By Olivia Consuelo Ramos
Correspondent
Gary Gellman, a 1989 alumnus of the College, collaborated with Alana Denenberg, a 2023 graduate, and a camera operator to produce the historical documentary “Life and Roosevelt.” The film captures the struggle of Jewish immigrants assimilating to the U.S.
Gellman graduated from the College in 1989 as a communication studies major with a minor in journalism.
The documentary has ties to the production’s heritage, as both Denenberg and Gellman have a Jewish heritage. Gellman’s father was Jewish but his mother was Italian catholic and he was raised in that religion.
The state of New Jersey awarded a grant to the Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County, which wanted to construct a documentary that focused on the town of Roosevelt and its historic foundings tied to a community of Jewish American families. Gellman Images, owned by Gellman, was asked to create this documentary.
The movie explores the town of Roosevelt, a small community located in Monmouth County. It was established during the Roosevelt administration and was inhabited by Jewish immigrants over the course of a few years who sought to escape antisemitism. It was originally named Jersey Homestead, but its name was changed to Roosevelt after the death of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The federal government built 200 cinder block homes for families to move into, and generations of families have lived in the town for about 90 years. The government wanted to create more commercialism in the suburban area that was made of mostly farmland.
The town has one synagogue and no churches, and it also has only one school that teaches children in kindergarten to eighth grade. The founders of Roosevelt are buried in the Roosevelt cemetery.
Three participants, along with the town historian and the executive of the city’s art council, each tell their story about how they and their families came to live in Roosevelt. Through their stories, the film paints a picture of the town’s history.
Gellman got into contact with the people who wanted to give their personal stories about the town. He found the participants through family friends and relatives who lived near the town.
“People didn’t want these Jewish people in their community, so history always repeats itself, and if we can learn from history we are so far ahead than if we say it will never happen again,” said Gellman, a former communication studies major and journalism minor.
Ben Shahn and his wife, Bernarda Shahn, were commissioned by the town to create a mural in the town’s only school. Coincidentally, the town attracted a plethora of artists, including painters, musicians and writers.
Denenberg, who was an interactive multimedia major with a minor in communication studies, is the editor of the movie and helped her fellow co-workers in gathering the participants and researching the town’s origins.
Denenberg gathered information and historic photos of the town. This helped her edit and compile the footage they had of the town and of the participants into a cohesive story.
Along with information about the origins of the town, miscellaneous historic artifacts were found, including a video of Eleanor Roosevelt.
“I find that really interesting, all these little pieces and you’re just kind of making a puzzle in the end,” Denenberg said.
Denenberg edited the film similar to the style of Netflix documentaries, editing shots and images gathered from the layout of the town and compiling footage of the interviews into a story next to images of the town’s scenery.
The documentary will have a public premiere at the Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County on Oct. 20, which will conclude with a panel questionnaire from participants and residents of Roosevelt.
