Film Year-Round

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (4K Remaster)

Dates : September 24, 2024 — September 26, 2024

The Ciesla Foundation is proud to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Aviva Kempner’s acclaimed documentary, The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, by remastering and rereleasing the film in stunning 4K resolution. This project also marks the 90th anniversary of the iconic moment when Hank Greenberg, in an inspiring act of faith and integrity, chose not to play in a crucial pennant race game to observe Yom Kippur.

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Overview

The Ciesla Foundation is proud to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Aviva Kempner’s acclaimed documentary, The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, by remastering and rereleasing the film in stunning 4K resolution. This project also marks the 90th anniversary of the iconic moment when Hank Greenberg, in an inspiring act of faith and integrity, chose not to play in a crucial pennant race game to observe Yom Kippur.

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is a humorous and nostalgic documentary about an extraordinary baseball player who transcended religious prejudice to become an American icon. Detroit Tiger Hammerin’ Hank’s accomplishments during the Golden Age of Baseball rivaled those of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

This compelling documentary examines how America’s first Jewish baseball star was a beacon of hope to American Jews who faced bigotry during the Depression and World War II. Included in the colorful collage of forty-seven interviews are Hank Greenberg and family members; sports figures Ira Berkow, Ernie Harwell, Joe Falls and Dick Schaap; fellow players Bob Feller, Charlie Gehringer and Ralph Kiner; fans Alan Dershowitz, Congressman Sander Levin and Senator Carl Levin; and actors Walter Matthau, Michael Moriarty, and Maury Povich.

Conversations follow each night’s screening with director Aviva Kempner and leaders from the world of sports, Jewish and public leaders in the Washington, D.C. community.

Dir. Aviva Kempner | 90 min
Documentary | United States | 1998
English

About the Panels

Tuesday, September 24
Co-sponsored by DC chapter of SABR
Aviva Kempner Director, Producer and Writer
Bruce Adams, MC, Founder of the Bethesda Community Base Ball Club that built Shirley Povich Field
George Solomon, Former sports editor of The Washington Post
Matthew Frumin, Washington, DC (D-Ward 3) Councilman who grew up a Tigers fan in Detroit
Peter Cottrell, President of the Washington chapter of SABR

Wednesday, September 25: 25th Anniversary Re-Release and 4K Remaster Night
Co-sponsored by Women in Film and Video; Reception sponsored by Henninger Media Services
Aviva Kempner, Director, Producer, Writer
Grace Guggenheim, MC, Filmmaker and line producer of Archival Restoration
Zach Sinick, Music Supervisor for the remastering
Lauren Meschter, Colorist/Post Production at Henninger
Ben Dally – Director of Film Development and Marketing, The Ciesla Foundation

Thursday, September 26
Aviva Kempner, Director, Producer and Writer
Dan Raviv, MC, Author and former CBS correspondent
Frank Foer, Staff Writer at The Atlantic and author of Jewish Jocks
Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer, Professor at Princeton University, former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt and Israel, and first commissioner of the Israel Baseball League
Rep. Deborah Wasserman Schultz, (D-Florida) represents the 25th Congressional District and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations
Assaf Lowengart, Infielder with the New York Boulders (minor leagues), and a member of the Israeli baseball team