Saratoga Jewish Community Arts, supported by a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York and sponsored by Temple Sinai of Saratoga Springs, presents a panel discussion of the film A Call to Spy, on September 24 at 7 pm on Zoom only.

The historical drama, written by Sarah Megan Thomas and directed by Lydia Dean Pilcher, pays tribute to the “lady spies” recruited into England’s Special Operations Executive (SOE) during WWII. Pilcher has said that she was drawn to the topic because she felt a story about the power of multiculturalism was relevant to the current day rise of nationalism and extremism, and she wanted to feature a story about women who have not received enough attention or acknowledgement in history. The film won awards from Audience Choice, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Anti-Defamation League among others.

The SOE was a secret organization created in 1940 after the fall of France to the Nazis. Suddenly the British found it nearly impossible to get reliable intelligence from across the English Channel. The SOE started recruiting women into intelligence roles because it believed they could move more freely than men in occupied territories. The program’s mission also included “ungentlemanly warfare:” sabotage, subversion and resistance.

Vera Atkins (born Vera Maria Rosenberg) was the Romanian Jewish immigrant in London who oversaw the program. She recruited women with relevant skills from both civilian and military life, including wireless
operators and fluent French speakers. Although little heralded, they joined those who risked their lives in World War II. One in three British spies to France were caught and killed.

“The Greatest Generation,” says Phyllis Wang, Coordinator of SJCA “was composed of more that young white men. These brave women helped change the course of World War II.”

The film may be streamed free from Kanopy or purchased from Amazon Prime or Apple. It also may be available to subscribers of AMC+ and IFC+. Advance registration is required. To register, click on
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/HBOw3hU/ACalltoSpy.