TheArchive: Reviewing the Rare, Retro, and Restored

When most Americans think of November, the first thing that pops into their minds is Thanksgiving . This uniquely American holiday is a time for crazy travel misadventures , delicious food, and quality time with friends and family. But November is also Native American Heritage Month, a time dedicated to celebrating the history, culture, and contributions of Native people.  While Native American Heritage Month and Thanksgiving seem like distinct holidays, they are very intertwined. Thanksgiving is often framed as a joyful celebration of cooperation between Pilgrims and Native Americans, but history tells a more complicated and dark story. While there was a shared feast in 1621, the following years brought hardship, conflict, and colonization for Native peoples.  For many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is a day of mourning. It is a time to remember the lives lost and the customs and cultural norms forcibly removed by European settlement. Native American Heritage Month’s goal is...

Hanukkah- or Chanukah- officially begins on the evening of Thursday, December 7th. For those celebrating Hanukkah , the Festival of Lights, the first night marks the beginning of an eight-day event that is filled with meaning. The central Hanukkah custom revolves around the nightly lighting of the menorah. This symbolic object draws inspiration from the Temple lampstand and takes the form of a candelabra. Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after a successful revolt by the Maccabees, a group of Jewish warriors, against the oppressive rule of the Seleucid King Antiochus IV. According to the story , when the Maccabees reclaimed the Temple, they found only enough consecrated oil to light the menorah for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days.  It is a Jewish holiday that centers around unity, reflection, and resilience. Celebrate the beginning of Chanukah with us by watching the documentary It Is No Dream , narrated by Ben Kingsley ...

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day TheArchive honors the millions who perished and the millions whose eternal light continues to shine as a beacon of hope. The Holocaust stands as a stark reminder of the dangers of hatred, intolerance, and antisemitism, and it serves as a call to action for all people of conscience to work towards a more just and peaceful world. Our extensive library of Holocaust films, many Oscar winning or nominated, spotlights the importance of remembering the past, and of the need to be vigilant against all forms of hate and discrimination. We must remember the past in order to shape a better future for all people.    Oscar winning documentary,  The Long Way Home , echoes those ideals as it depicts the plight of Jewish refugees after World War II that contributed to the creation of the State of Israel.  The film examines the horrific conditions for Jewish refugees even in post-war Europe, as antisemitism was still prevalen...