American Film Maker And Writer Speaks Of Her Multi Cultural Upbringing In The U.S.

Sadia Shepard speaks of her multi-cultural upbringing in the U.S.

April 9: Sadia Shepard is a documentary filmmaker and writer based in New York City. In 2001, Sadia Shepard left New York for Mumbai on a Fulbright Scholarship, her goal to try to understand the history and future of the tiny Indian Jewish community (Bene Israelis) that her grandmother was born into and left to marry her Muslim grandfather. She spent nearly two years in Mumbai recording her experiences in film, video and writing, which became the basis of her film In Search of Bene Israel and her first book, The Girl from Foreign, which was recently released in India.

On April 6 and 7, Sadia Shepard addressed students, film enthusiasts and book lovers at various events organized by the University of Madras, the Women’s Christian college, the Madras book Club and the LV Prasad Film and TV Academy. A true representative of multicultural America, Sadia spoke at length about her experience of growing up in a home with a Muslim mother, Christian father and Jewish grandmother. According to her, existence of different beliefs in a single house hold makes it a great place of dialogue and understanding. Discussing the tiny Bene Israeli community as depicted in her documentary and her book, and applauding the religious tolerance ingrained in Indian society, Sadia pointed out that India was one of the few places in the world where Jews had not been persecuted.