Feb 27 - The Dybbuk (1937)

Director: Michał Waszyński
With: Lili Liliana, Leon Liebgold, Avrom Morewski
Spoken language: Yiddish
Subtitles: English
Info: 1937 | Poland | 123 min
Date/Time: Friday February 27th, 21:00
Introduction by: Julie Weitz

A haunting Yiddish classic of doomed love and supernatural possession, where broken vows unleash the mystical power of the Dybbuk.

THE DYBBUK (1937) is a Yiddish film classic based on the celebrated play of the same name by S. Ansky, written during the turbulent years of 1912-1917. The idea for the play came to Ansky as he led a Jewish folklore expedition through the shtetls of Eastern Europe. In this mystical tale of star crossed lovers and supernatural possession, two friends tempt fate by betrothing their unborn children. Years later, when the pledge is broken and the couple’s love is thwarted, Channon, the young lover (Leon Liebgold), turns to the dangerous power of the Kabbalah to win back his love (Lili Liliana). Made in Poland on the eve of WWII in a stylized, expressionistic manner that has been called ‘Hasidic Gothic’, THE DYBBUK brought together the best talents of Polish Jewry.

Julie Weitz will introduce The Dybbuk screening.

— Currently based in Berlin, Julie Weitz (she/her) is an artist, writer, and educator who creates embodied, collective experiences for repair by unearthing the wounds and resilience of diasporic culture. Her research-driven practice animates figures from Yiddish folklore, exploring themes of loss and healing through their interactions at culturally significant sites—especially those where Yiddish culture was nearly eradicated.Through caricature, folklorism, and emplacement, Weitz situates her practice within evolving trajectories of Jewish cultural expression, in solidarity with global liberation movements. —

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