Etti is a sweet little girl entering second grade. On her first day back to school, her father sends her by bus to a girls' live-in school in Jerusalem. Etti, like many other girls, lives in the school for social reasons – because their mothers can't cope, because their families have limited financial resources, because of problems at home.
This film, Day and Night, directed by Sivan Arbel, is the story of the Weingarten school in Jerusalem, which was established in 1902 as the first orphanage for girls in Israel. Today, the girls are both religious and secular and only a few are actually orphans.
Using authentic archival footage of the place over the years, the film follows little Etti on her first day, and also follows a group of grown women, who after 25 years, have come back to visit. It's hard for all of them. The visit brings back memories and the women talk about the feelings of abandonment, the loneliness and the sadness of being without their mothers. On the other hand, they describe the respectful treatment that characterized the Weingarten live-in school.
Etti makes a new friend and together they hide and play in the cubbies where the girls keep their clothes. She is a very articulate child, and admits quite openly that she doesn't miss her mother or her sisters during the day. At night is when it's hard.
The film (documentary, 51 minutes) is available from Odette and Yuval Orr at their production company, Unicornpro, which also produced and distributes the film, Hamakom.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The story of a Jewish family -- past and present
Rafting to Bombay רפסודה לבומביי directed by Erez Laufer
In 1940, the filmmaker's father, Nahum, was a child when he fled with his mother from Czanov, Poland, to Italy, where they met up with his father. From there they fled to Turkey, planning to get to Israel illegally. Circumstance led them to Baghdad, where there was a pogrom against the Jews, and then by raft along the Tigris River to Bombay, where they lived for seven years. During the years that the family lived in India, they opened a business and felt comfortable there. They left Bombay and came to Palestine, just before the establishment of the State of Israel.
It is November 2008 and the Laufer family travels to Bombay to revisit the scene of Nahum's childhood and for a reunion with some of his early acquaintances. Having fled from the Nazis to Bombay where they found a safe haven before coming to Israel, they return sixty years later for a visit, only to encounter an Islamic terrorist attack against the Chabad House of Mumbai. In this attack, the Chabad rabbi and his wife were murdered.
This documentary film tells the story of one Jewish family and at the same time, it is an emotional and hard-hitting story of the Jewish people – past and present.
Rafting to Bombay (documentary, 2009, 70 minutes) premiered at the Jerusalem Film Festival (2009) and is being screened this month at Cinematheques all over Israel. It is available from Erez Laufer Films .
In 1940, the filmmaker's father, Nahum, was a child when he fled with his mother from Czanov, Poland, to Italy, where they met up with his father. From there they fled to Turkey, planning to get to Israel illegally. Circumstance led them to Baghdad, where there was a pogrom against the Jews, and then by raft along the Tigris River to Bombay, where they lived for seven years. During the years that the family lived in India, they opened a business and felt comfortable there. They left Bombay and came to Palestine, just before the establishment of the State of Israel.
It is November 2008 and the Laufer family travels to Bombay to revisit the scene of Nahum's childhood and for a reunion with some of his early acquaintances. Having fled from the Nazis to Bombay where they found a safe haven before coming to Israel, they return sixty years later for a visit, only to encounter an Islamic terrorist attack against the Chabad House of Mumbai. In this attack, the Chabad rabbi and his wife were murdered.
This documentary film tells the story of one Jewish family and at the same time, it is an emotional and hard-hitting story of the Jewish people – past and present.
Rafting to Bombay (documentary, 2009, 70 minutes) premiered at the Jerusalem Film Festival (2009) and is being screened this month at Cinematheques all over Israel. It is available from Erez Laufer Films .
Monday, November 2, 2009
The Secret of My Success
Yolki Palki, directed by Alex Gentelev (2007), is a documentary about the Russian community in Israel today -- their successes and their personal stories. The film is filled with interesting people who talk about their memories of Russia, the anti-Israel lessons, and the reasons that they left. They look back with humor on the difficulties of their aliyah and laugh at their mistakes in Hebrew. They talk about their children and the fact that they were the motivating factor in their leaving Russia and coming to Israel.
The filmmaker goes on a personal journey meeting and interviewing others who were on the plane with him when he made aliyah from Moscow to Tel Aviv in the early 1990s. He goes to Kibbutz Beit Hashita to find the man who sat in front of him on the plane. Although he was an engineer, on the kibbutz he has been taught to work in the barn, milking the cows. His wife works in the old age home of the kibbutz. Their teenage son, who remembers the stigma of being a new immigrant child growing up on the kibbutz, says he's more comfortable now in Hebrew than in Russian and he is hoping to be drafted into the airforce.
Also on their plane was Pasha -- a youngster with a violin. While still in Kiev, he auditioned for the Jerusalem Academy of Music and that's how he got here. He is a talented violin player with a group called Yolki Palki which means "Oy va Voy" and in order to make ends meet, he works as a butcher.
