Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York invites you to a virtual screening of PURPLE and post-screening discussion with Rabbi Melissa Weintraub. 

No charge | Open to the community | Registration required | Preview the film here

PURPLE tells the story of everyday Americans with opposing viewpoints addressing their differences head-on and discovering some of the concerns and humanity that lie behind each other’s positions. Designed to build greater empathy and recognition in the face of deepening U.S. divides, PURPLE models a rare conversation that uplifts and inspires even while going toward the heat of passionate political differences.

​​The film takes place in rural Wisconsin and Iowa, two swing states where “red” and “blue” still live in the same neighborhoods and where many people feel unrepresented by the two-party system. This politically pivotal region was home to the greatest concentration of counties that flipped Obama-to-Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

​​​​By inviting friends, family, neighbors, students, fellow congregants, and colleagues to watch the film together, you can help disarm the destructiveness of our polarized country and heal the pain it has caused so many of us.

Melissa Weintraub is the co-founding Executive Director of Resetting the Table, an organization dedicated to building dialogue and deliberation across political divides. Melissa was also the founding director of Encounter, an organization dedicated to strengthening the capacity of the Jewish people to be agents of change in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Melissa was awarded the Grinnell Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize, which honors demonstrated leadership and extraordinary accomplishment in effecting positive social change. A noted speaker and educator, Melissa has lectured and taught in hundreds of public forums on four continents. She was ordained as a Conservative Rabbi at the Jewish Theological Seminary and graduated from Harvard University summa cum laude.

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​​​​PURPLE is produced by Resetting the Table (RTT) – a non-profit organization that strengthens democracy through building collaborative deliberation across political silos in America today – in partnership with Transient Pictures, an Emmy-award winning production firm. RTT equips community leaders with the tools and skills to open courageous and constructive dialogue on political fault-lines issues within and across their communities.