The Ciesla Foundation

Based in Washington, D.C., The Ciesla Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization. Ciesla (pronounced CHESH-lä) produces documentaries that investigate non-stereotypical images of Jews in history and celebrates the untold stories of Jewish heroes and those fighting for social justice. Films include Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, which details the accomplishments of Gertrude Berg and her media empire, the Peabody award-winning The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg and Partisans of Vilna, a film about Jewish resistance against the Nazis. The foundation released Rosenwald, a documentary on Sears head and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, who joined with Southern African American communities during the Jim Crow years to build 5,000 schools and supported major African American artists and intellectuals. Furthering its work to combat stereotypes, Imagining the Indian is an upcoming documentary on the history of the movement against Native American mascots.

Ciesla was founded in 1979 by filmmaker Aviva Kempner, who serves as the executive director. Kempner is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Ciesla’s films have received numerous honors and awards including top honors from the National Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Circle, the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the CINE Golden Eagle Award.

Through insightful and revealing storytelling, interviews with key figures and wide distribution, Ciesla’s films assure worthy individuals their rightful places in history and serves to educate audiences, filling gaps in history on important issues of our time.