Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on July 13, 2017

The men gather for prayers, but are short the 10 needed to complete a minyan, or quorum. They ask passing strangers to join them, and one young man not only says yes, but brings along students from his yeshiva. The man, Rabbi David (played by Aviv Alush, whom Christian audiences will recognize for his role as Jesus in "The Shack"), seems to be the answer to the congregation's prayers.

The men of the congregation, like the shopkeeper Zion (Igal Naor), are impressed with Rabbi David's passionate sermonizing. But Zion's wife, Etti (Evelin Hagoel), and the other women bristle at the rabbi's extremist reading of Talmudic law like insisting that women cover their heads.

As Rabbi David's influence grows, so does a rift within the congregation. Some of Etti's friends start shunning her, while Zion notices he's being spied on by a student of David's yeshiva. The split takes on a "Romeo & Juliet" quality when young Yaffa (Yafit Asulin), Etti's niece, starts dating Naftali (Assaf Ben Shimon), Rabbi David's loyal assistant.

First-time screenwriter Shlomit Nehama invests her script with plenty of heart, good humor and some pleasant surprises. Director Emil Ben-Shimon navigates a strong ensemble cast through Nehama's story, finding jewels for each performer to polish until they gleam.

There's a serious undercurrent running through "The Women's Balcony," a warning about the dangers of fundamentalism tearing friends and family apart. But that message is delivered in such a powerfully heartwarming way that it leaves one smiling by the conclusion.

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Exuberant 'Women's Balcony' shows a Jerusalem synagogue's ... - Salt Lake Tribune

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