A New Documentary Explores Jewish Women in Texas History
May 1, 2023
A new feature-length documentary, Grit & Grace: How Six Jewish Women Transformed Texas, began filming on January 7, 2023, in San Antonio. Grit & Grace explores almost 200 years of Texas history through the stories of six pioneering Jewish women – Rosanna Osterman, Olga Kohlberg, Gussie Oscar, Dr. Ray K. Daily, Fania Kruger, and Frances Kallison. The film will explore how these women and their generosity of spirit, dedication to community, intellectual and artistic curiosity, and true grit elevated Texas from a scrappy, startup Republic to a diverse and dynamic powerhouse of a state. Initial funding came from a generous grant provided by the Texas Jewish Historical Society (TXJHS.org), an organization established in 1980. One of the film’s subjects, Frances Kallison, was a co-founder of TXJHS.
Grit & Grace is a passion project of Howdy Nagila, LLC, a trio of filmmakers, who recognize an urgent need to tell and share these stories. Their mission states, “Every single day, we lose a bit more of our connection to the past. These stories, especially as remembered by descendants, need to be captured just as soon as possible.” To that end, they have partnered with SeedandSpark.com, a crowdfunding site focused solely on helping “creators and audiences work together to tell stories that celebrate diverse voices and foster vibrant conversation.” The campaign to fund Grit & Grace launched on April 12, 2023, and can be found here: https:// seedandspark.com/fund/gritandgracethemovie.
Producer/Director Barbara Rosenthal, the creator of Seders & Cigars: A History of Jews in Tampa (SedersandCigars.com), feels that too often, history is served to the public through the stories of men and that it is vital to create a more inclusive cinematic record. When the team’s research began in the summer of 2022, Rosenthal states that “when we discovered what these women accomplished, we knew these were the stories we needed to tell.” Sundance-nominated Producer Jeff Gross, who brings many years of Hollywood experience to the team, views Grit & Grace as an opportunity to “get these stories to the masses and educate audiences about this under-explored history. Plus, being born and raised in New York, I really want to see a film about Jewish life in Texas. I had no idea about any of this when we got started.” Writer Dr. Linda Levitt, professor of Communication at Stephen F. Austin State University, whose primary research considers how media shapes understandings of the past, feels that Grit & Grace affords her an opportunity to help shape the narratives of women whose stories have not yet been fully told.