Moses Ezekiel: Portrait of a Lost (Cause) Artist

USA 2024 | Director: Steven Pressman | English | 50 minutes

Documentary

In recent years, hundreds of Confederate monuments and memorials have been taken down throughout the United States, largely in response to the Black Lives Matter movement and related protests against the Civil War’s bitter legacy of slavery and racism. But who knew that one of the nation’s most prominent Confederate monuments was created by a once renowned and internationally famous Jewish-American sculptor who had fought for the Confederacy as a young soldier? As a loyal son of the Confederacy, Moses Ezekiel became known for creating monumental works of art celebrating the “Lost Cause” myth of the Confederacy. While bringing to light the intriguing and little-known story of Jewish artist Moses Ezekiel, who faded into obscurity after his death more than 100 years ago, this timely and provocative documentary also focuses on the current ongoing national debate in the US over the fate of the controversial Civil War monuments.

Proudly co-sponsored by the 

JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA 

Jay Joffe Memorial Program 

The Jay Joffe Memorial Program of the

JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA 

The Jay Joffe Memorial Program was launched by Jewish Historical Society of Southern Alberta (JHSSA) in 2009 to honour the memory of its long-serving founding president, Jay Joffe (1931-2006). This program is dedicated to promoting and featuring Jewish culture and history through activities such as lectures, exhibits, films or performances.

This year, the directors of JHSSA are pleased to again be part of the Beth Tzedec Calgary Jewish Film Festival through the sponsorship of “Moses Ezekiel: Portrait of a Lost (Cause) Artist”, which tells the story of this once renowned and internationally famous Jewish-American sculptor. This “timely and provocative documentary” brings his story out of obscurity, while also considering the ongoing and larger issue of how societies deal with monuments that reflect sometimes difficult and divisive history –reflecting Jay Joffe’s passions both for bringing the love of Jewish history to the widest possible audience, and for underlining the importance of history and its preservation.