Yogi and Richie. Photo courtesy of Smithtown Animal Shelter
Richie
Yogi
MEET YOGI AND RICHIE!
This week’s featured shelter pets are Yogi and Richie at the Smithtown Animal Shelter, an inseparable and heart-melting duo with a bond built on love, loyalty, and pure joy. These charming boys—Yogi, a handsome blue Chow mix, and Richie, a silver and tan Yorkie mix—were brought to the shelter on April 14, 2025, after their owner sadly became too ill to care for them. Estimated to be born in 2022, Yogi and Richie are approximately three years old and looking for a forever home where they can stay side by side.
Yogi is mostly blind and relies on Richie as his guide. Their companionship is not just touching—it’s a true testament to the healing power of animal friendship. Richie confidently helps his best friend navigate the world, and together, they bring smiles to everyone they meet.
These boys are bursting with affection for people and each other. They are good with other dogs and cats, and would thrive in a home with children aged 12 and up, given Yogi’s visual impairment. Despite his blindness, Yogi is full of spirit and thrives with Richie at his side.
If you’re ready to open your heart and home to a pair of joyful, bonded brothers who will return your love tenfold, Yogi and Richie are ready to meet you!
If you are interested in meetingYogi and Richie, please call ahead to schedule an hour to properly interact with them in the shelter’s Meet and Greet room.
The Town of Smithtown Animal & Adoption Shelter, 410 Middle Country Road, Smithtown is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Sundays and Wednesday evenings by appointment only). For more information, call 631-360-7575.
Pope Francis passed away on April 21.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
By Fr. Francis Pizzarelli
Fr. Francis Pizzarelli
On the Monday after Easter at the age of 88, Francis, the humble servant of the Roman Catholic Church died in his sleep after 12 extraordinary years of service to the church and to the world.
Francis, a Jesuit priest committed to the poor and vulnerable among us, became an Archbishop and then a cardinal from Argentina. He spent his whole life ministering to the poor and the marginal among us. From his earliest days to his last day, he lived simply, loved exponentially and always walked with the poor.
As Pope he was a reformer; he did not amend the doctrine of the Catholic Church but found powerful pastoral ways to make the church the church of the people. His powerful pastoral example was an ongoing reminder that we must welcome those who feel unwelcome to our community.
As Pope, he constantly called us to radical inclusiveness. I will never forget that statement. He so powerfully reminded all of us that God welcomes everyone without imposing shame or guilt.
As a Roman Catholic priest, I admired the Holy Father’s constant reminder that as Catholics we must be committed to social justice and reaching out to the most vulnerable among us without judgment.
Francis was such a powerful role model for everyone, but especially for priests like myself. He constantly reminded us by his power of example of what we all must be about. His compassion and his empathy have inspired me to stay the course.
Hopefully, the conclave, which elects a new Pope, will do so in the spirit of Pope Francis, a man of compassion and empathy who will challenge us to live the gospel, even when it’s difficult. I hope this new Pope will be as committed to the poor and the marginal as Francis was.
These are crazy times that we live in. The world is paralyzed and polarized and so is our nation. Francis was a man committed to peace and social justice. He practiced what he preached his entire life. He did not just talk the talk, he walked the walk.
We have been very blessed to have had this simple Jesuit priest from Argentina as our Pope. He reminds us by the way in which he lived of the gift of hope and how we should all try to live each and every day.
In January, Pope Francis declared that this was a year dedicated to hope. On Tuesday, April 22, Hope House Ministries celebrated 45 years of ministering to the poor and most vulnerable in our midst. As its founder, I’ve spent 45 years believing in the power of hope and that people can change, be transformed and reclaim their lives.
Father Francis Pizzarelli, SMM, LCSW-R, ACSW, DCSW, is the director of Hope House Ministries in Port Jefferson.
