Passionate about water

UCSB graduate tells about Holocaust survivors’ contribution to conservation in ‘Who Are the Marcuses?’

UCSB graduate Matthew Mishory is telling the story of two Holocaust survivors’ contribution to global water conservation efforts in “Who Are the Marcuses?”

Mr. Mishory wrote and directed the documentary, which had its world premiere Monday as part of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

The film, which includes footage from Israel and its Negev Desert and city of Haifa, will screen again at 3 p.m. today at Metro 4, 618 State St. A reception will follow. Producers Brad Schlei, Rob Levine and Alvaro Fernández, as well as editor Marc Cohen and cinematographer Michael Marius Pessah, will join Mr. Mishory at the screening.

The movie is about Holocaust refugees Lottie and Howard Marcus, a Long Island couple who gave a half-billion-dollar gift to Ben-Gurion University in Israel for its water conservation work.

Mr. and Mrs. Marcus died in the mid-2010s at the ages of 104 and 95, respectively. But Mr. Mishory talked to Ellen Marcus, their daughter, about them as well as various experts including sources in Israel.

“Water scarcity technology and research — that was Howard and Lottie’s passion,” Mr. Mishory told the News-Press Tuesday.

He said the couple first learned about water scarcity issues in the 1990s. “Howard became quite convinced that the next world war could be fought over water if something wasn’t done about this crisis.”

Mr. Mishory, who earned his bachelor’s in film in 2004 at UCSB, said Mr. Marcus was impressed with the progress Israel had made in dealing with water scarcity.

“At some point, he became convinced that Israel had solutions to water problems, not only in its region but all around the world,” said Mr. Mishory, a Jewish filmmaker and West Hollywood resident born in Santa Monica, where he operates his office.

Mr. Mishory, who has dual U.S. and Israeli citizenship, said Mr. Marcus recognized that water conservation isn’t just a matter of survival. Mr. Marcus realized sharing water conservation knowledge could contribute to world peace.

Mr. Mishory explained water conservation is a stool with three legs.

“One leg is education, conservation, recognizing scarcity and the importance of weather,” he said.

“The second component is reused water,” Mr. Mishory said. “In the United States, we use 5% of our waste water. Israel reuses 95%. Reuse is something we could be doing right away.”

“The third leg of the stool is various technological advancements,” he continued.

Mr. Mishory noted drip irrigation, which was invented in Israel, uses less water than the flood irrigation widely used in the U.S.

“Israel is leading desalination technology,” Mr. Mishory said.

He predicted improvements in technology will continue. “Waste water is going to be turned into drinkable water in our lifetime.”

Mr. Mishory said Ellen Marcus convinced her parents, who made their fortune as one of the first investors in Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, to give their money to a good cause upon their death instead of to her. In 2016, the half-billion dollars went to Ben Gurion University.

“Her parents were Holocaust escapees who came to the United States, initially to New York, then San Diego,” Mr. Mishory said. “They were introduced to Warren Buffett.”

Known for his own philanthropy, Mr. Buffett is interviewed in the documentary.

“I’m told by some journalists that it might be the most extensive interview Mr. Buffett has ever done,” Mr. Mishory said.

Others interviewed for the documentary include Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog.

The documentary meant a lot to Mr. Mishory. “My grandparents (Yehuda and Rivka Mishory) were around for the founding of Israel and lived through those water-scarce years. I had a personal connection with the story.”

He said the next five or six film festivals are booked for “Who Are the Marcuses?” After that, he said, the film will go on a streaming service, but which one hasn’t been decided.

email: dmason@newspress.com