Why Tisha Biav is a Time to Reflect.

As Tisha Biav approaches, here are some amazing films that will have you in the right mindset for the upcoming fast. These are all very moving and emotional films and are widely watched on this perspective day.

Operation Thunderbolt

This 1977 film is an intense thriller about the real life daring rescue of 104 passengers from a hijacked plane in Entebbe, Uganda. One of the most amazing and daring rescues in the history of the world, this event in Jewish history was a true miracle and the film will surely have you in the proper mindset on this intense day.

Diary of Anne Frank

Every Jewish person should see this film. Obviously based on the true real life story the film follows a young Dutch girl who hid from the invading Nazis during WWII. There is drama, intensity and heart breaking moments as the Frank family struggles to survive. This movie will surely have you thinking.

Schindler’s List

Many consider this one of the best movies ever made. Steven Spielberg brilliantly tells us the story of Oscar Schindler; a man who helped save thousands of Jews during the Holocaust by having them work in his factories as opposed to serving time in camps. The film is moving and horrifying in its brutality and reality. The cast really pulls you in and has you believing in the nightmare that was the holocaust and the triumph of those heroes who saved our forefathers.

Triumph of the Spirit

This little known film is an interesting film about the life of a Jewish Boxer (William Dafoe) who survives Auschwitz by fighting in boxing exhibitions at the will of the Nazis. Dafoe gives a great performance and the film focuses on the lives of Jews in concentration camps.

Life is Beautiful

Roberto Benigni (Guido) gives one of the best performances of the last 50 years in this Oscar winning WWII film. After his family is imprisoned in a concentration camp, Guido goes to elaborate lengths to keep his son from understanding the truth of their situation. He tells the boy that they are competing with others to win an armored tank -- so everything from food shortages to tattoos is explained as necessary for participation in the contest. A truly fantastic film.

The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas

One of the more controversial holocaust films, this book turned movie focuses on an amazing story of friendship as the son of a Nazi commander becomes good friends with a Jewish boy in a concentration camp. This film will definitely pull at your heart-strings; it’s a very well made film.

The Counterfeiters

I really loved this film. The movie (also based on a book) focuses on the life of Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics), a very talented artist who gets into the counterfeit world. After being arrested by the Nazis, Salomon is put in charge of a Nazi counterfeit project in which his producing of fake money help fund the Nazi causes. Salomon is not sure if he should help the Nazis, sabotage their efforts, or focus on saving lives. The moral struggle in this film is fascinating. This was an Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film.

Defiance

Based on the true story of the Bielski brothers, this film follows the lives of a group of Eastern European Jews who are forced to live and survive in the forest to escape death at the hands of the Nazis. The group of Jews launch a desperate fight to survive both mentally and physically as they are pushed to the brink of their threshold. With a star studded cast including Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell, the film is very well made and shows us the different struggle each person of the resistant went through.

Escape from Sobibor

This 1987 film portrays an amazing story of an escape from the Treblinka death camp. The films intensity and nervous moments are truly awesome. As the planned escape comes to a crescendo, the film will have you on the edge of your seat, hoping the escape works out.