Praying with Lior DVD
Produced and directed by Ilana Trachtman
First Run Features, March 24, 2009
Audience - 10-100
Cautions: Lior’s mom dies from breast cancer, many very sad moments

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Lior has a big challenge ahead; his Bar Mitzvah is impending and he has to prepare for it which includes reading from the Torah and delivering a five-minute speech in front of 300 people. An awesome task for any 13 year old, Lior also has the added challenge of Down syndrome and coping with the loss of his mother to breast cancer. Lior is so eloquent that there isn’t a dry eye in the synagogue (or, presumably, in the eyes of those who watch this DVD). Regardless of your religious views, this DVD will definitely help put all things in perspective. By the end of the film, I was one big, soggy mess of gratitude and I have only Lior to thank for that. 

Aside from cheering for Lior and his family as the Bar Mitzvah date approaches, there are some other amazing moments in the film. One of Lior’s classmates (Aaron) says something incredibly insightful and profound for a boy of 13. Roughly interpreted here, he says that everyone on earth has a test and Lior’s test is bigger than many others because God knows he can handle it. Aaron then goes on to say that God is also testing those in Lior’s community and seeing how people treat him.

Have at least one box of tissues on the ready for this emotional, uplifting film.

Producer’s Synopsis:
An engrossing, wrenching and tender documentary film, PRAYING WITH LIOR introduces Lior Liebling, also called “the little rebbe.” Lior has Down syndrome, and has spent his entire life praying with utter abandon. Is he a “spiritual genius” as many around him say? Or simply the vessel that contains everyone’s unfulfilled wishes and expectations?

Lior - whose name means “my light” - lost his mother at age six, and her words and spirit hover over the film. While everyone agrees Lior is closer to God, he’s also a burden, a best friend, an inspiration, and an embarrassment, depending on which family member is speaking. As Lior approaches Bar Mitzvah, the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony different characters provides a window into life spent “praying with Lior.” The movie poses difficult questions such as what is “disability” and who really talks to God? Told with intimacy and humor, PRAYING WITH LIOR is a family story, a triumph story, a grief story, a divinely-inspired story.

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