Documentary screening of 'Gotta Dance' at Theatre Three. Photo by Steven Uihlein/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
Documentary screening of 'Gotta Dance' at Theatre Three. Photo by Steven Uihlein/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
Documentary screening of 'Gotta Dance' at Theatre Three. Photo by Steven Uihlein/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
On April 27, Theatre Three, in collaboration with the Greater Port Jefferson Arts Council, held a screening of Gotta Dance, the documentary which is the basis of their upcoming production Half Time The Musical, in its New York premiere. The evening opened with the cast of Half Time presenting “A Number,” the opening of the show. Following the documentary, Artistic Director Jeffrey Sanzel led a talkback with the documentary’s producer/director Dori Berinstein.
From the creators of The Wedding Singer, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Prom and Legally Blonde, Half Time is based on the incredible true story of ten determined dreamers who audition to dance at halftime for a major basketball team. They have three things in common: they love to dance, they have something to prove, and they are all over 60 years old! Only after making the cut, do they learn they won’t be dancing tap, salsa or swing – instead they will bring down the house with hip-hop!
Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson presents Half Time on the Mainstage from May 24 to June 22. Tickets are $40 adults, $32 seniors and students, $25 Wednesday matinees and children ages 5 to 12. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.
Judith Ogden shows visitors the proper way to plant a bare root sapling at a previous Arbor Day event at Avalon Nature Preserve. Photo by Heidi Sutton
The Village of Head of the Harbor, along with its Tree Committee, is hosting its annual Arbor in The Harbor event in honor or Arbor Day.
The event will be held on Saturday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Avalon Nature Preserve. (Rain date is May 4.)Festivities will be held at the Avalon Barn, 60 Shep Jones Lane, St. James.
The purpose of the event is to celebrate the importance of trees, encourage residents not just to plant trees but to also preserve the trees we have.There will be demonstrations on how to plant and care for trees and protect them from deer.
Attendees will be given a free sapling tree to take home and plant (while supplies last).Attendees can also enjoy a native species identification self-tour.
Head of the Harbor Village Trustee, Judith Ogden, who is also the Village’s Highway Commissioner, will lead the gathering.“Trees are instrumental in protecting Stony Brook Harbor from pollutants from storm water runoff and by reducing erosion. They are also an integral part of the wildlife ecosystem. Trees provide shelter and habitat for birds. The undergrowth is home to the smaller animals that provide sustenance for the raptors. Everything is interdependent. I cannot stress enough the importance of trees to our Village,” Trustee Ogden says. “It is our hope that this event inspires residents to take care of our trees.”
Arbor in The Harbor is free to attend. Parking is available in lots along Shep Jones Lane.
Join the Long Island Game Farm, 489 Chapman Blvd., Manorville in celebrating their 55th anniversary year with day long festivities on Saturday, May 3 at 10 a.m.
Led by Master of Ceremonies Doug Geed, the event will kick off with a ribbon cutting ceremony of the Woodland Trail, a universal access trail suitable for wheelchairs. The trail renovation was made possible with funds from Suffolk County Jumpsmart program. The ribbon cutting will open Woodland Trail for the start of the Trail Trot & Animal Antics, a non-competitive run/walk through the trail followed by animal inspired challenges (antics) for the children.
In addition, the day will include:
— An Open House where guests will meet the Game Farm Team, Camp Counselors, and partners to learn about what’s new at the Game Farm this year including a summer music series and the Re-Photo Project.
— Kids craft activities by Macaroni Kid. Refreshments will be served.
— Performances by local songwriters and the Eastport South Manor Junior High Orchestra on the new Susan M. Novak Stage.
—Game Farm Director Greg Drossel will lead groups on a Woodland Trail Walk while he shares the Game Farm vision for the Trail.
— Artist Tonito Valderrama will invite attendees to participate in the creation of The Great Nest of Life Installation Project, an interactive nature sculpture celebrating birds of Long Island.
— Boy Scout Sam Zvolensky will show his Eagle Award Project, a sensory garden at the Game Farm whileScouts Adalia Haas and Summer Realander will talk about the Gold Award projects they are each working on.
