FLORIDA CONGREGATION REACHES OUT TO DIRECTOR STEVEN SPIELBERG FOR HELP

CALIFORNIA CLUB, FLORIDA - A small Jewish congregation in California Club, Florida is reaching out to one of Hollywood’s greatest directors of all-time to help make a film commemorating their late Rabbi whom, congregants say, was one of the greatest tzadiks ( the Hebrew word for ‘righteous men’ ) the world has ever known.

“Oscar Schindler saved 1,200 Jews from certain death at the hands of the Nazis. Rabbi Dovid Bryn saved tens of thousands of Jews from physical and spiritual death and did so while he himself was dying a slow and agonizing death,” said Rabbi Moishe Kievman, spiritual leader of Chabad Chayil in Broward County Florida.

“It is as compelling a story as any ever told; a character-driven tale of epic proportions encompassing the triumph of the human spirit and the ultimate redemption of body and soul. He was one of the world’s true tzadikim,” said Rabbi Kievman.

With a working title of The Tzadik of the California Club, the screenplay chronicles the life of the late Rabbi Dovid Bryn, an orthodox Lubavitch rabbi whose life was cut tragically short at age 40 by Marfan syndrome, a condition that affects the body’s connective tissue. For over a quarter of a century, Rabbi Bryn – the son of Holocaust survivors - courageously battled the fatal disease that decimated his heart, yet managed to minister to, counsel and save tens of thousands of Jews and non-Jews alike.

“He fed the hungry and poor, counseled the sick and the troubled - all with great courage, fortitude and self-sacrifice,” said California Club congregant, Dr. Stuart Lukowitz. “He arranged marriages, taught Torah and ethics to thousands, bridged the interfaith gap by working closely with peoples and clergymen of all faiths … he was the living embodiment of kindness and bravery.”

Congregants say The Tzadik of the California Club is a powerful, compelling story replete with drama, comedy, sexual tension and countless plot twists that will have moviegoers riveted to their seats. And they can think of no other Hollywood director than Speilberg who could do justice to the story of their beloved rabbi.

“Mr. Spielberg is a man of conscience; a Jewish soul committed to preserving the fabric of Jewish life, both religious and cultural, on film and in reality,” said Rabbi Kievman. “I have no doubt Rabbi Bryn’s story will be yet another jewel in the crown of this great Jewish filmmaker.”

Marfan syndrome affects men, women and children, and has been found among people of all races and ethnic backgrounds. It is estimated that at least 1 in 5,000 people in the United States have the disorder.

For more information on The Tzadik of the California Club contact Margaret Schorr at 954-243-1454 or email her at californiaclubtzadik@hotmail.com.

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Margaret Kessler
954-243-1454
californiaclubtzadik@hotmail.com