Bal Ej: The Hidden Jews of Ethiopia - documentary by Irene Orleansky (English/Russian subtitles)

Following a hundred year old account of the prominent Jewish Polish scholar Jacque Faitlovich, Irene Orleansky travels to discover and explore a sect of secret Jews in Ethiopia. Named Bal Ej, craftsmen, for their artisan skills, they have been persecuted by their Orthodox Christian neighbors who slandered them as evil-eyed and hyena-people and have been deprived of the basic rights such as ownership of land, the reason for adopting crafts such as pottery, weaving and iron smithery. Fearing persecutions, they appear Christians outwardly, and practice Judaism in strict secrecy. The synagogues are hidden deep in the mountains and had never before been visited by strangers. Some of their ancient traditions trace back to biblical times and have been completely forgotten by the rest of the film “Bal Ej: the Hidden Jews of Ethiopia“ lifts the curtains of hundreds of years and reveals the history, customs and culture of this remarkable community to the world. The film is the official selection of: Washington Jewish Film Festival, Washington D.C., USA Respect Human Rights Film Festival, Belfast, UK Heritage Film Festival, Sofia, Bulgaria The Jewish Film Festival of Greater Hartford, USA The Festival of Jewish Culture, Krakow, Poland Annual Sheba Film Festival, New York, USA Mzansi Women’s Film Festival, Johannesburg, South Africa The Red Bull Amaphiko Film Festival, Johannesburg, South Africa Munich Jewish Film Festival, Germany The Week of Jewish Culture, Hohenems, Austria Days of Ethnographic Cinema, Moscow, Russia and many others... Press: The Jerusalem Post (in English): Israel National News (in English): #.V3qE6PkrKUk Vienna Jewish Magazine (in German): The Canadian Jewish News (in English):