Who Are the Marcuses

Honoring Ellen Marcus.

Co-presented by:

Presented with support from:

A special reception, sponsored by Americans for Ben-Gurion University, will be on November 6 from 7:00-7:45PM at Temple Beth Shalom before the film showtime. This features free food, drinks, and music; all included with your purchase of an event ticket, or possession of a pass.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This will film will ONLY be available to watch in person. The movie is not included in the online section of the festival per the producers’ stipulation.

“Who Are the Marcuses?” reconstructs the lives of Holocaust refugees Lottie and Howard Marcus, an unassuming couple from Great Neck, New York, who retired to a modest two-bedroom apartment in San Diego, California. Former dentist Howard passed away in 2014 at age 104. Lottie passed less than two years later. In 2016, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev announced the Marcuses had given them over half a billion dollars: the largest single charitable donation to the State of Israel in its history. The film simultaneously traces the development of Israel’s vital water technology from pre-state to the present; how the Marcuses” endowment to BGU has ensured its continued leading-edge development in this science for not only the Israeli people, but the world as a whole; sets the family’s gift in geopolitical context; and explores both its impact and implications for regional peace through technology exchange.

WHY WE LIKE THIS FILM: Ellen Marcus, a Temple Beth Shalom member, is the daughter of Lottie and Howard Marcus, and we are delighted to present an evening with her, the director of the film, and the CEO of Americans for Ben Gurion University. The film not only covers the history of her parents and how they made the money they gave to Ben Gurion University, but also showcases the expertise Israel has in water technology and culture, and its implication for regional development and peace. Furthermore, while few people will have half a billion dollars to give away, it helps us think about what causes WE care about and how we can use our resources to further them.