A synagogue bomb threat is dramatized in an Oscars ad by Robert Kraft's Foundation to Combat Antisemitism
A real-life synagogue bomb threat of the type that plagued Jewish congregations for much of last year will be dramatized in an ad during Sundays Academy Awards, the most-watched non-football television broadcast in the United States.
The spot has been placed by Robert Krafts Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, which also ran an ad during last months Super Bowl. Both ads depict relations between Jews and other groups, in keeping with the foundations mission of raising awareness of antisemitism among non-Jewish audiences.
The 60-second Oscars ad depicts what happened in Attleboro, Massachusetts, last fall when Congregation Agudas Achim, a Reconstructionist synagogue, was evacuated because of a bomb threat. A nearby church took the congregation in, allowing a bat mitzvah service to continue after an interruption.
The ad, titled Neighbors, begins with a bar mitzvah being called to the Torah by two rabbis, played by real-life rabbis Michael Dolgin and Aviva Rajsky. The opening words of the Torah blessing are chanted as police sirens fade in, and the sanctuary fills with flashing lights. The rabbi instructs everyone to evacuate and police officers storm the building, a bomb-sniffing dog in tow.
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