Whoever heard of Jewish pirates? Contrary to the Hollywood stereotype, Jews were ambitious adventurers who sought revenge at a time when Spain was a major maritime power, and a safe haven from the Spanish Inquisition for themselves and their families.

The evening will feature the first ever showing of The Pirate Captain Toledano, an award-winning short fiction film by Arnon Z. Shorr. To-date, the only dramatisation of Inquisition-era Jewish piracy, it tells the story of a refugee from the Spanish Inquisition who is caught as a stowaway on a 16th century pirate ship. The film is in English, with some Ladino and liturgical Hebrew.

We will then have a discussion via Skype with director Arnon Z. Shorr and Richard Rasner, pirate history consultant.