The Longing

The Forgotten Jews of South America

A small group of South Americans, whose ancestors were European Jews forced to convert during the Spanish Inquisition, long to affirm their faith. Isolated in Catholic countries and rejected by local Jewish communities, they battle to become Jews regardless of the consequences.

The Longing, set in Ecuador, tells the story of a small group of South Americans attempting to regain their birthright as Jews. The film focuses on a doctor and his wife from a small town in Ecuador and three women from Ibague, Colombia, who explain their connection to Judaism and why their desire to convert is so strong.

Frustrated in their attempts to become Jews, the group locates a Brazilian-American rabbi on the internet who travels around the world helping "lost Jews" reclaim their identities. But, first, Rabbi Cukierkorn must get the local Jewish community's support in facilitating the process. Tension runs high as the process and their struggle for acceptance begins.