JCC Rochester Jewish Film Festival

08/10/2026

Check out this article on "A Letter to David," shown at our very own RJFF last month!

A decade before Hamas dragged him into Gaza, David Cunio, with his twin brother, starred in a film about a kidnapping. The director’s new documentary captures the twin’s torment.

08/04/2026

Congratulations to this year's RJFF Carl Lasky Audience Favorite Award Winners!

BEST NARRATIVE: Tatami

BEST DOCUMENTARY: Among Neighbors

Thank you to all who voted!

08/03/2026

And that’s a wrap on RJFF26! 🎬

Thanks to our awesome committee of volunteers who worked tirelessly to bring you this year’s wonderful film selections, the Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman Museum for hosting us again this year, as well as the JCC staff, all of our projectionists, tech support, security, caterers, guests, ushers, supporters and audiences for making this festival possible!

Stay tuned for our Carl Lasky Audience Favorite Award Winners, coming soon...

08/02/2026

Another wonderful Havdalah last night at the RJFF! Thanks as always to committee members Bonnie Abrams and Elliot Fix.

08/02/2026

IT'S CLOSING NIGHT!

Love, Statistically Speaking
Sunday, August 2, 6pm; Dryden Theatre
Narrative | 2026 | 90 min. | Hebrew (w/ subtitles) | Israel | Director: Amichai Greenberg

Reuben is an 80-year-old actuary who lives his life by the numbers. He believes statistics give you the odds for all things, but they can’t tell you what to do about them. So when his deceased wife’s insurance money goes missing, Reuben faces a probable dilemma. Enter his free-spirited granddaughter, his opposite in personality, but his partner in solving the mystery, all while discovering something far deeper. Our closing night film is warm, funny, and (no matter what statistics might say) unpredictable. And a fine lead in to a fun themed party that will, most likely, entertain and amuse you!

Closing night party to follow!

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1116533559

Tickets at rjff.org

08/02/2026

Among Neighbors
Sunday, August 2, 2:15pm; Dryden Theatre
Documentary | 2025 | 100 min. | English, Polish (w/ subtitles) | Poland, USA | Director: Yoav Potash

Combining magical realism with traditional documentary techniques, Among Neighbors examines the mystery of a small, rural town where people of two di erent faiths lived side by side for centuries – until the killing began. The film reveals both love and betrayal as it zeroes in on a crime committed among neighbors: the murder of Holocaust survivors in Poland, six months after the end of World War II. The chilling facts revealed in this documentary have led the o ice of Poland’s nationalist president to call for a ban on the film.

Among Neighbors was recently awarded the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award from the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center.

The film will be shown with an exclusive prerecorded Q&A with the filmmaker Yoav Potash

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8vv4UOQJEA&t=1s

Tickets at rjff.org

08/02/2026

Lucky Star
Sunday, August 2, 12pm; Dryden Theatre
Narrative | 2025 | 100 min. | French (w/ subtitles) | France | Director: Pascal Elbé

Mixing outrageous farce with serious suspense, Lucky Star shows what happens when foolish Jean Chevalin (noted Belgian comedian Benoit Poelvoorde) believes the absurdities of antisemitism. As Germany is about to invade France, and he hears that “Jews always come out on top,” he convinces his family to pretend to be Jewish. What follows, including unexpected friendships with “real Jews” and being mistaken for a noted Resistance fighter, educates Jean and keeps us laughing – when we’re not biting our nails.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePucMqkx-Rw

Tickets at rjff.org

07/31/2026

Rosenthal: The Great Showman
Saturday, August 1, 7:45pm; Dryden Theatre
Narrative | 2025 | 92 min. | German (w/ subtitles) | Germany | Director: Oliver Haffner

In 1978, Hans Rosenthal is the “Alex Trebek” of Germany’s most popular game show. Audiences flock to the TV studio for live broadcasts, while the rest of country watches in anticipation at home. Hans loves his success and doesn’t seem bothered that his audience doesn’t know he’s Jewish. But when the big anniversary broadcast is scheduled on the same night as the 40th anniversary of Kristallnacht, Hans must decide between his career or his heritage. A moral conundrum wrapped in an entertaining feature that is sure to spark discussion.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f0csTLccBA

Tickets at rjff.org

07/30/2026

Labors of Love: The Life and Legacy of Henrietta Szold
Friday, July 31, 1:30pm; JCC Hart Theater
Documentary | 2025 | 80 min. | English, Hebrew (w/ subtitles) | USA | Director: Abby Ginzberg

Most of us know Szold founded Hadassah more than a century ago. But few know that she also pioneered Palestine’s (as it was called then) healthcare system built on a mandate to treat Arabs and Jews equally, and ran an operation that saved 11,000 Jewish children from N**i Europe. And who better to narrate this remarkable woman’s story than a contemporary remarkable woman, Tovah Feldshuh, whom you’ll meet on opening night when her own story is told.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZfb92Y3L-c&t=106s

Tickets at rjff.org

07/30/2026

Sometimes, we have to pivot! Many thanks to A Letter to David producer Nancy Spielberg, who immediately changed gears when her flight was grounded at LGA. She was ever so gracious, a trooper and a total mensch! Here she in conversation With Channel 8's Oran Spitzer, Who was equally gracious and rolled with all the changes! Thank you, ladies!!