The documentary “Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel” tells a moving underdog story that should inspire people who attend an upcoming Miami Jewish Film Festival members screening.
The screening takes place at 7 p.m. on April 3 at Temple Beth Sholom , 4144 Chase Ave. in Miami Beach. The screening is free for MJFF Members, and non-members will be able to buy tickets at the synagogue the day of the screening.
The film by Ironbound Films is directed by Seth Kramer, Jeremy Newberger and Daniel A. Miller. It tells a stirring story of sports, patriotism and personal growth as it charts the underdog journey of Israel’s national baseball team competing in the 2017 World Baseball Classic . After years of defeat, Team Israel, with a roster consisting of several Jewish American Major League Baseball players, is finally eligible to play in this international tournament. The team was ranked as 41st in the world when it first entered the WBC qualifying round. It then became one of only 16 teams to make the actual tournament and pulled off a few big wins during it.
Miller, who also wrote the film, noted a few things he hopes the audience can take away from seeing the film.
“People often think of Jews as people who are advanced in the world of academia but in terms of athletic prowess, you don’t hear much about qualifying for anything, so the first thing I hope people take away is that the Jews can do anything. They’re not only here [in the WBC] in contention , but they are competing among the top teams in the world.”
Miller continued, “Second thing is that you don’t hear many positive stories about Israel in the news.”
“There are very few, and this is an inspiring one that you can get behind and understand that there’s this Cinderella team that wasn’t expected to do well, did well and represented Israel as something positive. It’s a positive story and you root for the team and that’s a good thing.”
Miller concluded, “Finally, there’s this kind of broader lesson.”
“With most Jews, you don’t think you can become a terrific athlete or a world champion, so in a more broad sense, this gets people out of their comfort zone to stop thinking of what the world expects of you and to go beyond that and to see what you’re capable of.”
Aside from documenting the team’s inspiring WBC run, the film also follows the players on a moving and enlightening trip to Israel before the tournament. For many of these players, it was their first trip to Israel. The eligibility requirements to play on Team Israel include being married to a Jew or having a Jewish grandparent.
“A lot of these players didn’t necessarily grow up Jewish,” Miller said. “Even as children, they weren’t raised in kind of a Jewish home, so this [Israel trip] connected people who have no Jewish upbringing with something that their ancestors practiced, and it was kind of magical to see.”
Miller, who went to Hebrew School and visited Israel while growing up Jewish, thought it was meaningful to see the players experience Israel and Judaism as adults while following them on this trip.
“What I got out of seeing this was a kind of a renewal of vows as a Jew. You see these athletes reconnecting with their faith and Israel, and the audience sort of reconnects to the meaning of being Jewish or the meaning of all faiths and spirituality and what it means to be connected to a people, a community and a heritage.”
Igor Shteyrenberg, executive director of the MJFF, said, “Heading Home is an irresistible story of baseball, faith, friendship and community.”
“Even if you have no interest in baseball, this is a compelling and inspirational documentary that will stir the heartstrings and make you believe.”
Visit miamijewishfilmfestival.org, call 305-573-7304 or visit info@miamijewishfilmfestival.org for more information. If a film festival member, visit miamijewishfilmfestival.org/events/heading_home to RSVP for the screening. Visit miamijewishfilmfestival.org/membership to become a member. RSVPing does not guarantee a seat as seating is first come, first served.