Stories about "Sabbath Queen"
Filmmaker Sandi DuBowski screen his film Sabbath Queens to members of the Bates community on Feb. 4, 2026 in the Keck Classroom of Pettengill Hall. Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies Stephanie Pridgeon introduced the film and launched a conversation with the filmmaker that included a Q&A with audience members, who included members of the Religion Department Cynthia Baker, Alison Melnick, and Halla Attallah. SABBATH QUEEN, a feature documentary filmed over 21 years, follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie’s epic journey as the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis including the Chief Rabbis of Israel. He is torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny and becomes a drag-queen rebel, a queer bio-dad and the founder of Lab/Shul—an everybody-friendly, God-optional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation. SABBATH QUEEN joins Amichai on a lifelong quest to creatively and radically reinvent religion and ritual, challenge patriarchy and supremacy, champion interfaith love, and stand up for peace, ceasefire, and an end to the Occupation in Israel/Palestine. The film interrogates what Jewish survival means in a difficult rapidly changing 21st century. SABBATH QUEEN is directed and produced by Sandi DuBowski
Filmmaker’s visit creates a full circle moment 

Thursday, February 12, 2026 3:35 pm

When she was a college student, Stephanie Pridgeon fell hard for a documentary by award-winning director Sandi DuBowski. In this full circle moment, she introduced her students to DuBowski's work through his latest acclaimed film.