Dr. Rachel S. Harris, Florida Atlantic University

Lecture summary: 

In a small studio off Rothschild, Josef Bau hosted a salon that served as a home for the influx of Polish filmmakers who arrived in Israel during the early 1950s. Graphic artist and spy, he and his friends would become the foundation of Geva Studios and instrumental in the early development of Israeli film. Today, their names are forgotten, and their histories are unknown. Yet, their relationships in Poland and later in Israel would play a pivotal role in building a local industry and shaping global cinema.

About the Lecturer: 

Rachel S Harris is the Herbert and Elaine Gimelstob Chair in Jewish Studies at Florida Atlantic University, Director of the Jewish Studies Program and a Professor of Film. Her most recent books include Warriors, Witches, Whores: Women in Israeli Cinema (Wayne State U Press, 2017) and co-edited Casting a Giant Shadow: The Transnational Shaping of Israeli Cinema (Indiana UP, 2021) with Dan Chyutin. She is the editor of the Journal of Jewish Identities.