Educator Resources

The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival has partnered with the Jewish Heritage Video Collection and the New Jewish Filmmaking Project to provide educators with a diverse array of contextual materials for teaching with film.

How to use SFJFF’s curricular materials

SFJFF’s curricular materials have been developed using San Francisco State University’s iLearn Moodle platform, and are housed there. To access the resources click on the link below and enter the provided login and password.

Moodle is a free, open-source learning-management system that allows users not only to access learning resources but to adapt curriculum for different learning and teaching styles, upload materials, contribute feedback, and participate in discussion forums. Very popular among educators around the world, Moodle may be used to conduct fully online courses, augment face-to-face courses, and facilitate activity modules such as forums and wikis.

We’ve built our new guides with input from educators, and we look forward to having educators help us continually expand, update, and improve the site.

Access Curriculum

Our latest educational offerings are hosted on San Francisco State University's Moodle platform iLearn. To login, you will need to use the following username and password. Username: JHVC01 Password: F1LMFAN!

Lesson plans on the Moodle platform include:

American Experience: Delta Jews (DELTA JEWS)

Israel: The Ethiopian Experience (ZRUBAVEL, LIVE AND BECOME)

New Jewish Filmmaking Project (NOT ANOTHER JEWISH MOVIE, FOUR SHORT FILMS ABOUT LOVE, AS OLD AS OUR EYES, LALO'S JERUSALEM, HOLIDAZE)

Perspectives on the Holocaust, A Course for Adolescents

The Jews of Mexico (A KISS TO THIS LAND, LIKE A BRIDE)

The Jews of North Africa (THE WEDDING SONG, LA PETITE JERUSALEM)

Yiddish Culture: Between the Old World and the New

*Note: you will have to log in using the above username and password to link through to these curricula.

Curricula from the Jewish Heritage Video Collection

SFJFF’s web offerings will also include the extensive media and educational resources of the Jewish Heritage Video Collection (JHVC): a video library of more than 250 outstanding features and documentaries, television and children’s programs, and a series of original courses that explore Jewish history and culture through film. Developed by the Jewish Media Fund with the support of the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the JHVC is installed at 215 sites, including universities, JCCs, and libraries, in 39 states. Our partners at the Jewish Heritage Video Collection have made the following PDF course guides available for download. Each guide focuses on a specific theme and provides contextual information, film-specific discussion resources, and suggestions for further viewing and reading. Use the links to download the guides in full or by individual section.

American Jewish Directors

Lester D. Friedman and David Desser discuss the works of three American filmmakers in American Jewish Directors: Three Visions of the American Jewish Experience.

Full Guide
Introduction
Woody Allen (ANNIE HALL and CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS)
Sydney Lumet (THE PAWNBROKER and DANIEL)
Paul Mazursky (NEXT STOP, GREENWICH VILLAGE and ENEMIES: A LOVE STORY)
Wrap-Up

American Jewish Comedy

This collection of resources provides an introduction to the history of Jewish comedy in America, and delves into the discussion of several films.

Full Guide
Introduction
Assault on Authority (ANIMAL CRACKERS)
Setting the Standard (SID CAESAR IN YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS)
Stretching the Limits (THE PRODUCERS)
From New York to L.A., Via Wisconsin (ANNIE HALL)
Just a Little Off-Center (SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE)
Wrap-Up

Growing-Up Stories

Five films focus on Jewish North American coming of age.

Full Guide
Introduction
Reinventing Ourselves (MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR)
Becoming "A Somebody" (THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ)
Fathers, Sons and Friendships (THE CHOSEN)
Out of Brooklyn (BILOXI BLUES)
Between Generations (SWEET LORRAINE)
Wrap-Up

The Jewish Image in American Film

In The Jewish Image in American Film: A Century of Jewish Characters and Themes, Lester D. Friedman discusses the historic and social contexts that have shaped Jewish film in the last 100 years.