"That's How You Make a Torah" Short Film
Duration: 10 Minutes
Starring: Jen Taylor Friedman, Rabbi Linda Motzkin
Directed by: Lauren Greenhall
Cinematographer: Hannah Engelson
Editor: Marissa Gouverne
Composer: Mikey Coltun
Original Songs by: David Hrivnek
Colorist: Emily Bailey
Sound NY: Blaine Bailey
Sound UK: Matt Bacon
Sound Mix: Rich Hamilton
Consultant for JxJ: Natalie Difford
This Film was made possible due to the generous support of the The 2025 Matthew Harris Ornstein JxJ Short Film Fund.
Description: Linda is stretching out deer skins in her backyard. Jen is sharpening her blade. Their quest? To take on the sacred craft of scribing Torah. Men have been scribing Torahs since 3 BCE, but the first Torah written by a woman only happened in 2007! In this documentary short, meet two of the first known female scribes in history, discover the social and physical obstacles that they overcame to achieve this goal, and - as a Jewish woman - how their wisdom and Torah affect the filmmaker personally.
