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We strengthen our community through film.

Our mission is to Educate, Inspire, Entertain, and Highlight the Diversity and Commonality of our Community.

Our Mission

To showcase a compelling selection of Jewish films to the Greenville, SC area which educate, inspire, entertain and highlight the diversity and commonality of our community.

Our Vision

To advance and share common interests with the Greenville Jewish Community and at the same time to share and promote our heritage and culture with the general public.

The festival seeks to offer quality entertainment that will create an ongoing vehicle for the Greenville Jewish Community to strengthen its cultural foundation, promote diversity through higher visibility, and grow Greenville’s reputation as a culturally vibrant Jewish community.

The GJFF was founded in 2018 by Osnat Rosen, Caroline Warthen and Helaine Meyers. These three women recognized that Greenville, SC – being strategically placed halfway between Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA, – was a perfect place to introduce a Jewish Film Festival.

The Kickoff Event featured the movie,”In Search of Israeli Cuisine”, and the positive feedback was beyond their wildest dreams. From that moment on, the Film Festival became a reality.

The Greenville Jewish Film Festival in association with the support of other community groups is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

We hope to inspire appreciation for the various forms of Jewish identity and to foster a warm sense of community.

Thanks so much for making sure that the Greenville Jewish Film Festival was on my radar! I enjoyed the reception and loved the documentary! I learned so much and keep thinking about it today.

Gina Blohm

Such an outstanding experience. Proud of these ladies and super proud of Greenville. Wow!

Rick Zepel

Super proud to use my voice in support of the Greenville Jewish Film Festival. If you haven't had a chance to attend the festival, put it on your calendar for next year! Osnat Rosen, Caroline Diamond Warthen, and Helaine Meyers do an amazing job choosing high-quality films, food and speakers to create a powerful community event.

Caroline Durrell Fritz

Such a lovely, organized, informative, inclusive event! So thankful I participated!! Great job! All very impressive! I'm glad to know even more about my Jewish neighbors and history! Thx for all you do for GVL!

Lura Godfrey

Thank you so much for arranging such a wonderful Jewish Film Festival for Greenville. You and your committee thought of everything - a beautiful and comfortable venue, heartwarming and inspiring movies, fabulous foods, and a PERFECT speaker.

Fran Wertheim

This is what the world needs. Crossing cultural boundaries and celebrate what is common. Enjoying music, dancing and having a good time. Make music, not war. Please tell Helaine I am very proud of what she is doing. This is the way to offer peace and understanding.

M.H.

Of all the events I've attended on behalf of The Mamboniks, yours was the most organized and most relevant to the film,
especially by including authentic food and music.

Mambo Judie

How is my support used?

We want to take a moment to clarify that our organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and does not engage in fundraising activities.

Instead, we rely solely on grants and donations to support our mission of bringing high-quality films to the Greenville community. We believe that access to quality films is essential to a vibrant and diverse cultural scene and we are committed to making this possible for all. So, if you share our vision and appreciate the work we do, please consider making a donation today. Your support will allow us to continue bringing wonderful films to Greenville, and help us make a difference in the lives of our community members. Thank you for considering our cause!

Our Board of Directors

Caroline Warthen

Co-Chair
Bio

Helaine Meyers

Co-Chair
Bio

Bernardine Atkins

Treasurer
Bio

Terri Anderson

Board Member, Communications
Bio

Dr. Jim Dant

Board Member-at-Large
Bio

Sandra Kester

Board Member
Bio

Caren Senter

Board Member-at-Large
Bio

In Loving Memory

Osnat Rosen

GJFF President 2017 - 2021

Osnat will continue to be our guiding light as we pursue our mission:

Educate, Inspire, Entertain, and Highlight the Diversity and Commonality of our Community.

Photo Credit: TOWN Magazine
We are active in the community!
The Greenville Jewish Film Festival believes in the importance of sharing the spirit of Jewish film with our community outside of our annual festivals, which is why we’re getting out there and partnering with some incredible organizations!

Schmooze. Nosh. Sip.

We hosted an exclusive reception at the Sigal Music Museum on Saturday, August 19 from 7-9pm. Our guests were able to visit the musical instrument exhibits and watch a screening of the award-winning documentary short, Joe’s Violin.

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Rolling Green Village

Rolling Green Village is a senior living facility that partnered with us to host a food and film event with its residents. We were thrilled to provide an event that brought art and history to our senior community as well as Middle Eastern foods from the Pita House.

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The Woodlands at Furman

In August, the GJFF was able to partner with The Woodlands at Furman, a beautiful senior living community, to plan a screening of Humor Me, one of the popular films from our last festival. We paired the showing with homemade rugalah and macaroons donated by The Temple of Israel. Thirty residents joined us in creating an uplifting atmosphere, and we were so happy to be there!

View More »

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Emails are only sent during our quarterly events. Members receive early bird specials for tickets and in depth info leading up to events!

© 2024. All Rights Reserved.

Caroline Warthen

Co-Chair
My family is proudly multicultural.

I grew up in a Conservative Jewish home, raised by a Modern Orthodox mother and a Reform father, just an hour away from New York City. I am culturally and gastronomically Jewish, my husband is Baptist, and we are lovingly raising our two girls in both religions.

Through our work for the Greenville Jewish Film Festival, I am excited to educate our greater Greenville Community about the wide variety of Jews and Jewish experiences around the world.

Spending time with Osnat Rosen and Helaine Meyers is just extra cream cheese on my bagel!