— Nick Jacinto will talk about his animals and his upcoming Weekends with Nature Nick at the Game Farm.
—Anthony Graziano, Long Island Landscape Photographer and conservation advocate will talk about his work and upcoming photo and IPhone photography classes at the Game Farm.
— Dr. Heidi MacALpine and Noelle Grogan, community collaborators promoting health and wellbeing through the creative arts, will demonstrate and talk about their work and upcoming program.
— And of course visit with the many unique animals that call the Game Farm home.
“The Long Island Game Farm was one of our Island’s first tourist attractions and it remains one of our most treasured landmarks. It’s brought pleasure and joy to the Geeds and thousands of other families through the decades and I’m excited about this new chapter for the Game Farm and the Novak Family,” said Geed.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been 55 years since my family moved into the Manorville site and created the Long Island Game Farm. I’m happy to be honoring my parents by sharing this accomplishment with the people of Long Island. I am grateful to Suffolk County for making our Trail and new stage possible through Jumpsmart funds,” said Long Island Game Farm President Melinda Novak.
Discounted admission for the day is $15 per person,children under age 2 are free.
Registration for the Trail Trot for youth, ages 3-12 years is in advance and includes admission to the Game Farm and a commemorative t-shirt. To register and for further information, visit https://www.longislandgamefarm.com/trailtrot.
ABOUT LONG ISLAND GAME FARM
Long Island Game Farm Wildlife Park and Children’s Zoo was founded in 1970 by Stanley and Diane Novak. As the largest combined children’s zoo and wildlife park on LongIsland, they offer families a natural environment where they can learn about wildlife and animals through education and entertainment. A member of American Association of Zookeepers and Zoological Association of America, the farm is located at 489 Chapman Boulevard, Manorville, New York 11949. For more information, visit longislandgamefarm.com, email [email protected], or call 631-878-6644. Find Long Island Game Farm on Instagram and Facebook at @longislandgamefarm.
Fron left, Mia Catapano, Amber Gagliardi, Nikki Martin at Middle Country
Public Library’s native small tree and shrub giveaway in honor of Arbor Day. Photo courtesy of Middle Country Public Library
Beautifying the world, one tree at a time
Middle Country Public Library patrons recently left the library with more than a book.
In honor of Arbor Day, MCPL’s Centereach branch held a native small tree and shrub giveaway on April 25. Patrons visited the library to secure two trees or shrubs to take home and plant in their yards.
Trees and shrubs not only improve the aesthetic value of one’s landscapes but they also improve air and water quality, conserve energy, and produce wildlife food and cover. Shrubs were procured from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Imagine a world where a child growing up on Long Island does not have the opportunity to climb aboard a 19th century streetcar and learn about the desegregation of public transportation in New York; or to learn who carved the sculptures in Central Park; or be able to look up in awe at the colossal skeleton of a whale and learn about the industry that built and sustained our region. This is the world that will be created if the elimination of federal agencies and grants that support our local libraries and museums are not stopped.
Three of Long Island’s most beloved cultural institutions on Long Island’s North Shore —The Whaling Museum & Education Center of Cold Spring Harbor, The Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington, and The Long Island Museum in Stony Brook—are facing the abrupt and unprecedented termination and suspension of grant funding from two federal agencies: the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), which was terminated by executive order by the presidential administration at the start of April, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), where already-approved project funding is now halted or terminated.
The three museums were awarded federal grants to support public-facing projects, including exhibitions and community programming. But now, these NEH funds have been withdrawn and IMLS funds frozen with little, if any, explanation. A termination letter sent to The Whaling Museum by Michael McDonald, the Acting Chairman of the NEH, stated “the NEH is repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda” and that “immediate termination is necessary to safeguard the interested of the federal government.” The three museums are among thousands of museums, libraries, and educational institutions who have suddenly lost funding.
