What does Woody Guthrie, the famous Dust Bowl balladeer and the songwriter who wrote "This Land Is Your Land," have in common with blintzes, knishes and Hanukkah songs? A whole lot more than you could possibly imagine!

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Hearing the name Woody Guthrie for most of us conjures images of Dust Bowl refugees from the 1930s and migrant families fleeing their soil-ravaged farms, along with those famous lyrical phrases, "This land is your land, this land is my land. From California to the New York Island."

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But Woody extended his horizons far beyond the Oklahoma hills of his youth. And once his wanderings and ramblings brought him to New York City in the 1940s, he was introduced - both personally and professionally - into a vibrant Jewish culture that he wholeheartedly embraced and which, ultimately, had a deep influence on his life and his music.

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"I'll never forget the moment when I first discovered that Woody Guthrie had written some songs about Hanukkah," says Steven Pressman, the director and producer of Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls. "My curiosity kicked in immediately, and from that moment on I almost felt that I had an obligation to tell this remarkable story about this little-known Jewish side of Woody's life and music."

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Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls tells a rich and colorful story not only about Woody Guthrie, but about those who opened up a whole new Jewish world for him. The main focus of the film is on Woody's close relationship with Aliza Greenblatt, who came to America as a young immigrant from Ukraine and who later gained fame as a prominent Yiddish poet and songwriter. Woody's connection to Aliza grew out of his marriage to Aliza's daughter Marjorie, who danced with the Martha Graham Company in the 1930s and later devoted herself to advancing her husband's musical career and legacy.

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The film also highlights Woody Guthrie's immersion into Jewish life and culture through his relationships with record producer Moses Asch (the son of the famous Yiddish writer Sholom Asch) and entertainment manager Harold Leventhal - both of whom played pivotal roles in Woody's life and career.

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Produced with the full cooperation of Guthrie family members, Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls features interviews with Woody's daughter Nora and son Arlo, the folksinger who gained his own brand of cultural fame in the 1960s after writing and recording "Alice's Restaurant."Others appearing in the film include Anna Canoni, Woody's granddaughter; David Amram, the acclaimed composer and musician; Aaron Lansky, founder of the Yiddish Book Center; and Will Kaufman, author of several books about Woody Guthrie.

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Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls includes a rich array of never-before-seen Guthrie family home movies and photographs. The film also features a musical soundtrack that ranges from songs written and sung by Woody and Arlo Guthrie to Yiddish and klezmer-flavored songs performed by the Klezmatics, Yiddish cabaret singer Eleanor Reissa and Yiddish folksinger Daniel Kahn.

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From the dusty soil of Oklahoma to the lox and bagels along Coney Island's Mermaid Avenue, here's a whole new side of Woody Guthrie that will forever change your view of one of America's most famous songwriters and cultural icons. ​​