Carmel Jewish Film Festival Closes “2 for Food & Film” Series with the Story of California’s Jewish Chicken Ranchers

The Carmel Jewish Film Festival (CJFF) and the Jewish Food Festival (JFF) will close their “2 for Food & Film” series with a screening of “A Home on the Range: The Jewish Chicken Ranchers of Petaluma” on Sunday, June 28, 2026, at 7 p.m. at Congregation Beth Israel. Sponsorships for the evening are open now, and descendants of the Petaluma ranching families featured in the film are available for media interviews ahead of the screening.
“A Home on the Range” chronicles a largely unknown chapter of California Jewish history: the immigrant families who built a thriving community on the chicken ranches of Petaluma. The evening opens with a dessert reception and a discussion with the chicken ranchers, ahead of the screening, offering audiences a chance to reflect on a story of resilience, reinvention and community that still resonates today. Congregation Beth Israel is located on Carmel Valley Road, just a mile from Highway 1.

Firsthand Voices Available for Interviews
Audiences will have the opportunity to meet community members with direct ties to that history. Terry Piotrkowski, whose grandfather, father and uncle operated the Sovel Chicken Ranch, will join former chicken ranchers Herschel and Lena Schuman, now living in Sebastopol, Calif. Ahead of the screening, these firsthand voices are available to share family memories, photographs and the lived experience behind the documentary. To arrange an interview, contact The Buzz PR.