Documentary tells the history of a protest song, inspired by the terror of lynching, written by a Jewish schoolteacher in the Bronx. A must see.
Sun., 1 pm, June 24, in the Holocaust Museum’s Theatre
The next film in the Sandra and Mendel Rosenberg Sunday Afternoon Film Series will be “Strange Fruit,” screening at 1p.m., June 24, in the Holocaust Museum’s theatre in the Jewish Federation Kopolow Building, #12 Millstone Campus Drive.
This 2003 documentary dramatically relates the intricate and intriguing history of an influential protest song, “Strange Fruit,” as its epicenter. This song, inspired by the terror of lynching, was a pioneering attempt to inject social protest into popular music. Typically associated with Billie Holiday, it was actually written in 1936, by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish schoolteacher and union activist from the Bronx. The film, directed by Joel Katz, has a running time of 60 minutes.
Introductory remarks and a post screening discussion will be facilitated by Karen Aroesty, Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League, Missouri-Southern Illinois. The ADL is the leading civil rights and human rights agency, committed to fighting bigotry and bias.
Films in the Sunday series are free and open to the public. For further information, call
314-442-3711 or email agoldfeder@jfedstl.org.
The St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center is a department of Jewish Federation of St. Louis.