Rabbi Wolff
“A Gentleman Before God”
2016•1h 32m•5.0•Released
Documentary
William Wolff is nearly 90 and perhaps the most unconventional rabbi in the world. As the State Rabbi of North-East Germany, he looks after the Jewish Communities in Schwerin and Rostock, but still lives in a bungalow near Henley-on-Thames. Midweek he usually flies from Heathrow to Germany. After the services on Saturdays, he either makes his way home or on a leisure city trip. His annual highlight is betting at the Horse Race of Royal Ascot and joining a fasting-retreat in Bad Pyrmont. Willy Wolff leads a Jet-Set-Life, which he actually cannot afford, but dealing with money isn't one of his strengths. Naturally, that occasionally leads to quite temporal conflicts. Rabbi Wolff is the portrait of a fascinating character, a deeply religious man who, blessed with a tremendous joie de vivre, defies all conventions. More than that, it gives insight into the world of Judaism and introduces us to a uniquely German biography.
Director
Britta Wauer
Writer
Britta Wauer
Languages
German, English, Hebrew
Studio
Britzka Film
Cast
William Wolff
Himself
Andreas Buchinger
Himself
Valeriy Bunimov
Himself
Kathleen Egleton
Herself
Robin Fell
Himself
Elisheva Friedman
Herself
Leo Hepner
Himself
Elsa Hillman
Herself
Stefanie Horn
Herself
Olga Korneeva
Herself
Manuela Koska
Herself
James Leek
Himself
David Owen
Himself
Karla Pilpel
Herself
Jurij Riosov
Himself
Production
Company
Britzka Film
Company
ARTE
Company
RBB
Producer
Britta Wauer
Recommended
6.9
One of Us
2017
6.7
Gilbert
2017
8
My Mom Jayne
2025
7.6
Night Will Fall
2014
7.5
Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski
2018
7.4
For the Love of Spock
2016
6.2
Seduced and Abandoned
2013
7.3
Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present
2012
6.9
The Crash
2026
6.8
Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home
2022
7
This Place Rules
2022
7.9
John Candy: I Like Me
2025
7.3
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God
2012
6.7
American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince
1978
6.9
Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin
2003
7.1
The Mole: Undercover in North Korea
2020
7.7
As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty
2000
7
Brother's Keeper
1992
7.2
To Be Takei
2014
7.4
I Am Heath Ledger
2017
Similar Movies
My Jewish Death
2015
5.9
A Life Apart: Hasidism in America
1998
7
Religulous
2008
8
Aside From That
0
Our Aotearoa
2022
Wellstone!
2004
6.7
Regina
2013
10
Tragic Awakening: A New Look at the Oldest Hatred
2024
4.7
The Eternal Jew
1940
Chief Rabbi's Emergency Council
1947
7.8
The Ornament of the World
2019
10
Ady Steg, un parcours juif, une histoire française
2024
5.2
Marching to Zion
2015
6
Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story
2010
Blog of the Eurotrip with isej: Warsaw, Krakow, Budapest, Vienna and Prague
2026
7
Talmud
2007
Le cahier de Danièle Kahn
2024
Volvo City
1991
6
The Tribe
2005
The Eichmann Trial
2025