By Michael Sudhalter
Dallas native Jillian Glantz, a Texas A&M University Ph.D. student who grew up at Congregation Tiferet Israel, will return to the Metroplex to present her debut documentary, “Remember My Soul.”
The film will be screened at 9 a.m., Sunday, March 8, at Congregation Beth Shalom in Arlington as part of the synagogue’s Brotherhood Speaker Series. Glantz will speak and answer questions following the screening. The event is free; RSVPs are requested by March 1 at info@bethshalom.org.
A complimentary breakfast will be served beforehand.
“‘Remember My Soul’ highlights the diversity of Jewish life,” Glantz said. “If you want to understand Jewish history in Texas — and more broadly in America — the Rio Grande Valley is an important part of that story.”
The 87-minute documentary explores Jewish migration to the Rio Grande Valley from Mexico and Spain, the presence of crypto-Jewish communities and the later arrival of Ashkenazi Jews. It also examines the longstanding relationship between Jewish and Latino communities in the region.
“I moved to the Rio Grande Valley in late 2016,” Glantz said. “When a local friend learned I was Jewish, they encouraged me to explore the region’s little-known Jewish history. The more I researched, the more I found. I hope the film broadens understanding of Jewish identity and history in the area.”
“Remember My Soul” has screened at the San Antonio Film Festival, the Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival and the Cine El Sol Film Festival in McAllen. Glantz also delivered a copy to the Library of Congress, where it is now part of the Jewish archives.
She received support from the Texas Jewish Historical Society and the Engaged Scholars Award at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to produce the film.
Glantz, who is scheduled to complete her Ph.D. next spring, plans to continue making documentaries. Her current dissertation research focuses on Black women filmmakers from 1918 through the early 1940s.
A Richardson High School graduate and former bat mitzvah at Tiferet Israel, Glantz said her academic and creative work is shaped by her upbringing in the Dallas Jewish community.
“There are many lesser-known historical topics that deserve attention,” she said. “I hope this film encourages others to continue exploring and documenting those stories.”
