Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls

Join the Woody Guthrie Center, Circle Cinema, the Oklahoma Jewish Film Festival, and the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art for the Tulsa premiere of the documentary, Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie on Thursday, Aug. 20.

This compelling documentary explores an often-overlooked chapter of Woody Guthrie’s life and legacy, examining the profound influence of Jewish culture, faith, and community on the iconic folk singer’s worldview, music and activism. Through archival footage, interviews, and historical insight, the film reveals Guthrie’s relationship with his Jewish in-laws and the relationships that helped shape some of his most enduring beliefs about justice, equality and human dignity.

A pre-show reception with live music performed by Jesse Aycock will begin at 6 p.m., with the screening beginning at 7 p.m. Following the screening, guests will have the opportunity to hear from the documentary director, Steven Pressman, as he and Cady Shaw, Senior Director of the Woody Guthrie Center, engage in a Q&A session discussing the film’s themes and Woody Guthrie’s lasting relevance.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to discover another side of one of America’s most influential voices.

Tickets for the special screening on August 20 are $15 members, $18 non-members. As an extra bonus, attendees will receive free admission to the Woody Guthrie Center or the SMMJA when they present their ticket stub at the front desk.

The film will return to Circle for standard daily showtime Fri 8/21-Thu 8/27, with more information coming soon.

About the film: 1h29min - Documentary - Not Rated - English

The name Woody Guthrie conjures images of Dust Bowl families from the 1930s fleeing their soil-ravaged farms, along with those famous lyrical phrases, “This land is your land, this land is my land. From California to the New York Island.”

However, Woody’s horizons extended far beyond the dusty Oklahoma hills of his youth. Once his wanderings and ramblings brought him to New York City in the 1940s, he was introduced – both personally and professionally – into a vibrant Jewish culture that he wholeheartedly embraced and ultimately had a deep influence on his life and his music.

Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls also weaves in the story of Aliza Greenblatt, an immigrant from Ukraine who later became a prominent Yiddish poet and songwriter — and who also happened to be Woody’s mother-in-law.

From the dust storms of Oklahoma to the lox and bagels of Coney Island, discover a whole new side of Woody Guthrie that will forever change your view of one of America’s most celebrated songwriters and cultural icons.

About Steven Pressman: Steven Pressman is a former newspaper and magazine journalist who worked for a variety of publications in Los Angeles, Washington DC and San Francisco. As a filmmaker, Steve directed and produced 50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus, which premiered on HBO in 2013 and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Historical Programming. His next film, Holy Silence, premiered on PBS in 2020. Steve’s third film, The Levys of Monticello, won numerous awards while screening at more than 100 film festivals around the country since its release in 2022. His film, Moses Ezekiel: Portrait of a Lost Artist, screened at numerous film festivals after its release in 2024. Steve is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Documentary Peer group). In addition to his work as a filmmaker, Steve is the best-selling author of 50 Children: One Ordinary American Couple’s Extraordinary Rescue Mission Into the Heart of Nazi Germany (HarperCollins, 2014). Steve was born and raised in Los Angeles and received an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley.

About Jesse Aycock: As a versatile multi-instrumentalist, Tulsa’s Jesse Aycock is an in-demand sideman who has lent his talents to several national acts over the years, traveling the world as a member of Hard Working Americans and supporting tours for musicians Elizabeth Cook and The Secret Sisters. In addition to his time with Hard Working Americans, The Secret Sisters, and Elizabeth Cook, Jesse has also toured with Scott Hirsch, John Fullbright, Travis Linville, and Samantha Crain. During his career, he’s shared the stage with musical luminaries like Tedeschi Trucks Band, Widespread Panic, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, John Moreland, and Ian Moore. Previous solo releases include 2005’s Life’s Ladder and 2010’s Inside Out of Blue. Twenty-twelve’s Flowers & Wounds was recorded at Leon Russell’s legendary Church Studio in Tulsa. Jesse’s longtime and sorely missed friend and former bandmate, Neal Casal (Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Hard Working Americans), played guitar and George Sluppick (CRB, JJ Grey & Mofro) supplied drums, with additional contributions from David Hildago (Los Lobos) and Tulsa legend Jimmy Karstein.