"Thursday, November 30 at 7:15pm

The Olive and the Tree is Dr. Ruth Westheimer’s fourth documentary. While the subject matter she has chosen has always varied, the purpose remains the same: to demonstrate the importance of family values, with a particular focus on the manner in which they are transmitted to future generations. In her latest film, Dr. Ruth tells the story of the Druze, Israel’s most fascinating non-Jewish religious minority. Starting with childhood education, the Druze constantly must fight to maintain the sect’s unique cultural and social identity despite the lure of assimilation. There is no converting to the Druze. You must be born into it. Their religion is an 11th century offshoot of Islam which developed as a separate faith. There are approximately 700,000 Druze in the world today, of which 115,000 live in the mountain villages of Israel’s Galilee and Carmel regions. Because their faith preaches loyalty to the nations in which they reside, the Druze, unique among Israel’s non-Jewish minorities, perform compulsory military service in the Israel Defense Forces. As a result, the Druze have earned the trust and respect of Israel’s citizens and government.

Great Holiday Gift!
Dr. Ruth will autograph the new edition of her best-selling book "Sex for Dummies.""

Above copied from a Cinema Arts Centre e-mail