ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
How did the bagel travel from the shtetls of Poland to the streets of New York to the rest of the world? And what does this say about Jewish assimilation?

SYNOPSIS
The story of the bagel is the classic story of the immigrant made good in America—struggling, then prospering, and finally assimilating.

Once available only in the Jewish enclaves of a few urban centers, today there is scarcely a mid-sized American community that doesn’t have at least one bagel shop and Dunkin’ Donuts is the largest purveyor of bagels in America.

It’s all happened in the span of just a single generation. But how it happened—and what was lost in the process—is one of the most fascinating and little-known stories in American history.

This film will tell the never before told story of the rise and fall of the International Bagel Bakers Union that for decades produced every single bagel made in New York and a small group of artisans who powerfully maintained the traditions of the first Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe and fought for better working conditions with strikes and walkouts and in-shop sabotage. And it’s also the story of how the union was ultimately destroyed by modern technology.

But the death of the union also meant the death of the traditional bagel that was made from dough that was too dense to go through the new bagel machines and so bakers had to soften it. The bagel that was crafted for decades—small, dense, and chewy—has now become huge, pillowy and soft.

The story that emerges evokes larger themes about assimilation in America, the demise of the labor movement, and the fate of ethnic foods when they get adopted by the culture at large. The film will also be of interest to anyone who has ever eaten a bagel—and these days that’s just about everyone. Based on footage shot by renowned filmmaker Joan Micklin Silver.

PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature

DIRECTOR Sarah Teale, Nela Wagman, Jack Wareham
PRODUCER Sarah Teale, Nela Wagman
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER Amanda Tiller

The Film Collaborative (TFC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing programs and services for independent filmmakers. TFC’s federal tax ID number is 32-0295081. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

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