Joachim Prinz’s battle for civil rights makes the Jewish Film Fest timely and relevant.

Before he was expelled from Germany for his activism in 1937, Rabbi Joachim Prinz was something of a heartthrob. He drew crowds to regular synagogue services, and spoke passionately against racism, despite the dangers of speaking out in Nazi Germany.

Prinz relocated to Newark, New Jersey, where he became equally devoted to speaking out against racism, this time on behalf of blacks. He was an outspoken ally of Martin Luther King Jr., and arrested repeatedly for protesting.

Prinz spoke to a crowd of 200,000 people assembled for the famous march on Washington in August 1963. He drew a parallel between his own persecution in Germany and racism in America: “The most important thing I learned in my life is that bigotry and hatred are not the most urgent problems,” he said. “The most urgent, disgraceful, shameful and tragic problem is silence.”

He then cautioned against what he witnessed in Europe: “A great people, which have created a great civilization, had become a nation of silent onlookers. America must not become a nation of onlookers. Not for the sake of the black community, but for the sake of the dream, the idea, and the aspiration of America itself.”

The film Joachim Prinz: I Shall Not Be Silent tells his story, and of the alignment between the Jewish and black communities in the fight for civil rights. Considering organizers of the annual Carmel Jewish Film Festival selected the films months ago, it’s uncanny how timely Prinz’s message is with the #BlackLivesMatter conversation taking place at the same time.

Three panelists delve into a discussion following the film. For Ann Jealous, a retired therapist and long-time civil rights activist, Prinz’s message rings true more than ever. “When we are silent, we are part of the problem,” she says. “Whether or not we are well-intentioned or full of hate or fear, it doesn’t matter in terms of anything changing if we are silent.”

THE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL occurs at various times and locations March 7-22. $12/films; $10/members, seniors; $6/students, military; $155/all-access. 800-838-3006, www.carmeljff.org.

Roll Film

A quick look at the festival’s flicks:

7:30pm March 7 | The Third Half

The daughter of a wealthy Jewish banker and a poor soccer player elope, the beleaguered Macedonian Football Club hires a Jewish coach, and World War II rages. A true story of love and war.

Reception at 6:30pm, discussion follows. Irvine Auditorium, MIIS, 460 Pierce St., Monterey.

5pm March 8 | Dolphin Boy

A teenager suffers from PTSD after a violent attack. An Israeli psychiatrist gets the boy to swim with dolphins.

Reception at 4pm; talk by psychiatrist Ilan Kutz follows. Golden Bough Playhouse, Monte Verde between Eighth and Ninth, Carmel.

7:30pm March 10 | Joachim Prinz: I Shall Not Be Silent

See story, this page.

7:30pm March 14 | Above and Beyond

American WWII vets head to Israel to fight in the War of Independence.

Reception at 6:30pm, Q&A follows film. Irvine Auditorium.

5pm March 15 | Run Boy Run

A 9-year-old boy flees the Nazis and lives in the forest.

Golden Bough Playhouse.

7:30pm March 18 | A Bottle in Gaza Sea

A long-distance friendship between two young people as they struggle to understand the war-torn history of home.

Talk follows. Congregation Beth Israel, 5716 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel.

7:30pm March 21 | For a Woman

A woman explores the story of her parents, who met at a concentration camp.

Reception at 6:30pm. Congregation Beth Israel.

7:30pm March 22 | Jews and the Making of San Francisco

Jews drawn to the Gold Rush launched what became the second largest Jewish community in the U.S. for a time.

Reception at 6:30pm, Q&A with S.F. State Professor Marc Dollinger follows. Congregation Beth Israel.