JIFF25: To be a Jew. Frank Lowy in his Own Words

World Premiere 

Sir Frank Lowy has lived many lives. Born in Slovakia in 1930, he lost his father in the Holocaust, he fought in the Arab-Israeli War in 1948 and left Israel in 1952 for Australia to join family members who had settled in Sydney. There, Lowy met fellow immigrant John Saunders and together they opened their first shopping centre in Sydney in 1959, which led to the multi-billion-dollar international shopping centre empire, Westfield Corporation. 

At the age of 88, Lowy decided to return to Israel to live there for the remainder of his life. Through archival footage and intimate testimony, this documentary sees Lowy reflecting on his long life as he approaches his 95th birthday. He considers what has shaped his resilience and his indelible Jewish identity, and faces the confronting aftermath of the Hamas attacks by visiting massacre sites and meeting with survivors. 

Hebrew, English with English subtitles

“I know I inherited my love for Judaism from my parents. Even when they didn’t speak it, they lived it. I’m not deeply religious, but it’s the essence of my soul.” – Frank Lowy