Impacts
At The Whaling Museum in Cold Spring Harbor, the cancellation rescinds funding supporting exhibition design for a museum expansion centered on a whale skeleton to provide needed community space, and freezes funding for year-round educational programming tied to the museum’s Monsters & Mermaids exhibition.
At The Heckscher Museum of Art, award funds were to support the development of a groundbreaking new exhibition Emma Stebbins: Carving Out History, devoted to the sculptor who is best-known for her Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, along with a robust year of exhibitions and public programming supporting an intergenerational group of community members focused on enhancing teen mental health through the creation of art and fostering of community connections.
At The Long Island Museum, the IMLS funding cancellation blocks efforts to build an interactive and immersive exhibition experience in the museum around its circa 1885 horse-drawn streetcar. The exhibition, titled Riding Towards Justice, was to have created an accessible climb-aboard experience for visitors of all ages who would also learn of the stories of Elizabeth Jennings Graham (1827-1901).
The Whaling Museum in Cold Spring Harbor
“These grants weren’t gifts—they were intentional investments grounded in research demonstrating the positive impacts of humanities-based projects addressing the educational needs in our communities,” said Nomi Dayan, Executive Director of The Whaling Museum. “We have a 90-year history of serving Long Island with integrity and creativity, and we are proud to preserve one of the most significant times in American history. The abrupt withdrawal comes at a cost to the communities we serve. We’re asking our leaders to honor the commitments that were made, and prioritize the learning that takes place in museums.”
“Thousands of studies, including a recent 2024 report released by The World Health Organization, have concluded that involvement in the arts can improve public health and promote healing from illness, cognitive decline, heart disease, anxiety and depression,” shared Heather Arnet, CEO and Executive Director of The Heckscher Museum of Art. “The Heckscher Museum of Art project which had been awarded a grant from IMLS was developed specifically with these social determinants of health in mind.”
“The Long Island Museum has received multiple IMLS grants for our Carriage Museum since the late 1980s that have supported conservation of the collection, improved exhibitions, and great programming. We are heartbroken over these actions and the potential loss this represents for our community and our different groups of visitors,” said Joshua Ruff, Co-Executive Director of the Long Island Museum.
The Long Island Museum in Stony Brook
Collectively, these three museums serve hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors annually; reach more than 100 school districts; introduce tens of thousands of school children each year to their first brush with art and history; and help senior community members develop meaningful engagement and connection opportunities later in life. The programs made possible through NEH and IMLS funding help provide equitable access to culture, spark lifelong learning, and preserve America’s stories.
Eliminated funding not only impacts the educational capacity at the museums, but has an economic impact on the region as a whole. A recently released Economic Impact Study by The Long Island Arts Alliance found that the nonprofit arts sector generated $330 million in economic activity during 2022—$178.4 million in spending by arts and culture organizations and an additional $151.6 million in event-related expenditures by their audiences. That economic activity supported 4,905 jobs, provided $234.5 million in personal income to residents, and generated $81.2 million in tax revenue to local, state, and federal governments.
Taking action
Museums are calling on their supporters, elected officials, and the broader public to speak out to encourage Congress and the Administration to reinstate the legally awarded grants and protect the integrity of the nation’s cultural funding process.
The public can show their support by visiting The Whaling Museum & Education Center, The Heckscher Museum of Art, and The Long Island Museum on “International Museum Day” on Sunday, May 18. All visitors to the three Museums that day will receive special “IheartMuseums” pins, stickers, and additional information on ways to help.
To learn more about the impact of these cuts or to take action, please visit the websites of the three museums — hecksher.org; cshwhalingmuseum.org, and longislandmuseum.org.
A mourning cloak butterfly. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
By John L. Turner
John Turner
Strolling up a slight incline on a trail pockmarked with pebbles the oak forest fell steeply away to my right. The warm spring air on this day in late April was most pleasant and welcome and I paused for a moment to bask in the warmth of a circle of sunlight reaching the ground through a small break in the tree canopy, happy winter was in the rear view mirror.
