Trees Cry for Rain

Infobox Film
name = Trees Cry for Rain: A Sephardic Journey


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director = Bonnie Burt
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released = 1989
runtime = 33 min.
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language = English
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"Trees Cry for Rain: A Sephardic Journey" is a short 1989 documentary that profiles Rachel Amado Bortnick, exploring her Turkish-Jewish heritage.

ummary

Less than 25,000 Jews still live in Turkey and, unlike their ancestors, they consider themselves more Turkish than Jewish. "Trees Cry for Rain: A Sephardic Journey" uses one woman’s childhood memories to reconstruct what life was like for Sephardic Jews in Turkey before modern assimilation took effect.

Jews were executed or forced to convert under Christian rule in Spain before being forced out of the country. Many fled to nearby Turkey, where, for centuries, they were able to maintain their traditions, passing them down through the generations. "Trees Cry for Rain" shares an intimate interview with Rachael Amado Bortnick, a native of Turkey who left as a young adult, complemented by detailed paintings and illustrations of Turkey, to bring the once-rich culture of Turkey’s Sephardic Jewry to life. Their unique foods, songs, and traditions are explored, and the importance of keeping their unique Judeo-Spanish language alive is impressed upon the viewer.

Sephardic culture continues to be threatened by assimilation, and the Ladino language is in danger of being lost forever. “My generation was the last to speak the language fluently,” Rachael explains. But, thankfully, the culture’s beautiful music has brought about a renewed interest in the unique tongue. Sephardic singer, Judy Frankel practices her pronunciations with Rachael, while she sings, “Trees cry for rain and the mountains for wind; So my eyes weep for you, my dear sweetheart.”

Rachael listens intently and confesses that the song’s refrain reminds her of her own situation. “I turn and I say what will become of me? I will die in a strange land.”

References

* *Citation
title =Trees Cry for Rain
date =
year = 2008
url =http://www.tjctv.com/movies/trees-cry-for-rain/
accessdate = September 9

ee also

Other documentaries about Diaspora Jews:
*"Trip to Jewish Cuba"
*"Reconstruction"
*"Next Year in Argentina"
*"Balancing Acts"
*"Yearning to Belong"
*"Thunder in Guyana"

External links

* [http://www.tjctv.com/movies/trees-cry-for-rain/ The Jewish Channel's review]
* [http://www.bonnieburt.com/movies/trees_cry_for_rain.html Bonnie Burt's website]
* [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.obituaries/browse_thread/thread/083be4a924985428 Separdic Singer Judy Frankel's Obituary]