Live & Learn: Re-Emerge Project with Documentary Filmmaker Dani Rotstein via ZOOM

03 Sep @ 10:30 am - 11:30 am

Join us for a compelling 3-part Zoom series presented by documentary filmmaker Dani Rotstein, who currently resides in Mallorca, Spain. Dani has been working closely with the Catholic descendants of the Jewish Conversos of the island, known locally as the Chuetas. His latest project is a high-quality documentary series that sheds light on the struggles and triumphs of emerging Jewish communities in Latin America.

In this series, Dani will take us through his journey, which began last year when he traveled with his wife and three-year-old daughter to visit these diverse communities. He has filmed four short films that highlight the resilience and determination of these communities, who often face resistance from both within and outside the Jewish faith.

Despite the challenges, these communities have taken matters into their own hands. In towns without synagogues or established Jewish communities, they have created their own—educating themselves through YouTube, celebrating holidays in each other’s homes, finding rabbis online, and building connections from the ground up. Their efforts have resulted in strong, thriving Jewish communities built entirely from scratch.

This series is both a love letter to these communities, showcasing their dedication and faith, and a wake-up call to the wider Jewish population. Could this series be the next “Unorthodox” on Netflix? Join us on Zoom for this 3-part series to find out and to experience these powerful stories firsthand. (Zoom information will be provided in the Monday email each week)

September 3     Re-Emerge Project: Spotlight on Ecuador & Colombia
September 10  Re-Emerge Project: Spotlight on Brazil & Mexico
September 24  Re-Emerge Project: Spotlight on Puerto Rico

About Dani Rotstein

A documentary filmmaker and community leader, New Jersey native Dani Rotstein spent years traveling the world producing advertisements for large commercial firms. When he moved to the Spanish island of Majorca in 2014 to produce TV commercials, he didn’t expect there to be much Jewish life there. His surprising discoveries led to his first feature length documentary film entitled Xueta Island: A Hidden History, for which he is not only a director, but also a subject. He became involved with the local Jewish community, founding Limud Mallorca as well as Jewish Majorca–a company that offers educational tours of Jewish heritage sites around the island.