I'm Allan Ross, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities. We are a main sponsor of the QC Environmental Film Series, along with River Action, Nahant Marsh Education Center, Sierra Club Eagle View Group and the Joyce and Tony Singh Family Foundation. Now in its 4th year, the 2023 season began on Sunday, January 22 and will run through Sunday, March 5th. All the movies address important environmental and conservation issues in our community, our region, throughout the United States and the world.
This year we tried to get more students and young people involved, so we reached out to the faculty advisors of environmental clubs in area high schools and colleges to offer them a chance to participate in our film series. This has proven successful, and we hope to continue our collaboration into future years.
The Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities will host the Sunday, March 5thmovie, entitled "Guardians of the Dead Sea." which will be held at 2:00 pm at the Figge Art Museum.
This movie shows a side of the Israel- Palestinian situation that is rarely seen in our mainstream media; that Jews and Arabs can and do work together to solve important problems in the volatile Middle East. The Dead Sea, which is shared by Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians - is a unique salt-lake, known for its exceptional geographical, biological, and historical value, and is the lowest point on Earth. But tragically, the Dead Sea is drying up, causing widespread damage, including huge sinkholes, abandoned beaches and collapsing roads. This is not an act of nature. This is due to overconsumption and poor water management. If action is not taken soon, very little of the Dead Sea will remain. To save the Dead Sea, the surrounding countries must work together. Three people – a Jordanian, an Israeli and a Palestinian - feel they cannot just stand by and do nothing. They decide on a heroic act, an unprecedented, extremely dangerous SWIM across the Dead Sea, from Jordan to Israel, which will draw the world’s attention to the plight of the vanishing Sea.
We’re excited to announce that following the movie one of its directors, Yoav Kleinman, will be our reflection speaker live via ZOOM from Israel.
Admission is $5 and free for students. Tickets may be purchased at the door or at the River Action website.
We hope to see all of you at the Figge on Sunday, March 5that 2:00 pm for this inspiring movie and the last one in our 2023 series!