Special EventsJxJ: DC Jewish Film + Music Festival 2026From: Thursday, May 14, 2026 • To: Sunday, May 17, 2026
JxJ: DC Jewish Film + Music Festival May 7-17, 2026
Presented by the Edlavitch DCJCC, JxJ encompasses the Washington Jewish Film and Music Festivals, alongside a year-round film and music program.
Oxygen - Thursday, May 14, 2026, 7:30PM
In a heart-rending exploration of motherhood and patriotism, Oxygen follows the intimate story of a single mother eagerly awaiting the discharge of her son from his service in the Israeli military. Anat, a poetry-loving elementary school teacher and single mother, eagerly awaits her son Ido’s return after completing his mandatory term of service in the army. Their plans to travel to India together start to unravel when another soldier is abducted on the Lebanese border, and there start to be rumblings of impending war. Over several days, Anat and Ido wrestle with their understanding of patriotism, obligation, family, and freedom.
Labors of Love - Friday, May 15, 2026, 1:00PM
A visionary leader and one of history’s most influential American Jewish women, Henrietta Szold left an indelible mark on the 20th century. Labors of Love is an overdue celebration of her work and the legacies she left in the United States, Israel, and Europe.
In 1912 she founded Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, creating a vital link between American women and communities in Palestine. Through the organization, she also became a pioneer of the region’s modern healthcare system, built on a mandate to treat Arabs and Jews equally. As the Nazis rose to power in Europe, Szold took on a new charge in spearheading Youth Aliyah, an operation that rescued 11,000 Jewish children from Nazi Europe.
Once Upon My Mother - Saturday, May 16, 2026, 7:30PM
A profound and uplifting French family drama that spans decades, Once Upon My Mother follows the journey of a Jewish Moroccan immigrant determined to see her youngest son flourish despite physical disability. Adapted from Roland Perez’s autobiographical “Ma Mère, Dieu Et Sylvie Vartan,” blends sweet sincerity with sharp humor, set to the style and music of 1960s Paris.
When Esther gave birth to her son Roland in 1963, she was told that his severe clubfoot would prevent him from ever walking unassisted.
Undeterred by medical pronouncements and intervention by social services, Esther devoted herself fully to ensuring that her son would both walk and thrive. Through years of hardship and turmoil, this film is a testament to the ultimate power of a mother’s love for her child.
The Dreamer - Sunday, May 17, 2026, 11:00AM
Although best remembered for his outlandish comedic roles, the legendary Israeli actor Yosef Shiloach was a complex and courageous artist and a political activist who paid a heavy personal price for his convictions. A Kurdish immigrant from Iran, he was a pioneering figure in developing a new Mizrahi identity in Israel and a controversial peace activist who met with Yasser Arafat in his office.
Through texts he wrote, roles he played, and rare documentation filmed by his daughter, the inner world of one of the greatest actors in Israeli cinema is brought to life onscreen.
Shorts: Activism and Communities - Sunday, May 17, 2026, 2:00PM
A series of three short films follows exceptional individuals, young and old, who fight to find a voice through political activism and find meaning through their convictions.
The Sea - Sunday, May 17, 2026, 5:00PM
Winner of five of the Israeli Academy’s Ophir Awards, including Best Picture, The Sea provides an intimate coming-of-age story as Khaled, a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, embarks on a quest to visit the sea for the first time. When his pass is rejected at a military checkpoint, Khaled sets off into unknown territory despite neither knowing the way nor speaking Hebrew. When his father, Ribhi, learns of his son’s disappearance from the village, he starts a parallel search for the errant boy, risking arrest and the loss of his employment as an undocumented laborer working in Israel.
Cabaret Total - Sunday, May 17, 2026, 8:00PM
Winner of the Israeli Academy award for Best Cinematography, Cabaret Total is a wild, kaleidoscopic examination of social media, free speech, and political discourse. Assi, a failing actor, returns from army reserve duty to his hometown in Southern Israel. While he dreams of becoming a successful theater actor in Tel Aviv, he spends his days teaching high-school drama and his nights acting in a failing cabaret show in the local community center. An unexpected event makes him famous – as public enemy number one.
Caught between pressures to conform and an inner flair for dramatic protest, Assi is forced to juggle through the grand circus his life becomes.