A home of one's own: that's the American dream. But what happens when the dreamers are immigrants, factory workers, and Communists?
Mining a rich, forgotten chapter of New York socialism,
At Home in Utopia is the tale of the country's first experiment in cooperative urban living. Founded by Russian Jewish immigrants in 1925, the United Workers Cooperative Colony - aka the Coops - was an oasis of progressive social values and radical ideals where Yiddish was taught after school and racial integration was not only preached but practiced. An epic tale of the struggle for equity and justice across two generations, the film tracks the rise and fall of one community from the 1920s into the 1950s.
After the screening join the filmmaker, children of the Coops and public housing gurus in exploring the experience - and present-day lessons - of the Coops. With
Michal Goldman, the filmmaker;
Elissa Barrett, Executive Director of PJA;
Hershl Hartman, child of the Coops, Education Director of the Sholem Community and Yiddishkayt's
Vortsman; and
Irv Goldstein, child of the Coops. Moderated by
Peter Dreier, Professor of Politics and Chair of the Urban & Environmental Policy Program at Occidental College.
--> More info--> TicketsPresented by Yiddishkayt and the LA Jewish Film Festival, along with
our friends at Arbeter Ring (Workmen's Circle), Progressive Jewish
Alliance (PJA), and the Sholem Community.
