Praying With Lior

"Lior means 'my light'... He is a light, he's a light for us and many other people too. Kind of like a spotlight on what is important."
- Lynne Iser, Lior's Step Mom


More about the documentary here

In the Director's Own Words

Searching for spiritual inspiration outside the stale synagogue experience of my childhood, I attended a retreat for the Jewish New Year. As I sat in the service, anxious, distracted, counting the pages until I'd be free, I heard Lior's unabashed, off-key, ecstatic voice. When I turned to look at the source of this sound, I was struck to see a boy with Down syndrome. And I was surprised to find myself envious of this "disabled" child, who could pray as I wished I could.

Over the course of this retreat, I stalked Lior, looking for the secret to his prayer. When I heard he was having a Bar Mitzvah, I pictured the movie version. And then I realized that I could make it.

Soon after, I read "Praying with Lior," the article Lior's late mother had written 7 years earlier, about her 5 year-old son who had Down syndrome and could pray like nobody's business. Devora ended the article wondering what Lior's Bar Mitzvah would be like, wondering if she would live to see it. Reading that prophetic question, and knowing that she died, I felt compelled to tell the story where the article left off.