Shot in Leeds, and screened at the Leeds Film Festival, this dramatic short film is a fictional piece made by Leeds filmmaker, Simon Glass, which thematically affirms the importance of keeping up Jewish traditions in light of historic atrocities, such as the Holocaust. The narrative focuses on a Jewish Grandfather, who tries to impress upon his grandson the significance of dedicating the entire day to his Bar Mitzvah, rather than attending a party with his friends. Title - in association...

Shot in Leeds, and screened at the Leeds Film Festival, this dramatic short film is a fictional piece made by Leeds filmmaker, Simon Glass, which thematically affirms the importance of keeping up Jewish traditions in light of historic atrocities, such as the Holocaust. The narrative focuses on a Jewish Grandfather, who tries to impress upon his grandson the significance of dedicating the entire day to his Bar Mitzvah, rather than attending a party with his friends. Title - in association with Title - Winburn - Glass - Norfolk. Chartered accountants. Title - WBMF Productions presents. Title - Yakov, my boy. An unseen man rolls up his sleeve, revealing a Holocaust identification tattoo on his forearm. He then wraps a hand tefillin (a length of leather) around his forearm and places a cubic tefillin upon his forehead. Shots show a mass prayer in progress, with Jewish men wearing shawls and skull caps, praying as one man reads a passage from the Torah in Hebrew. Yakov, a young boy of twelve, and his grandfather, stand among the group; Yakov's grandfather looks with adulation at his grandson in the Shawl and Skull cap, stating, "Now you look like a man". The scene concludes with more shots of the prayer, before an interjection of modern music signals a scene change. In a barber shop, the grandfather sweeps hair from the floor. A dialogue exchange between the Jewish customers occurs; one man, looking out the window, comments on a 'meshugana' (slang for 'crazy person' in Yiddish), as he attempts to place a Christmas tree in his car boot, with another customer commenting on frivolity of Christmas: "At the end of it they can't bear to be in the same room as each other." Yakov enters, and the grandfather announcing that it is Yakov's Bar Mitzvah next Saturday. A humorous scene ensues with one of the customers belting out his Bar Mitvah, annoying the other customer. One of the Jewish customers remarks that it's great to see Yakov carrying on the faith, unlike his own son who dismissed it at the age of twelve. The customers then wish Yakov luck before exiting the shop, leaving Yakov to get a special Bar Mitzvah haircut. During the haircut, the major conflict arises when Yakov asks his grandfather whether it is possible to go to a birthday party on Saturday, after his Bar Mitzvah. The grandfather flatly denies his request, raising his voice as he conveys his disappointment. The next scene opens with Yakov privately practising his verse from the Torah in his bedroom. The grandfather enters and apologises to Yakov, explaining that the significance of the Bar Mitzvah stems from his experience of the Holocaust, which prevented him from having one himself. Yakov sees the importance of his grandfather's point and agrees to dedicate the hole of his Saturday to the celebration. Yakov and his grandfather walk through the park, past kids playing football. The final scene captures the Bar Mitzvah in the Synagogue, where Yakov reads his passage from the Torah with confidence. Yakov concludes his passage and the guests, who sit behind the podium, throw rice in celebration. The final moment captures Yakov's grandfather beaming with pride.