More than 200 supporters of the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), including leaders and luminaries from South Florida’s Jewish community, recently attended the South Florida Premiere of It Is No Dream: The Life of Theodor Herzl; the latest production from the SWC’s Academy-Award winning Moriah Films Division.

Narrated by Sir Ben Kingsley and starring Christoph Waltz as the voice of Theodor Herzl, the film explores the life and times of Theodor Herzl, father of the modern state of Israel; an assimilated, Budapest-born Jew who took upon himself the task of attempting to create a Jewish homeland in Palestine against all odds.

The premiere was held at the Intracoastal 8 Cinema in North Miami Beach, and was chaired by Fanny Hanono of Perry Ellis International. Ms. Hanono formally began the evening by welcoming the assembled guests and offering a brief description of the film. She then introduced Rabbi Meyer May, executive director of the SWC, who announced that this event was only the second time the film has been presented to an audience. He also discussed the extraordinary performances of Mr. Kingsley and Mr. Waltz, and the significance of having non-Jewish performers involved in Moriah Films.

Special guests at the premiere also included more than 40 high school students from the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center’s Hebraica Madrichim program.

“With It is No Dream, director Richard Trank has created another exceptional motion picture for the SWC, illustrating Mr. Herzl’s life with passion, vigor, and great historical detail,” said Mrs. Hanono. “We were honored to be among the first to see this important film, and I was personally delighted to have so many young people in the audience, giving them the opportunity to learn about the origins of the State of Israel.”

For more information about the SWC, please contact Tamar Kohn Marks, SWC Southern Region Director, at tmarks@wiesenthal.com or 305-935-2280.