By Rachel Galvin
Tradition is the way to keep balanced, according to the popular play and movie “Fiddler on the Roof.” What happens when tradition goes out the window? Anything can happen. This sense of freedom and wild abandon can be a welcome playground to some or chaos and destruction to those who long for stability and order.
The film “Sabbath Queen” spends 21 years following the life of Amichai Lau-Lavie, a descendent of 38 generations of rabbis, whose father escaped the holocaust. His immediate family is all very important in the religion as well.
Everything seems in order until Lau-Lavie disrupts the apple cart, so to speak. The first break from the ordinary is his declaration of being a homosexual. The worst part of this sentence is the idea that he would not continue the line with children.
Instead of living a life of a rabbi filled with family and prayers, he chooses to become an artist, moving to New York in the 1990s and creating his own type of spiritual community. And to pour gas on the fire, he dresses up as a woman. Oy gevalt! So, he has turned into a whole new personality running a very experimental group of artistic and spiritual individuals called Lab Shul. Within it, all are welcome, including those who have different definitions of the divine. He becomes a radical fairy and ordains weddings, but not just any weddings, but, interfaith ones, oy vey–something that is forbidden. The film also explores the role of women in orthodoxy. He ends up doing something else quite radical to help out two women that has an unexpected silver lining.
Lau-Lavie seems fine living in this counterculture and is embraced in his role. Just as he seems comfortable in his choices, tragedy happens — his father dies, and then, he makes a radical choice — to become a rabbi. Although he still is within his community, he now has certain things he is no longer allowed to do, such as dressing as a woman and officiating weddings that are interfaith, much to the chagrin of his congregation. But he still hopes to make some changes to the traditions and religion working from the inside out.
As he finds himself choosing compassion over loyalty to certain political affiliations, he bumps heads with the wrong people, and now finds himself again in conflict with his new rabbinical community. It seems he can’t win no matter where he turns. And so, he is in a new chapter in his life once again.
This film, directed by Sandi DuBowski, is a bit of a roller coaster ride, as Lau-Lavie explores his own inner being and wonder what it means to be a Jew. It leaves the viewer reflective and wondering about their own beliefs on religion, politics and humanity. It is quite engaging.
The film is coming to Florida. Here are the times:
Schedule:
February 4 – February 6, 2025
Savor Cinema, 503 SE 6th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 pm
Wednesday, Feb.5 at 5:30 pm
Thursday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 pm Q&A with director Sandi DuBowski follows screening
February 7 – February 10, 2025
Cinema Paradiso, 2008 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, FL 33020
Friday, Feb. 7, 7 pm. Q&A with director Sandi DuBowski follows screening
Saturday, Feb. 8, 4:30 pm
Sunday, Feb.9, 2:30 pm. & 7 pm
Monday, Feb. 10 at 4:30 pm
February 9, 2025 Only
Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33134
Sunday, Feb. 9 at 1:15 pm Q&A with director Sandi DuBowski follows screening