Numerous Flowering Dogwood trees were in blossom in the forest, adding a splash of white and pink to the understory, their flowers reminding me of a grouping of water lilies floating fifteen feet in the air, although they were at eye level because of the falling slope.
And suddenly movement — a butterfly is sailing toward me down the trail, turns in a half circle and lands in a foot square patch of sunlight with wings open, facing away so that its dark wings have the best angle to absorb the warmth the shaft of sunlight offered. A mourning cloak, a butterfly with a three inch wingspan, has joined my morning, an identification I make easily and instantly due to its highly distinctive coloration, which is unlike any other butterfly in eastern North America.
The mourning cloak, so named because its dark brown body with a pale yellow band along the outer wing margin is reminiscent of the attire once worn during funerals and other somber occasions, is a stunningly beautiful insect.
The derivation of the scientific name is a different story; Nymphalis antiopa relates to arcane Greek mythology. The brown of the body and wings is rich walnut in color and toward the wing edge numerous purplish-blue oval dots are patterned within a narrow band of black, this band adjacent to the aforementioned yellow band at the wing margin. Dark flecking is sprinkled throughout the yellow. Four small yellow wedges are positioned along the leading edge of the wings. Two prominent dark colored antennae project from the butterfly’s head, forming a classic letter vee.
The underside of the wings are as drab as the upper wings are showy. This adaptation helps the mourning cloak blend in on tree bark or leaf litter if it falls to the ground and plays dead, as it sometimes does to avoid predation. If it decides instead to flee it can erupt fast, emitting an unusual clicking sound (which I’ve never heard) which reportedly disturbs birds.
The mourning cloak is typically the first butterfly to emerge in the spring because it overwinters as an adult; no need for springtime pupation and metamorphosis as with other butterflies. Adults spend the winter in surprising fashion — hibernating beneath flaking tree bark, in tree cavities and in the cracks of larger rocks. They are able to survive the winter because they have “antifreeze” in their blood and cells — sugar compounds (glycerols) which lower the temperature at which the insect would freeze. Once it emerges it rapidly shivers its flight muscles helping the butterfly to warm up. Its dense hairlike bristles help to hold the muscle-generated heat inside.
Another surprise in a butterfly with several surprises is that, once it emerges, it doesn’t depend upon, or much utilize flowers and their sugary nectar, although the species will occasionally visit them. Rather, they depend upon tree sap, the moisture and sugar in fallen fruits, the sweet exudate of aphids, mud puddles, even animal dung. Due to the fact this butterfly came out of pupation last summer means it is — as far as insects go — a long lived insect, having a lifespan as much as ten to twelve months.
Not surprising, given its ability to survive frigid temperatures, the mourning cloak is found in temperate and cold regions all across North America, Europe and Asia. In England it’s known as the ‘Camberwell Beauty’; the species was first discovered in England at Camberwell in 1748 and the discoverer, Moses Harris, suggested the name. It also ranges south and is known from Central and South America.
If the mourning cloak mates, egg laying takes place with the eggs laid on one of a wide range of host plants includingvarious willows, aspen, birch, hackberry, elm, hawthorn, cottonwood, poplar and mulberry, among others. The eggs are laid in long clusters along the stem near its tip and they are as beautiful as they are geometrically distinctive; they remind me a little of the dome of the U.S. Capitol. I wouldn’t blame you if you stopped reading here and “Google image” the eggs. It’s worth the effort.
At first, when small, the caterpillars stay together but after going through growth stages known as instars they separate. A mature caterpillar is black with eight orange dots and is heavily spined which, if touched, can irritate the skin. The pupa, the case in which the miracle of metamorphosis occurs, is also spined. On Long Island the butterflies emerge in early to mid-summer and will, if the weather grows hot, aestivate (kind of like hibernation in the summer). Another emergence can occur in the fall.
