Early in her career, Yiddish theater star Molly Picon traveled to Vienna to make films. The earliest to survive is East and West , a blend of comedy, romance and cross-cultural collision. Picon plays an Americanized young Jewish woman whose independent outlook (and pugilistic interests) clash with the Old World traditions of her Eastern European relatives. Jacob Kalich (Picon’s real-life husband) co-stars as a shy yeshiva scholar, while Sidney M. Goldin appears as Molly’s tradition-minded father. This special presentation features live original music composed and performed by world-renowned klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals and celebrated silent film pianist Donald Sosin. September 15, 2026, 7:30 pm, The Cinematheque at the Cleveland Institute of Art. $25/$20 Cinematheque and CSFF members.

For more information, visit https://cinematheque.cia.edu/movies/east-and-west/.