USHPIZIN

Drama
In Hebrew and Yiddish with English subtitles

BACKGROUND
With the final blowing of the Shofar, the 5,000 year-old musical instrument usually made out of rams horn, the High Holy Days draw to a close and the focus of the Jewish community shifts from the solemnness of Yom Kippur to the jubilant celebration of the festival of Sukkot.
The festival of Sukkot is named for the temporary huts (sukkah) that Moses and the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years before they reached the Promised Land.
In Israel (and among Reform Jews), Sukkot is a 7-day holiday, with the first day celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services and holiday meals. During this holiday, Jews eat their meals, entertain guests, relax, and even sleep in a sukkah. Not having a sukkah curtails the full participation in the celebrations.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Shuli Rand: Moshe, a pious man living in Jerusalem
Michal Bat Sheva Rand: his wife, Mali
Shaul Mizhahi: Eliyahu Scorpio, an old friend who knew Moshe before he turned to religion
Ilan Gannai: Yosef, Eliahu’s buddy

REVIEW
This is a charming view of the secular life of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and is primarily about Moshe and his wife who are looking for a miracle or two: for some money to purchase a sukkah, for ushpizin ("holy guests") to share the Sukkot holiday with and for a son. He has even asked for help from a yeshiva charitable fund but so far, nothing has come of it.

CLASSIFICATION
for mild thematic elements.