Esther Broner: A
Weave of Women A film by Lilly Rivlin
"Esther
Broner: A Weave of Women, a documentary film by Lilly Rivlin, profiles the life
of Esther Broner, Jewish feminist, prolific author, professor, and stalwart
pioneer of the Women’s Rights Movement."
A film by Lilly
Rivlin Producer/director/writer 62 minutes, 2013
Prolific writer, passionate activist, dedicated
scholar and pioneering feminist, Esther Broner indelibly shaped modern
Jewish history, and yet, most people have never heard of her. In the
mid-1970s, as the women’s rights movement was vastly changing society’s
views on gender and equality, Broner created a radical new Haggadah (the
book of readings for a Passover seder service) for a new era, one that,
while maintaining Jewish culture and rituals, shifted the focus onto
women, transforming the traditional Passover service into a powerful
reclamation of women’s lives and stories. What followed in 1975 was the
first feminist women’s seder, which began as a small gathering to
celebrate Passover with Broner as their leader and would blossom into a
movement. One of the founding members of the seder, director/producer
Lilly Rivlin (Grace Paley: Collected Shorts, SFJFF 2010) documents
Broner’s rich and engaged political and spiritual life with archival
photos, video footage from the seders themselves and interviews with
Broner’s closest friends and original “seder mothers” such as Ms.
magazine founder Gloria Steinem and congresswoman Bella Abzug. Woven
together with Broner’s own moving words, this documentary is both an
inspiring portrait of a feminist trailblazer and a testament to her
legacy which has helped empower generations of Jewish women around the
world. — Alissa Chadburn
Director Lilly Rivlin in person...
Esther Broner, co-writer of the
Women's Haggadah and creator of the Feminist Seder, was my friend. I was
a "Seder Sister". When Esther died I decided to make a film about her
and the evolution of the Feminist Seder over a period of 37 years. In
1975 Esther Broner and Naomi Nimrod wrote the first Women’s Haggadah,
leading the way for modern Jewish feminism. For the next 36 years,
Esther Broner led the Feminist Seder in NYC with a core group of women.
This film documents the evolution of Jewish feminism through the
Feminist Seder. We use archival footage and interviews with leading
Jewish feminists who attended the Seder such as Letty Cottin Pogrebin,
Gloria Steinem, and Canadian feminist/author Michel Landsberg. At the
same time it tells the story of Esther Broner, described by the NY Times
as a writer who explored the double marginalization of being Jewish and
female. She was “intensely concerned with Jewish spirituality, and with
carving out a place for women in a faith tradition that had long seemed
not to want them.”
“Weaving together readings of Broner’s prose, documentary photographs,
interviews, and footage from many of these Seders, the film goes a long
way towards evoking Broner’s unique contributions towards feminism,
Judaism and literature, documenting and celebrating the breadth of one
women’s legacy.” Jewish Daily Forward
"A film by a remarkable woman about another remarkable woman...This is a
film for Jewish Studies, for Documentary Studies, for Gender Studies,
and for those who simply want to know more about a transformational
group of women." Alex Keller, Dir.
Film Studies Program, Smith College
"What a deeply fascinating and heartfelt portrait of Esther. It's an
important documentation that brilliantly captured a complex multi
layered woman who dares challenging the norms of her time." Ariel Jordan
Filmmaker/Writer
"Rivlin’s tribute to Esther Broner’s life reminds us of the energy and
passion with which the first generation of American Jewish feminists
engaged with Jewish ritual, liturgy, and traditions. As a result, modern
Judaism is more colorful, inclusive, and meaningful. In the film, Broner
reminds us that the work of Jewish feminism must extend to the wider
world, to alleviating poverty and inequality everywhere." Lori Lefkovitz, Ruderman
Director of Jewish Studies and Humanities Cnt, Northeastern Univ.
"Rivlin captures Broner’s big heart, wildly inventive mind, compassion
and her loud, infectious, frequent laugh. Her strong storytelling skills
are also evident…" The Jewish Weekly
"The film is a gift, of a time, documented so we can feel again how
fresh it was to be in the presence of passionate women creating
beauty/power/community, feeling it rise out from under." Myra Shapiro
Poet
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