This film is a household name among American Jews, regardless of its title of "the first sound film", because it reflects the real contradictions among American Jewish immigrants in the early twentieth century.
The main contradiction between father and son in the film is not simply "father let me inherit the family business, but I just want to pursue my dreams". More importantly, it is the problem of self-cognition caused by immigration.
As the father of Cantor (Cantor is not an ordinary Jewish rabbi, and has a very important position in the Jewish community), even after coming to the United States, self-recognition is still the first to be Jewish. For him, religious traditions have created Jews, and failure to observe them is equivalent to erasing the cultural imprint on himself. If you discard tradition, who are you?
A son born in the United States does not believe that religious tradition is the only definition of Jews. Do I sing jazz and change my name, so I am not my mother's child or Jewish? The idea of the son is also a typical idea of Jewish secularism. This school advocates using language and communal culture instead of religion to define Jewishness.
The contradiction between the father and son continues to intensify, and the father should not be accused of being stubborn, because neither is right or wrong. What is Jewishness? This question has been arguing since the Jews set foot in the United States, and I don’t think there will be a decisive answer in the end. For American Jews, whether they are Jews or not, and what constitutes living like Jews are all personal choices, and there is no standard answer.
The evening prayer Kol Nidrei used in the film is the first prayer of Yom Kippur on Yom Kippur. It is generally believed that this prayer ceremony took shape in the early Middle Ages. Historically, in order to survive locally, Jews were often forced to convert to Christianity or Islam. Because they have abandoned their vows with God, and Jewish tradition attaches great importance to the power of words, this makes it difficult to return to Judaism. In this case, Kol Nidrei gave the Jews who had been converted a second chance and forgave them for the unconscionable oath they had been forced to make. The actor finally sang Kol Nidre, understanding his father's persistence and stubbornness. He reconciled with his father and reached a reconciliation with himself.
May all the people of Israel be forgiven, including all the strangers who live in their midst, for all the people are in fault.
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