Yaniv is a new 80-minute centered on Barry Bernstein, a theater teacher in the Bronx who finds himself in the middle of an Orthodox-run gambling ring when trying to raise money for his spring musical after he is told that his budget for the production is cut.
But before we get to Yaniv the movie, which is premiering at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan at 334 Amsterdam Avenue near 76th Street tonight at 7pm (you can snag tickets here), let’s talk about Yaniv the card game.
Popular in Israel among soldiers and backpackers, the game is basically a version of Blackjack whose origin is attributed to a certain Yaniv and Asaf, friends that were backpacking through East Asia and were supposedly looking for ways to pass the time throughout their travels.
Although no official document actually points to that specific origin story, the game is clearly part and parcel of Israeli culture today. Its fans include childhood friends Ben Ducoff and Amnon Carmi, co-writers and co-producers on Yaniv, the film.
In addition to focusing on the card game, the film, directed which Carmi directs and Ducoff stars in, also explores the various “types” of Jews that populate New York in specific.
Although Bernstein is a secular Jew, his discovery of a (fictional?) underground Yaniv gambling ring puts him face-to-face with the Haredi folks that run it.
“I felt that very much in real life — it’s so crazy that these are my people, but we could not be so different,” Carmi said to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “We’re not making fun of the Jewish culture or any denomination of it. It’s a respectful view and focuses on the moral core of it all.”
Before tonight’s premiere at the JCC, Carmi and Ducoff will sit down for a Q&A session where they will also teach attendees how to play Yaniv.
