In this beautiful and exhilarating portrait of shared “sisterhood,” eight Arab and Jewish women enroll in a video production training course. During each session, they do exercises that reflect on their roles as wives and mothers. By focusing on experiences that they all share, they form an empowering bond that bridges cultural divides. Cinema Sabaya is Orit Fouks Rotem’s debut film. As Israel’s #1 movie for 2022, it will be Israel’s nominee to the Oscars.

Virtual Guest Speaker: Dr. Masua Sagiv, PhD., Hartman Institute.

Underwritten by Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest; Buttercup Diner • Bar; Deana & Harvey Freedman in memory of their son David, Z”L; Heidi & Norimi Yamaguchi; Betsy Fels Pottruck.

Co-sponsor: Congregation B’nai Tikvah.

Dr. Masua Sagiv

Dr. Masua Sagiv is Scholar in Residence of the Shalom Hartman Institute based in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Koret Visiting Assistant Professor of Jewish and Israel Studies at UC Berkeley. Dr. Sagiv's scholarly work focuses on the development of contemporary Judaism in Israel, as a culture, religion, nationality, and as part of Israel’s identity as a Jewish and democratic state. Her research explores the role of law, state actors and civil society organizations in promoting social change across diverse issues: shared society, religion and gender, religion and state, and Jewish peoplehood.