SCPL is pleased to partner with the Santa Cruz Jewish Film Festival for Jewish American History Month. You're invited to a weekly screening and discussion of the 3-episode series Birth of a Conflict. Our discussions of the series will be led by Professor Bruce Thompson, former lecturer in the UCSC Humanities Division, who has taught history, literature, and Jewish Studies to more than 10,000 students throughout his three-decade career.

The month concludes with Children of Peace. Light refreshments will be provided. Registration is recommended to help us plan our refreshments.

Birth of a Conflict:

From Israeli public television this 3-part series explores the complex history of the Middle East from the Ottoman Empire to the present day and reveals newly declassified documents from British diplomatic files. A must-see for anyone wishing to understand the origins of the Israel Palestine conflict.

The second episode of the series tells the story of how the Jewish Arab conflict turned from a territorial quarrel between two national movements into a religious conflict. This chapter sheds new light on one of the most important, yet unknown events in the history of Palestine – The Great Arab Revolt.

The final installment examines events preceding and following WWII: the failure of the Arab national movement, the success of the Zionist movement in creating a Jewish state, and the crumbling of the mighty British Empire.

Children of Peace:

A group of dreamers founded an intentional community of Arabs and Jews, Neve Shalom, in 1970’s Israel. It was a rebellious and utopian idea: Jews and Arabs living and going to school together as friends and neighbors, learning each others' language and culture. Children who were brought up in this unique environment, now grown men and women, deal with the harsh realities of political turmoil and war.