Wandering Rabbi

Wandering Rabbi follows Rabbi Marshal Klaven, a 34 year old, itinerant rabbi, as he travels across the American South, visiting a circuit of small Jewish communities, leading Shabbat services, ministering at life cycle events, and providing guidance and advice to the members of these small communities. Rabbi Marshall faces imposing obstacles: congregations of swiftly aging and rapidly dwindling populations, atheistic sons and daughters, and an alarming rise in the number of old and beautiful synagogues closing their doors for good. Rabbi Marshal faces an uphill, if not impossible challenge to breathe life back into these congregations. Set against the alluring backdrop of the decaying Mississippi delta, the candid interactions between Rabbi Marshal and his congregations reveal an unheralded resilience of faith in the unlikeliest of places.

Henry Wiener, born and raised in Jackson, MS, received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University, majoring in American Military History. After living and working in New York City for 5 years, Henry completed his MFA in Documentary Film at Stanford University in 2014. His films cover an eclectic group of subjects: Bay Area gun rights activists, a 21 year old female NASCAR driver, a Minor League baseball churro vendor, and a traveling Rabbi. All of these films tell stories of people who pursue life with special passion and energy, across a spectrum of American culture.