Wendy’s Shabbat
Shabbat dinner gatherings for these Jewish senior citizens is at the Wendy's Fast Food restaurant where they say prayers and light candles over hamburgers and fries.
Original title:
Wendy's Shabbat
Year:
2017
Length:
14 minutes
Country:
Director:
Rachel Myers
Genre:
Why Wendy’s Is The Worst Place For A Shabbat Dinner
Abby Myers’ short film “Wendy’s Shabbat” has been the sleeper hit of this year’s Jewish film festival circuit.
https://forward.com/scribe/400687/why-wendys-is-the-worst-place-for-a-shabbat-dinner/
Review: ‘Wendy’s Shabbat’ — Burgers and Blessings at Tribeca Film Festival
A widow who was married for 57 years (her mother told her it wouldn’t last), Roberta is clear about the point of the weekly gathering: the ritual provides comfort, and, probably more importantly, these people are each other’s family. They gossip, they share stories (most are about doctor visits, it seems), they enjoy their meal and the companionship, they relish the traditions. Shabbat at Wendy’s “gives you a feeling of belonging,” she says. How wonderful to find that, at any age.
https://zealnyc.com/review-wendys-shabbat-burgers-and-blessings-at-tribeca-film-festival/
‘Wendy’s Shabbat’ premiering at Tribeca Film Festival
“We tend to see stories of older people as sick or dying, and we don’t see stories about people in later life celebrating, and finding connection and community,” Myers says. “These are people who, generationally, might have had more dinner parties than young people do now. But this was a really accessible, affordable way that they could congregate in a public space. And it’s warm and welcoming. And nobody has to do the dishes.”
https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/wendys-shabbat-tribeca-film-festival-1.18156909
Wendy’s fast food joint is the Shabbat setting in this Tribeca Film Festival documentary
“The people that I’ve met at Wendy’s have become a family,” she says. “Going to Wendy’s with a group…gives you a feeling of belonging. It’s a panic.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/wendy-shabbat-setting-tribeca-film-festival-doc-article-1.3913068
The Shabbat Dinner That Comes With A Side Of Chicken Nuggets
he feeling you get just from the trailer is really cozy and comforting. As you’re screening the film, how do you hope the audience feels as they leave the theater?
“The most amazing surprise that’s emerged from the movie is that we’ve received an outpour of interest from senior groups and Jewish groups — from college Hillels to Jewish temples — who’ve reached out because there’s not much content celebrating people who are in later life. We’ve been asked if people could use the name ‘Wendy’s Shabbat’ to start their own gatherings. We have been contacted by groups in Tennessee, Toronto, and Boca. In the case of the Jews in Tennessee, they had an event at a Mexican restaurant where they brought their own wine and candles and they called it ‘Wendy’s Shabbat,’ even though it was Shabbat with margaritas (laughs). Then the Boca group organized theirs at another Wendy’s… I think it speaks to the desire of people to find these types of places to sort of gather and celebrate.”
https://www.refinery29.com/wendys-shabbat-jewish-documentary-rachel-myers