“The connection between Torah learning and film studies isn’t obvious to everyone,” acknowledges Yaakov Friedland, director of the Film and Communications track at OTS’s Neveh Shmuel Yeshiva High School for Boys. “But Creativity is Godliness; the ability for self-expression stems from the fact that we as humans were created in the image of God, the ultimate Creator.” Friedland explains that an involvement in art enables his students to express themselves and deal with issues in the forefront of their concern or questions they may have in social, interpersonal or even the religious arena. “Not only does art not contradict religion,” he says, “it complements religion and enables a person to fully express his religiosity.”

This year, 55 students are enrolled in the track, which is under the auspices of the Ann Belsky Moranis School of Arts. Seniors produce films for matriculation on the highest level (five units); in the past, Neveh Shmuel movies won top honors at the Jerusalem Film Festival Youth Competition and the Doc-Aviv competition, in addition to being broadcast on television.

Meanwhile, Shavei Rachel High School for Girls students – whose films have likewise garnered praise and been shown on TV – attended the fifth annual Belsky-sponsored Professional Communications Seminar, where the girls took part in workshops and discussions with professional scriptwriters, photographers, lighting and sound technicians, makeup artists, and more.

“The media plays such a strong role in today’s society, but ‘showbiz’ values ostensibly contrast sharply with Torah principles,” according to Ofra Kirshenbaum, the school’s Arts Coordinator. “The Belsky School’s role is to synthesize between the two; to teach our students how to impact upon the fields of film, theater and the visual arts by harnessing their spirituality and utilizing their Jewish values in their work.”

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