Like millions of other viewers, I went to see Munich this past weekend. And like others, I was taken by the intensity of the film. For those of us who were alive during that period of terror, it brought back harrowing images. My sympathy for the athletes and their surviving families was reignited, having not thought about the event in years. However, it did prompt me to discuss it with others younger than me who had not even heard about the Munich massacre. I have lots to say about the film’s message, what I think Spielberg was trying to communicate directly and indirectly. But what is most important to us as JOI is how it fits into our understanding of outreach.

One of our most recent studies, A Flame Still Burns, focused on adult children of intermarriage, ages 22-30. One of the remarkable findings of this study is that these adults received most of their Jewish “education” in secular and often cultural contexts. They read Anne Frank in High School and saw Schindler’s List in college. [Note that both examples are Holocaust examples, so while most of the thrust in Jewish education today is to shape Jewish identity by celebrating Judaism, their Jewish identity was impacted upon by negative historical Jewish experiences.] This new Spielberg film, therefore, could prove to be an important (if inadvertent) educational vehicle for the children of intermarried parents, particularly the majority of whom are not affiliated with the Jewish community.

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