OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — It has been six months since the shootings at the Jewish Community Center, which took three innocent lives.
Monday night, during the Jewish Film Festival, people got to see a film organizers hope will help prevent repeats. April 13th, 2014 unfolded like a tragic scene some compare to something you’d see in the movies.
Six months later organizers at the Jewish Film Festival knew they had to do something to address it.
“We set out immediately to find a film that would honor our victims without causing controversy,” said director of cultural arts Krista Blackwood.
Festival goers say ‘Dancing in Jaffa’ did just that.
“Religion doesn’t matter really,” said Emma Kershenbaum.
“I thought it was really touching and I enjoyed it…be together,” said Nina Kulikov.
Folks could be heard sniffling as they watched the story of an Israeli dance instructor who brought Jewish and Palestinian Israelis together through dance.
“It also showed how we can strip these things away, just be humans with each other,” said Zoya Khan.
Much like Muslim, Christian and Jewish teens did weeks ago when they got together to bake goodies for the premiere of the film. Photographer Haley Roeder captured the encounter, something she says changed her life.
“Being able to see it and capture it made a huge difference,” Roeder said.
