A big crowd was on hand for this kickoff event. In fact, before the screenings began, additional seating was brought into the ballroom to accommodate everyone. Shelly Katz, the executive director of the Durham-Chapel Hill Jewish Federation, was pleased with the turnout.
At the top of the night, guests mingled before opening remarks and the beginning of the film screenings. Amy and Leonard Bush marked their fourth year attending the festival with Thursday's event. The two were eager to see the screenings scheduled for the evening.
The main attraction for the night was the screening of "Waves of Freedom" by Israeli filmmaker Alan Rosenthal, which served as a debut for the film in the Carolinas, though it has been shown several times across the country. The film chronicles a little-known story of American support of Israel by United States veterans.
Rosenthal, who is a professor of communications at Hebrew University, was present for the screening and a Q and A session following the film. When I asked Rosenthal what his inspiration for the film was, he shared that he loved doing good stories and that this film was one that had to be made as it told the story of American courage.
Barry Schwartz, who served on the festival committee and is also the director of operations for the Raleigh-Cary Jewish Federation, was optimistic that the stories within the films scheduled throughout the festival would bring out the community to support the event. He described the films as having Jewish content with universal themes.
Following Thursday's opening, the Triangle Jewish Film Festival continued throughout the weekend with screenings at the Galaxy Cinema in Cary. The Triangle Jewish Film Festival is a program of Jewish Cinema South, which is a network of Jewish Film Festivals throughout the southern part of the United States.
Bulldogs' 20th anniversary
On Nov. 6 I had the pleasure of serving as mistress of ceremonies at the 20th Anniversary Gala for the Bouncing Bulldogs rope-skipping team. The event took place at the Cotton Room at Golden Belt.
The Bouncing Bulldogs is made up of more than 100 boys and girls from throughout the Triangle. Earlier this year, the team won the National Champion Team Title for the sixth consecutive year.
The evening began with a cocktail hour before the program officially started. While guests enjoyed hors d' oeuvres, they listened to the sounds of the Al Strong Trio.
To kick off the festivities, Durham Mayor Bill Bell presented a proclamation to the Bouncing Bulldogs founder and coach, Ray Fredrick, proclaiming Nov. 6 as "Bouncing Bulldogs Day" in the city.
After the invocation by J. R. Manley, the pastor of First Baptist Church in Chapel Hill, dinner was served. Following dinner, we heard remarks from a number of former rope-skipping team members, all sharing how being a part of the Bouncing Bulldogs shaped their lives.
Perhaps one of the highlights of the evening was the video presentation, which chronicled highlights from the Bouncing Bulldogs' journey. From photos taken from their trips throughout the world to video snippets of various workshops throughout the years, the visual history told the team's story.
Later, singer Jennifer Evans shared her vocal rendition of "The Greatest Love of All." While the evening was a fundraiser, primarily designed for adults, it would not have been complete without the jump rope teams, and just after dinner, many of them joined us in the Cotton Room to share in the occasion.
Throughout the evening, supporters also had a unique opportunity to purchase the print "Double Dutch" by the late Ernie Barnes, a native of Durham. Raffle tickets were sold to win an autographed copy of that same print. Members of the Barnes family were present for the gala.
Final remarks were made by Fredrick, who became quite emotional as he talked about how much the students meant to him.
The gala kicked off the weekend for the Bouncing Bulldogs. On Nov. 7 the 20th Annual North Carolina Rope Skipping workshop took place at East Chapel Hill High School.
Angela Ray is an actress, author and motivational speaker. For comments or tips on future events, e-mail her at Angela@mahoganydime.com.