Helaine Meyers

Co-Chair
I’ve been the proverbial wife, mother, dog walker, and chief cook bottle washer. My beautiful children have grown up and are finding their own way in the world. It was time for me to find mine.

My husband Eric and I moved from Champaign, Illinois to Greenville when our children were 7 and 10. Raising Jewish children here has its challenges. We found that often our neighbors didn’t know anything about Judaism.

I have always had a passion for Foreign Movies. I enjoy being transported, for a brief time, to another country - listening to their language, hearing their stories, experiencing their culture, and therefore understanding a different perspective. I believe we become better people when we can open our minds and let in a new way of looking at things.

I am here because Osnat Rosen shared with me, a vision of a Jewish Film Festival in Greenville. Sharing the Jewish experience through film with my neighbors sounded wonderful! I was in!

I’m proud of the work we have done, and I look forward to seeing all of you at the movies!

Bernardine Atkins

Board Treasurer
I am a proud native of New York City but now (since October, 2020) I call Greenville home. And I’ve fallen in love with this town!

Prior to moving to Greenville I spent 50 years in South Florida where I ran my own CPA practice. And one of my community activities was being part of the Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival. So I was delighted when I discovered that Greenville had its own festival.

I’m a strong believer in community involvement and I’ve always thought that film has a special way of connecting people. So for me, a Jewish Film Festival has an important role not just in bringing together the Jewish community but in communicating our beautiful history and culture to the world.

Terri Anderson

Board Member, Communications
‘You’re not from around here, are you?”

I have lived in Greenville almost my entire life, but not having the right accent, going to a synagogue instead of a church, and standing up for human rights has often labeled me “from somewhere else.”

I served as the Education and Program Director for the Temple of Israel from 2002-2010. I loved my work there, and found that outreach in our community could form a bridge to better understand each other.

To that end, I began ShalomFest in 2009. This was a way for our neighbors to learn about Judaism, the Jewish experience, and that we are not so different after all.

It is exciting now to be a part of the GJFF. Who doesn’t love movies? Through this medium I can once again help share the many Jewish perspectives with our Upstate neighbors.

And, yes, I am from around here!

Dr. Jim Dant

Board Member-at-Large
Yes. It’s true. I am a white, middle-aged, Baptist minister serving on the board of the Greenville Jewish Film Festival (GJFF). So, the question is a fair one. What is a nice Baptist minister like me doing on a board like this?

I am pursing one of the joys of my life – cinema. My occupation of choice in high school was working at the local cinema. I began my career at the Martin Twin Cinema serving popcorn, cola and candy in concessions. In no time, I was promoted to the ticket booth. And finally, I spent my senior year as the projectionist. I was a cinema employee when the original Star Wars was held over for forty-two weeks! I ran the projector when Smokey and the Bandit was released! From my childhood, I’ve loved movies and serving on this board keeps me close to an art form I enjoy.

I serve on this board because I enjoy working with the other members of the board. In the earliest days, it was me...and three Jewish women. They worked at a stereotypically frenzied pace and had no problem telling me exactly what to do. It fits my nature. Let’s get this done...tell me what you need me to do. They are a blast! I serve on this board because I want the Greenville community to know the GJFF is for everyone. I like to tell people, it’s a ‘Jewish film’ festival...not a ‘Jewish’ film festival. (Get the emphasis?) This is a celebration of Jewish cinema, actors and themes that are relevant and entertaining for all peoples.

I serve on this board in order to build bridges, foster understanding and bring people together. As I write this article, the horrific murders at a synagogue in Pennsylvania are being reported. My heart is sinking...again. But I am still hopeful that just a couple of hours in a theater together, enjoying a film or two, will remind us we are friends...neighbors...family.

And that’s what a nice Baptist minister like me is doing on the board of a Jewish film festival.

Sandra Kester

Board Member
"Wandering and Wondering"
I am very curious. A reader, a traveller, a seeker, a scrutinizer, a communicator. I have had three careers: teacher, librarian, mother, and two religions: Anglican and Unitarian Universalist. I have been resident in four countries: England, Malta, Ireland and the US as well as visiting more than 35 others, including twice to Israel and other Middle Eastern countries, and many of the Caribbean islands.

It is with pleasure that I serve on the Board of the Greenville Jewish Film Festival and chair the Film Selection Committee. It is an organization I have supported since its inception.

Cinema is an art form that is designed to cross borders and cultures. Films can pierce people’s hearts, touch them, open their eyes to the lives of others, foster empathy and ignite a richer conversation. Let the adventure continue.

Caren Senter

Board Member-at-Large
Caren Senter holds a B.A. from Amherst College, and both an M.A. (Philosophy) and a J.D. from Duke University. After practicing law for over 10 years in Connecticut and raising her two children in Pennsylvania, Caren moved to Greenville in 2014 and was thrilled by the cultural diversity she discovered here. Her interest in all things international led her to Upstate International, a 501(c)3 non-profit in Greenville, where she served as the Communications Director and International Month Program Manager from 2015 until her retirement in 2022.

She currently serves on the board of Together Women Rise, a powerful community of women and allies dedicated to achieving global gender equality and empowering women and girls in low-income countries. Caren is also excited to serve on the board of the Greenville Jewish Film Festival and hopes to have a positive impact on strengthening Greenville's cultural foundation and promoting diversity through film.

An avid tennis player, cyclist and recent pickleball addict, Caren enjoys hiking, working out, reading, spending time with friends and family and discovering all that Greenville and the Upstate have to offer. Growing up in New York, traveling extensively throughout Europe, and spending most of her life in the Northeast, Caren loves calling the Upstate home.