people have been running from hatred for thousands of years, surely, we had finally found refuge. Recently, that safety I felt has been put under question.
Major incidents of anti-Semitism in the US have inspired me to hit the gas on this project: a documentary that will explore the recent rise of anti-Semitism in the United States, on both large and small scales, and see how other Jewish people living in America attempt to understand this illogical hatred.
The vast amount of positive response I’ve already gotten about this documentary on social media and beyond has only further confirmed that the time for this project is now. Jewish Americans need to be heard, and I am thrilled at the chance to give them that platform.
- Rebecca Penner, co-creator & producer
When I was a kid our rabbi had an open “ask the rabbi” night. I went up to the mic, and, with a heavy lisp, asked him “why does God let bad things happen to people?” The rabbi, responded with a long-winded explanation about puzzle pieces and The Holocaust and I went back to my parents seated in the congregation and said “Yeah. He doesn’t know either”.
Almost twenty years later, I sat in that same synagogue on Erev Rosh Hashanah, terrified. To enter either gate into the synagogue you have to pass several armed guards, a bag check, and patrol cars. The first announcement at the service is to point out the emergency exits. This is standard at any large event, but at my temple now, there is an unspoken understanding of what we are being warned about. Whenever I sit on the bimah singing in the choir, I scan all of the entrances to the room and the exit paths, constantly bracing myself for the sound of gunshots.
When I teach class at my shul and the Jewish Community Center I scope out exit strategies and hiding places for entire classes of kids. My 9th grade tech class learned how to use the in-ear microphone to warn the rabbis of any suspicious noises in the foyer.
Am I only just now realizing the reality of a world that has always been this way? Or is this state of horror something new, something different?
As I reflect on the state of the country. I am terrified. I am terrified for my fellow Jews, my friends of color, my friends in the LGBTQ community, and all that are being affected by the terror in our lives right now. During this holiday season, please check on those in your community and give them support. Please reflect on how you can support the causes you believe in.
Twenty years after I began wondering why bad things happen to good people, I still have no clarity. Most of us don’t. This past year has been particularly painful. I don’t know why God does the things that she does, I don’t know if I even believe in her. But I don’t want to feel hopeless. So I’ve started focusing on projects that I know I believe in. I encourage you to do the same.
-Rebecca Myers, co-creator and producer
Why we need your help
Because the foremost goal of this project is to hear from a diverse and varied group of Jewish people across the nation, our lean production crew plans to travel across the continental United States seeking personal reactions to anti-Semitism. In order to make this happen, we need funds for transporting the four of us along with the necessary equipment.
Please help us bring this project to fruition. Your support for this documentary will enable more voices to be heard and conversations about this topic to begin.
Other ways you can help
We understand that not everyone can offer their financial support. If that is the case, you can absolutely still be involved and show your support in other ways!
Telling others about this project and sharing this page with others on social media, email, text, or any way you like to communicate with friends and family is SO helpful.
In addition, you are interested in being interviewed or donating resources (a couch to sleep on while we travel, access to a filming location, equipment, a place to show the finished project, contacts, etc.) please contact us! We would love to hear from you and connect with your Jewish community, big or small.
The Team
Rebecca Penner, Co-Creator & Producer
Rebecca Penner is an artist and filmmaker originally from San Diego, CA. She grew up performing on the stage of the local JCC which meant that from an early age her Jewish heritage was, to an extent, linked to her creativity and artistic side. She went on to spend her teenage years acting in plays, musicals, and short films in Los Angeles, CA. This time she spent in front of the camera inspired her to go on to make films of her own. This brought her to Johns Hopkins, where she currently studies film theory and production as well as fine arts. She and her creative partner, Carver Bain, are currently in post production for their short film, How to Care for Strangers, for which they received an Arts Innovation Grant. She also works as a freelance production designer and set decorator for films, TV, and commercials in New York and Baltimore.
Becca Myers Co-creator & Producer
Becca Myers is a professional theatre artist based in San Diego, CA. Besides producing, acting, and directing for the stage, Becca teaches theatre classes as well as a high school level course called “Jewish+,” which explores intersectionality in Judaism. Becca is very involved in her Jewish community and is invested in creating a safer home for future generations of Jewish artists.
Raphael Stigliano, Co-Director of Photography & Location Audio
Raphael Stigliano is a writer and artist living in San Diego, CA. He has written and directed extensively for the stage, having recently co-authored and performed the historical sketch comedy show That Sinking Feeling. He has contributed to several student films in various capacities, and recently shot and edited the music video Smope Around.
Carver Bain, Co-Director of Photography & Production Coordinator
Carver Bain is a writer, filmmaker, and artist from Spokane, Washington. His passion for story telling has brought him from Spokane to Baltimore, Maryland where he studies Writing, Film, and Theater at Johns Hopkins University. From a young age, Carver was always seen with a camera in hand and he has continued to hone this skill in practicing 35mm photography, narrative filmmaking, and online video production.
Photo - Source: BETTMANN/GETTY
Nazi Germany's Refugee Children Standing on New York City Harbor
A documentary film that explores anti-Semitism in the United States through intimate, personal accounts.
The Story
Growing up, I was taught about anti-Semitism's long history, both from my Jewish Day School and from my grandmother, herself a survivor of the Holocaust. I wondered why the Jewish people were so hated. Why did anti-Semitism exist? In classes, teachers spoke of the perpetrators of these hate crimes as inhuman and innately evil, but real life can rarely be simplified into black and white, evil and good.
