Unveiling the untold saga of Jewish women’s exploitation in Argentina’s sex trade, ‘Laid to Rest’ is a gripping documentary that exposes forgotten truths and digs deep into a shameful chapter of history that was never laid to rest.
From the streets of Buenos Aires all the way to Punta del Este Jewish Film Festival with Ricardo Ceppi and Max Berliner in search of long lost buried stories. 🎬 #worldpremiere 📣 @festivalespde
Unveiling shadows of a bygone era, a photojournalist stumbles upon a mysterious reel of photos. Who is the enigmatic woman captured within its frames? As layers of secrecy unravel, suppressed tales of taboo emerge from Buenos Aires’ cobblestone streets, hinting at the city’s perilous past. Within La Boca’s historic port neighborhood, the struggles of women, notably within the Jewish community, come to light: Rosa, lured by love, embarked on a journey with her groom from Poland to Argentina in 1899; Perla, seeking job opportunities, ventured to Buenos Aires. As whispers of courage and resistance resound, distant memories resurface: actor Max Berliner recalls his childhood in the brothel-strewn Once neighborhood, while actress Shifra Lerer reminisces about her role in a forgotten Yiddish play about a Jewish prostitute that once stirred controversy in the Yiddish press and theaters. But who was Raquel, the fearless voice that dared to challenge the clandestine world of Jewish sex trafficking in 1930? With a raw, gritty camera style and an unscripted, reportage-like montage, the documentary “Laid to Rest” endeavors to give voice to women who dared to defy their fate, echoing the historic fight against exploitation within the Jewish community. Chronicled in salvaged women’s aid archives, buried headlines of Yiddish newspapers, and in the silent remains of the secluded old Jewish cemetery, these stories shed light on the enduring struggle against the historic sex trade, serving as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. As the echoes of the buried past reverberate in the present, the film resurrects a forgotten history that was never laid to rest, showcasing the power of a marginalized community in confronting ongoing universal concerns of global sex trafficking.
July 30 marks the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, and was was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/68/192. “Leave no one behind” is the central, transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.