As with so many elements of the natural world, butterflies unfortunately are declining in abundance and mourning cloaks are no exception. In a recently published studymeasuring population trends of North American butterfly species, the mourning cloak has declined by about 22% over the past quarter century. This alarming decline appears due to a combination of continued widespread pesticide use, climate change, and habitat loss.
How can you help this iconic harbinger of spring? By foregoing the use of pesticides, leaving on your property standing dead and dying trees with their sheltered protective cavities and sloughing bark, and supporting organizations devoted to butterfly conservation such as the Xerces Society.
A resident of Setauket, author John L. Turner is a naturalist, conservation co-chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, and Conservation Policy Advocate for the Seatuck Environmental Association.
Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie in still from Sabbath Queen. 2024. Sandi Simcha DuBowski. Image courtesy of Roco Films
The Long Island Jewish Film Festival is returning to the Cinema Arts Centre for its third year! The festival will span six days, May 1st – May 6th, and present a selection of films at the forefront of Jewish cultural storytelling. The festival will feature films that include innovative documentaries, riveting dramas, and hilarious comedy, all curated by David Schwartz, Curator at large at the Museum of the Moving Image, who will also host filmmaker interviews and audience discussions after many of the festival’s screenings.
The Long Island Jewish Film Festival was organized to help celebrate the rich cultural traditions and history of the Jewish community in America and abroad.
The festival will begin on Thursday, May 1st with a screening of the powerful documentary, Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire, with the second day of the festival focusing on the recently rediscovered and restored drama, The Heiresses.
The third day of the festival will feature screenings of three films: the fascinating documentaries Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round & Janis Ian: Breaking Silence, as well as the new biopic Midas Man, on Beatles manager Brian Epstein.
Sunday, the fourth day of the festival, will feature a screening and discussion of the documentary Ada: My Mother the Architect, in addition to a showing of the hilarious comedy Bad Shabbos, and an encore screening of The Heiresses. Monday will feature repeat screenings of both Midas Man & Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire, and the festival will conclude with a screening & discussion program highlighting the documentary film, Sabbath Queen.
There will be encore screenings for most of the films featured on Friday & Saturday for those who observe Shabbat. Tickets are $16 per film, $10 members. The Films: Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire
Thursday, May 1 at 7 PM With editor/producer Michael Chomet in person
& Monday, May 5 at 7 PM With director Oren Rudavsky in person
Eighty years after his liberation from Buchenwald, we seek to understand the man behind the searing memoir Night. Told largely through his own words and eloquent voice, Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire seeks to penetrate to the heart of the known and unknown Elie Wiesel (1928-2016) – his passions, his conflicts and his legacy as one of the most public survivors of the Holocaust. With unique access to archives, interviews and employing hand painted animation, the film illuminates Wiesel’s biography as a survivor, writer, teacher and public figure. (2024, 87 mins)
The Heiresses
Friday, May 2 at 7 PM
& Sunday, May 4 at 7 PM Isabelle Huppert stars in this recently rediscovered and restored drama from Hungarian filmmaker Márta Mészáros. Huppert plays Irèn, a young Jewish seamstress in 1936 Budapest, who is recruited by the wealthy Szilvia (Lili Monori), to conceive a baby with her military officer husband so that Szilvia can inherit her father’s fortune. Meanwhile, the rise of Nazism has begun to poison Hungary’s ruling classes, complicating Irèn’s entrée into high society. Laying bare the complicated processes of class, motherhood, inheritance, and fascism. (1980, 100 mins)
Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round Saturday, May 3 at 1 PM