What my education failed to inform me is that anti-Semitism is not just a thing of the history. With this placement of anti-Semitism in the past, I felt safe; although my people have been running from hatred for thousands of years, surely, we had finally found refuge. Recently, that safety I felt has been put under question.
Major incidents of anti-Semitism in the US have inspired me to hit the gas on this project: a documentary that will explore the recent rise of anti-Semitism in the United States, on both large and small scales, and see how other Jewish people living in America attempt to understand this illogical hatred.
The vast amount of positive response I’ve already gotten about this documentary on social media and beyond has only further confirmed that the time for this project is now. Jewish Americans need to be heard, and I am thrilled at the chance to give them that platform.
- Rebecca Penner, co-creator & producer
When I was a kid our rabbi had an open “ask the rabbi” night. I went up to the mic, and, with a heavy lisp, asked him “why does God let bad things happen to people?” The rabbi, responded with a long-winded explanation about puzzle pieces and The Holocaust and I went back to my parents seated in the congregation and said “Yeah. He doesn’t know either”.
Almost twenty years later, I sat in that same synagogue on Erev Rosh Hashanah, terrified. To enter either gate into the synagogue you have to pass several armed guards, a bag check, and patrol cars. The first announcement at the service is to point out the emergency exits. This is standard at any large event, but at my temple now, there is an unspoken understanding of what we are being warned about. Whenever I sit on the bimah singing in the choir, I scan all of the entrances to the room and the exit paths, constantly bracing myself for the sound of gunshots.
When I teach class at my shul and the Jewish Community Center I scope out exit strategies and hiding places for entire classes of kids. My 9th grade tech class learned how to use the in-ear microphone to warn the rabbis of any suspicious noises in the foyer.
Am I only just now realizing the reality of a world that has always been this way? Or is this state of horror something new, something different?
As I reflect on the state of the country. I am terrified. I am terrified for my fellow Jews, my friends of color, my friends in the LGBTQ community, and all that are being affected by the terror in our lives right now. During this holiday season, please check on those in your community and give them support. Please reflect on how you can support the causes you believe in.
Twenty years after I began wondering why bad things happen to good people, I still have no clarity. Most of us don’t. This past year has been particularly painful. I don’t know why God does the things that she does, I don’t know if I even believe in her. But I don’t want to feel hopeless. So I’ve started focusing on projects that I know I believe in. I encourage you to do the same.
-Rebecca Myers, co-creator and producer
Why we need your help
Because the foremost goal of this project is to hear from a diverse and varied group of Jewish people across the nation, our lean production crew plans to travel across the continental United States seeking personal reactions to anti-Semitism. In order to make this happen, we need funds for transporting the four of us along with the necessary equipment.
Please help us bring this project to fruition. Your support for this documentary will enable more voices to be heard and conversations about this topic to begin.
Other ways you can help
We understand that not everyone can offer their financial support. If that is the case, you can absolutely still be involved and show your support in other ways!
Telling others about this project and sharing this page with others on social media, email, text, or any way you like to communicate with friends and family is SO helpful.
In addition, you are interested in being interviewed or donating resources (a couch to sleep on while we travel, access to a filming location, equipment, a place to show the finished project, contacts, etc.) please contact us! We would love to hear from you and connect with your Jewish community, big or small.
The Team
Rebecca Penner, Co-Creator & Producer
Rebecca Penner is an artist and filmmaker originally from San Diego, CA. She grew up performing on the stage of the local JCC which meant that from an early age her Jewish heritage was, to an extent, linked to her creativity and artistic side. She went on to spend her teenage years acting in plays, musicals, and short films in Los Angeles, CA. This time she spent in front of the camera inspired her to go on to make films of her own. This brought her to Johns Hopkins, where she currently studies film theory and production as well as fine arts. She and her creative partner, Carver Bain, are currently in post production for their short film, How to Care for Strangers, for which they received an Arts Innovation Grant. She also works as a freelance production designer and set decorator for films, TV, and commercials in New York and Baltimore.
Becca Myers Co-creator & Producer
Becca Myers is a professional theatre artist based in San Diego, CA. Besides producing, acting, and directing for the stage, Becca teaches theatre classes as well as a high school level course called “Jewish+,” which explores intersectionality in Judaism. Becca is very involved in her Jewish community and is invested in creating a safer home for future generations of Jewish artists.
Raphael Stigliano, Co-Director of Photography & Location Audio
Raphael Stigliano is a writer and artist living in San Diego, CA. He has written and directed extensively for the stage, having recently co-authored and performed the historical sketch comedy show That Sinking Feeling. He has contributed to several student films in various capacities, and recently shot and edited the music video Smope Around.
Carver Bain, Co-Director of Photography & Production Coordinator
Carver Bain is a writer, filmmaker, and artist from Spokane, Washington. His passion for story telling has brought him from Spokane to Baltimore, Maryland where he studies Writing, Film, and Theater at Johns Hopkins University. From a young age, Carver was always seen with a camera in hand and he has continued to hone this skill in practicing 35mm photography, narrative filmmaking, and online video production.
Photo - Source: BETTMANN/GETTY
Nazi Germany's Refugee Children Standing on New York City Harbor
Organizer
Rebecca Penner
Organizer
La Jolla, CA