Top Ten for the Ninth of Av
Movies for the Mourning


Growing up and going to many a Jewish summer camp, I experienced Tisha B’Av in scores of unique ways along with my whole generation of Jewish-Americans, for whom watching video (no DVDs yet!) was both a fun and exciting part of the camp experience. Since campers and staff are fasting for 25 hours and all fun activity is forbidden, including learning Torah, films about Jewish suffering and morality make up the ultimate program for this definitive day of mourning.
In a survey, I asked my peers to let me know their top 10 Tisha B’Av films. From Camp Moshava to Camp Galil to Camp Ramah to USY to Camp Lavi (and more), these folks spent their summers across the United States, and while their experiences did span religious, political, and cultural backgrounds, they all had one thing in common: Intense Tisha B’Av experiences.
10- Operation Thunderbolt (1977)
9-Hester Street (1975)
8-The Chosen (1981)
7-Paper Clips (2004)
6-The Wave (1981)
5-Exodus (1960)
4-School Ties (1992)
3- Life is Beautiful (1997)
2-Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
And the top of the list is…
1-Schindler’s List (1993)
Other recommendations were Pleasantville, Night and Fog, Cast a Giant Shadow, Eichah, Pay it Forward, The Devil’s Arithmetic and Hotel Rwanda.