When five Howard University students sat on a segregated Maryland carousel in 1960, the arrests made headlines. When the largely Jewish community living near the amusement park joined the Black students in picketing, the first organized interracial civil rights protest in US history was born, eventually leading to the creation of the Freedom Riders. With never-before seen footage, and immersive storytelling by Emmy-award winning director Ilana Trachtman, four living protesters rescue this untold story, revealing the price, and the power, of heeding the impulse to activism. (2024, 89 mins)
Janis Ian: Breaking Silence
Saturday, May 3 at 4 PM
& Tuesday, May 6 at 4 PM With prerecorded interview with director Varda Bar-Kar
At the height of the Civil Rights movement, Janis Ian, a Jewish teenage singer-songwriter from New Jersey became a sensation after releasing a hit song about an interracial relationship, “Society’s Child.” Ian would go on to jam with Hendrix, party with Janis Joplin, and play duets with Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. But she also had to work to overcome the stigma of her debut, homophobia, industry misogyny, and serious illness. With access to Ian’s music, archive, collaborators, and music journalists, this in-depth documentary chronicles the singer’s epic life journey. (2024, 114 mins)
Midas Man
Saturday, May 3 at 7 PM
& Monday, May 5 at 4 PM Brian Epstein is recognized today as the man who signed The Beatles, and in doing so, created the blueprint for music artist management. From his formative years to wild, unprecedented global success and the ensuing chaos as he managed and promoted some of the biggest acts in the world, Midas Man brings to life the untold story of one of the world’s most significant outsiders. (2025, 112 mins)
Ada: My Mother the Architect
Sunday, May 4 at 1 PM With director Yael Melamede in person Ada Karmi Melamede is one of the most accomplished female architects in the world, but very little is known about her outside her home country of Israel. Ada – My Mother the Architect is a deeply moving portrait of an extraordinary woman directed by her daughter, filmmaker, and former architect, Yael Melamede. Ada is a true pioneer whose work gave physical form to some of Israel’s highest democratic ideals, most notably in the acclaimed Supreme Court building in Jerusalem, the Open University, and Ben Gurion Airport. (2024, 81 mins)
Bad Shabbos
Sunday, May 4 at 4 PM Kyra Sedgwick and Cliff “Method Man” Smith lead a hilarious ensemble cast in the award-winning comedy that took home the Audience Award at the 2024 Tribeca FilmFestival. When David and his fiancé Meg gather for his family’s traditional Shabbat dinner on New York’s Upper West Side, things spiral faster than you can say “hamotzi” when an accidental death (or…murder?) derails the evening entirely. With Meg’s devoutly Catholic parents due any moment to meet David’s very Jewish family, soon Shabbat becomes a comedy of biblical proportions. (2024, 84 mins)
Sabbath Queen
Tuesday, May 6 at 7 PM With director Sandi Dubowski in person
Filmed over 21 years, Sabbath Queen follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie’s epic journey as the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis including the Chief Rabbis of Israel. He is torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny and becomes a drag queen rebel, a queer bio-dad and the founder of Lab/Shul—an everybody-friendly, God-optional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation. (2024, 105 mins)
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Monty Python and the Holy Grail will return to select theaters nationwide on Sunday, May 4, and Wednesday, May 7, courtesy of Fathom Entertainment.
“Fathom Entertainment has prided itself in bringing classic and cult classic films back to the big screen where they deserve to be enjoyed by fans – old and new alike. Few classic comedy films top the great Monty Python and the Holy Grail in terms of legendary status. Fathom is delighted to bring it back to theaters upon its 50th anniversary,” said Ray Nutt, Chief Executive Officer at Fathom Entertainment.
Grossing the highest box-office of any British film in the U.S. when released in 1975, this “cult classic” comedy from the Monty Python team loosely follows the legend of King Arthur (Graham Chapman), along with his squire (Terry Gilliam) and his Knights of the Round Table (John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin), as they embark on a fearless quest in search of the elusive Holy Grail.
Locally, participating theaters include AMC Loews Stony Brook 17, Island 16: Cinema de Lux in Holtsville, Regal Cinemas in Deer Park, Showcase Cinemas de lux in Farmindale and Regal UA in Farmingdale.
Tickets for the event can be purchased at Fathom Entertainment in advance or at participating theater box offices.
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