www.montereycountynow.com NOVEMBER 6-12, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 31 FILM The Carmel Jewish Film Festival is celebrating culture, social action and diversity, with a selection of films that highlight differences in ways of being and how the Jewish faith remains present. Back after a five-year, Covid-related hiatus, the festival kicked off Sunday, Nov. 2 with a screening of the road comedy No Name Restaurant at the Golden Bough Theatre. It tells the story of a young Hasidic Jewish man who must travel to Alexandria, Egypt before Passover arrives. Antisemitic Egyptians force him off a bus and leave him stranded in the desert, where he’s picked up by a Bedouin man looking for his camel. The two could not be more different but must find a way to travel together. “I’m hoping that people will understand that we need to respect and honor each individual’s way of being,” says Festival Director Arlene Krebs, who is responsible for the selection of this year’s screenings. Hate and propaganda are main points of conflict in several of the films shown during the festival. “There is a lot of antisemitism in our nation, particularly for young people,” Krebs says. “Even in Carmel High School and Carmel Middle School, there were instances where swastikas were put on lockers and benches.” Krebs is a retired professor of communications. Her goal is to bring people together to understand how propaganda, division and disinformation have altered stories about others. “Everyone has a voice, but not everyone’s is filled with love, honesty and the truth,” she says. Other films in the festival touch on these societal perceptions. Sabbath Queen is a documentary about a 38th-generation Orthodox rabbi who comes out as gay to fulfill his dream of becoming a drag queen. Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round tells the story of Howard University students protesting a white-only amusement park in 1960. Congregation Beth Israel Rabbi Jeffrey Glickman acknowledges that it’s difficult for people to interact with others that are different. But to him, this festival opens a door for everyone. “To have an opportunity to come together in a cultural milieu is so important now,” Glickman says. “It’s not coming at you hard and heavy, but it’s coming at you in a way that just warms the cockles of your heart.” The Carmel Jewish Film Festival continues through Sunday, Nov. 16 at various locations in Monterey County. $20-$50 per film. (831) 624-2015, carmelbethisrael.org. ENIGMA FILM Different Strokes The Carmel Jewish Film Festival combats hate with films about diversity and culture. By Sloan Campi The comedy No Name Restaurant finds a Jewish and a Bedouin man traveling across the desert. Co-existence is a central theme of the Jewish Film Festival. Happy Thanksgiving! Fresh Whole Turkeys • Gizdich Ranch Pies • Order Early BEST NEIGHBORHOOD MARKET 11x BEST BUTCHER SHOP 11x We have everything you need for your Thanksgiving menu, including Turkey Dinners To-Go 242 Forest Avenue, Pacific Grove ✦ 831-375-9581 Mon-Sat 8am-7pm • Sun 9am-6pm ’25 carmel- by- the- sea (831)625-8106 this weekend nov 7th-9th carmel-by-the-sea sport coats trousers outerwear shirting trunk show B U C D M C C Beds, Baths ◆ , Sq. Ft. ◆ , ◆ DelMesa.com Ben Heinrich DRE#00584641 Carole Heinrich DRE#01069022 Zach Brooksher DRE#01988208 Isabel Brooksher DRE#02080988 Courtney Brooksher DRE#02246723 831.292.5097 HeinrichBrooksher.com
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