What happens long after a tragedy?

If seeds are sown, nurtured, and given the right attention, sites of tragedy can blossom into places of forgiveness and healing.

The Art of Repair tells this story of hope.

As the generation of Jewish Holocaust survivors pass on, and the Holocaust deepens into our history, we enter a new era for redemption. The Art of Repair tells the story of an ancient synagogue in Hania, Crete, reconstructed from the devastation of WWII into a renewed, inclusive Jewish community.

The main character of this film is the synagogue itself – a compelling, captivating, charismatic synagogue – visited by thousands of tourists of all faiths and ethnicities. People come to be in community, to heal, to worship, and to listen.  In the film we get to know key community members and find out what connects them to this sacred space.

The walls of Etz Hayyim contain an incredibly deep silence, echoes of the lack of sounds of the Jewish community it once served – taken away one May morning in 1944.  At its core, this is a story of death and renewal. It is, as well, the story of vision, determination, struggle, and survival. 

The Art of Repair celebrates the transformation of profound loss into newly created Jewish continuity, inclusivity, and vitality.