PUBLIC SCREENING OF USHPIZIN (THE GUESTS)
TO BE HELD AT OU

NORMAN – A free, public screening of the Israeli film Ushpizin (The Guests) will be presented at 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22, in Meacham Auditorium of Oklahoma Memorial Union, 900 Asp Ave.

The screening, sponsored by the Judaic Studies Program and the Other Film Club, is a portrayal of a modern-day couple celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkoth, which is a commemoration of the Exodus.

Gidi Dar directs the film, whose stars include Shuli Rand, who also wrote the script, and his wife, Michal Bat-Sheva Rand, playing the parts of Moshe and Mali. The couple faces the prospect of celebrating the Sukkoth holiday in poverty and prays for a miracle. However, unexpected guests bring a test that turns into an unforeseen blessing. 

“This beautiful, both funny and sad, film has a deliciously ironic, yet touching side that reminds one of the stories of O’Henry,” said Norman Stillman, director of the Judaic Studies Program and professor of Judaic history at OU. “The title ‘Ushpizin’ has a double connotation since it means not just the physical guests who come to the sukkah [temporary dwelling], but the mystical ones from the Kabalistic tradition who are also believed to appear.”

For more information or accommodations on the basis of disability, contact Jan Rauh at (405) 325-6508 or jrauh@ou.edu.