Joseph Telushkin Movies
- 2001
In his zeal to nail a vicious drug dealer, white narcotics detective Frank McCovey (Scott Baio) accidentally shoots down an 11-year-old black kid named Jamal (J.B. Potter). Inasmuch as Frank had previously lost his own daughter in a similar racially-charged tragedy, many in the black community are persuaded that the shooting was an act of vengeance--and before long, the flames of an impending riot are being fanned by media-manipulating ghetto activist Reverend Davis (a pre-Grey's Anatomy Isaiah Washington. Who, wonders angel Monica (Roma Downey, is most in need of Heaven's assistance in this case: McCovey, Davis...or Jamal's grieving parents? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Devoutly Jewish Sam Silverstein (David Margulies) is heartbroken when his daughter Rachel (Meredith Scott Lynn), a cartoonist for the "Portland Daily News", turns her back on her faith and gains popularity by creating an anti-Jewish comic strip titled "Chutzpah." In their efforts to bring hope and redemption to Sam and Rachel (if that is indeed their current mission), Monica (Roma Downey) and her fellow angels uncover the childhood trauma that has so alienated Rachel from her father. But even if Rachel can be made to see the error of her ways, it might be too late for Sam, who disowns his daughter and spearheads a grass-roots effort to have "Chutzpah"--and Rachel--banished from the "Daily News." In a bizarre turn of events, a bigoted skinhead plays a key role in the resolution of this crisis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas is ideally cast as Ross Berger, an 83-year-old tycoon who owns a chain of fitness gyms. There is no room for God in Berger's life: he regards all "true believers" as weaklings, and even attributes his recent miraculous recovery from a stroke to his tireless exercise regimen rather than any sort of Divine retribution. Berger is especially contemptuous of his son Alan (Dennis Boutsikaris), a devout Jew who is busily preparing his own son Aaron's Bar Mitzvah. It is up to Monica (Roma Downey) and her fellow angels to make certain that Aaron (Shawn Pyfrom) follows in the footsteps of his pious father rather than his nonbelieving grandfather--but first, the Bergers must endure a devastating tragedy, one that will convince the bullheaded Ross Berger that there are many different kinds of strength and courage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
The year is 1948 and the place is Montreal's Mont Royal Park. Chaim Kovler, a Holocaust survivor who has become a journalist for a Yiddish newspaper bumps into Hersh Rasseyner, a rival he had known in Hebrew school. The two went their separate ways when Chaim became an author while Hersh became a rabbi. Both spent time in different camps and emerged with wildly disparate viewpoints. After they finish their initial descriptions of their experiences, their conversation turns to larger philosophical issues and this thoughtful drama follows its many twists and turns as the two debate the nature and the very existence of God and the place of religion, politics and morality in the human experience. Though they never agree philosophically, they do make peace with their personal issues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Saul Rubinek
