For forty years, both from an international platform as well as from his local pulpit in The Bronx, Rabbi Avi Weiss has been an important voice speaking up against injustice for both Jews and non-Jews.

In the new documentary, RIGHTEOUS REBEL, filmmaker Phil Schneider provides a compelling, insightful, and comprehensive look into Weiss' extraordinary life, and how, as a result of his crusading activism and "speaking truth to power," he has inspired others to "show up, stand up, and speak up" in times of crisis. RIGHTEOUS REBEL also explores the softer side of Rabbi Weiss and his relentless commitment to create an environment of inclusion and dignity for his community.

From the Auschwitz death camp, to the Vatican, to Moscow's Red Square, all told through a combination of archival footage and interviews, RIGHTEOUS REBEL follows the Rabbi's journey of protest against Holocaust Revisionism and to free Soviet Jews. The documentary also covers Weiss' controversial involvement in the Crown Heights Riots of 1991, as well as his equally provocative recent endorsement of "open-Orthodoxy" and the expanded roles of women in the Modern Orthodox Jewish community.

RIGHTEOUS REBEL is as much a celebration of Rabbi Weiss' accomplishments, as it is an inspirational call to immediate action to fight inequity taking place all over the world.

 

 

Directed & Produced by: Phil Schneider

Edited by: Daniel Kremer

Produced by: Justin Matley

Original Music: Max Sterling