How to Make Challah (2023)

«How to Make Challah» is a documentary film that examines the transmission of cultural and family traditions through the process of making hala, a traditional Jewish bread, from generation to generation. In 1975, Aunt Jane recorded her 97-year-old grandmother cooking hala in her small kitchen on the Upper West Side of New York City. Nearly 50 years later, Sarah has continued this tradition by filming her 80-year-old aunt baking Challah. The film combines footage from both 1975 and 2022, as well as archival materials from the early 20th century, to emphasize the importance of this ancient ritual. Through these different perspectives, the film explores how hala has been passed down through generations and how it continues to be an important part of Jewish culture.