The Return

Opening on the wedding day of David and Vivian, this documentary follows two young Jews who have made the decision to return to Orthodox Judaism. David is a Manhattan lawyer inspired to reclaim his roots when he meets with Soviet refuseniks during a trip to Russia. Vivian is a bright, attractive career woman haunted by early exposure to anti-Semitism, and the fact that most of her family was lost in the Holocaust. Chronicling their journey, explaining why they have rejected the path of assimilation, the film shows David following ancient Orthodox rituals before his wedding, as he describes his spiritual renewal. Not everyone is happy with his return to Orthodoxy. "Today is the funeral of our friendship" says David's assimilated Jewish friend on the wedding day. David's family is likewise concerned about the possibility of a rift with David and his bride. After the wedding (shown in detail), the couple decide to relocate to an Orthodox Jewish enclave north of Manhattan, and David finds himself wrestling with ethical conflicts at work. Meanwhile, Vivian prepares for the birth of their first child. The video ends with their son's circumcision ceremony, a big family event which gives hope for reconciliation between the generations. This documentary is often thought provoking, even moving, but I wanted to learn what happened to the couple in the years following 1987 (although the packaging claims the program is a 1998 production, the end credits reveal this was filmed in 1987). Too brief to do justice to this important subject, this is still recommended, with reservations, for college and synagogue libraries. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)