Based on the children’s book of the same name by Marvell Ginsburg and narrated by Ed Asner, “The Tattooed Torah” is a beautifully animated short film that tells the story of a small torah that was confiscated by the Nazis in Czechoslovakia but survived the Holocaust.
On Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. PT, the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival will present a free virtual screening of the film via Zoom and Facebook Live, followed by a Q&A session with Asner, director and screenwriter Marc Bennett, producer Melinda Goldrich, screenwriter Brett Kopin, and composer Daniel Alcheh. Stephen D. Smith, Executive Director of the USC Shoah Foundation (https://sfi.usc.edu/), will moderate. Click here to register.
Asner will also take part in a virtual table read of the holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life,” alongside Maude Apatow, Carol Kane, Pete Davidson, Bill Pullman, Mia Farrow, Ed Begley Jr., Diedrich Bader, Richard Kind, Ellie Kemper and others, taking place on Dec. 13 at 5 p.m. PT. Tom Bergeron will host the event, benefitting the Ed Asner Family Center, which supports mental health and enrichment programs for special needs children and their families.
“By gifting tickets to the table read, people are giving their friends and family that unique, once in a lifetime gift that everyone is searching for…an experience they can share together that will be unforgettable while helping scores of families living with special needs,” said Asner’s daughter-in-law, Navah Paskowitz-Asner, the nonprofit’s co-cofounder. Tickets cost $50 and up and are available at edasnerfamilycenter.org.
Later in December, Asner stars in “Tiger Within” as a Holocaust survivor who befriends a troubled teenage runaway (Margot Josefsohn), resulting in an unlikely but life-changing relationship for both of them. The film will be released via Laemmle Virtual Cinema on Dec. 18.
