Hadassim: A Children’s Village (film #24 in the Rural Settlement and Security section of the State of Israel section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Public Service]

This Canadian film from the 50s shows a rural home for homeless children in Israel and its program of rehabilitation and education for children who have been traumatized by war and the Holocaust. This is told very straightforwardly and rather impersonally in comparison with the many personal-story-type films on similar topics on the Spielberg Archive. This is basically your standard good-works film, made to show charitable donors how their money was being spent. It has historical value in the documentation of the assimilation of homeless children and youth into Israel, but no real surprises.

Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: *. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.