Dina Rubina is an author whose books have been published in the millions in Russian – but not translated into Hebrew. Her daughter, who has become religious, has sadly forgotten much of her Russian and is unable to read her mother's books.
Alexei works in Tel Aviv and his family lives in Carmiel. His wife is unhappy in her work and wishes she could be an artist. But he is more successful at compromising and finding happiness. He recalls that they decided to leave the USSR when a drunken doctor messed up the birth of their first child and they lost the baby. He doesn't like it when people say "your children will do fine." What about me, he asks. My life isn't over yet! He worked hard to learn Hebrew, get a job and become Israeli. Today, he visits wounded soldiers at their homes, and his wife and family are moving closer to his work in Tel Aviv.
These are the stories of success -- they came with a work ethic, willing to d
o whatever it takes to make a go of it, and even though their children might have suffered as new immigrant kids, today they fit in.
Yolki Palki is in Russian, available with English or Hebrew subtitles (two versions: 2 parts -- 104 minutes or one film at 91 minutes) from Eden Productions.
The filmmaker goes on a personal journey meeting and interviewing others who were on the plane with him when he made aliyah from Moscow to Tel Aviv in the early 1990s. He goes to Kibbutz Beit Hashita to find the man who sat in front of him on the plane. Although he was an engineer, on the kibbutz he has been taught to work in the barn, milking the cows. His wife works in the old age home of the kibbutz. Their teenage son, who remembers the stigma of being a new immigrant child growing up on the kibbutz, says he's more comfortable now in Hebrew than in Russian and he is hoping to be drafted into the airforce.
Also on their plane was Pasha -- a youngster with a violin. While still in Kiev, he auditioned for the Jerusalem Academy of Music and that's how he got here. He is a talented violin player with a group called Yolki Palki which means "Oy va Voy" and in order to make ends meet, he works as a butcher.
Dina Rubina is an author whose books have been published in the millions in Russian – but not translated into Hebrew. Her daughter, who has become religious, has sadly forgotten much of her Russian and is unable to read her mother's books.
Alexei works in Tel Aviv and his family lives in Carmiel. His wife is unhappy in her work and wishes she could be an artist. But he is more successful at compromising and finding happiness. He recalls that they decided to leave the USSR when a drunken doctor messed up the birth of their first child and they lost the baby. He doesn't like it when people say "your children will do fine." What about me, he asks. My life isn't over yet! He worked hard to learn Hebrew, get a job and become Israeli. Today, he visits wounded soldiers at their homes, and his wife and family are moving closer to his work in Tel Aviv.
These are the stories of success -- they came with a work ethic, willing to d
o whatever it takes to make a go of it, and even though their children might have suffered as new immigrant kids, today they fit in.Yolki Palki is in Russian, available with English or Hebrew subtitles (two versions: 2 parts -- 104 minutes or one film at 91 minutes) from Eden Productions.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Overcoming Adversity
My Sister Tikva, directed by Vered Berman, is a different kind of Holocaust memoir.
With much sensitivity and intimacy, it tells the story of a Holocaust survivor named Tikva, and leads the viewer on a journey, unraveling the details of her life. Born in 1943 in the Kovno ghetto, Tikva was moved from family to family, raised by four different sets of parents, until her journeys brought her to the United States.
Today, as an older woman, she travels to Israel to visit her brother, Yair, and the story of her life begins to unfold.
Tikva was born to Assia and Yosef, who must have been very special people to name their daughter, Tikva ("hope"), during those terrible times. Before they were killed in the destruction of the ghetto, they gave her to a devout Catholic couple. They took her in because the wife had grown up as an orphan and was taken care of by others and she believed that taking in a Jewish toddler provided her with the opportunity to repay what others had done for her. Tikva travels to Lithuania to visit this family of righteous Catholics who saved her life when she was just a toddler.
After three years of living with this family, Tikva's Aunt Nechama and her husband came to "rescue" her after the war and brought her to a D.P. camp and from there to Israel. Due to their dire financial straits in 1950s Israel, they sent Tikva, at the age of 12, to live with cousins in America.
Tikva's odyssey is a remarkable story. On the one hand, it is the story of one woman's life and on the other, it reflects the drama of the Jewish people in the 20th century – from death and destruction in a ghetto where she was born to loving parents who were forced to part from her, to a new and loving Catholic family, to an aunt and uncle who brought her to Israel where they found difficulty and hardship, and then to a fourth family in the U.S. where she grew into a mature woman. This is a story of heroism, drama, and the remarkable ability to overcome adversity.
My Sister Tikva is available from Go2Films.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Learning about painful chapters in each other's history -- Documentary films by Mohammad Bakri
In honor of the upcoming Other Israel Film Festival , Nov. 12-19, 2009 in New York, I have chosen to write about Zahra, a new documentary by Mohammad Bakri (60 minutes, 2009). The film is produced by Carole Zabar who is also the moving force behind Other Israel.
Mohammad Bakri is well-known for his acting roles (Beyond the Walls, Cup Final, Scar, Haifa, The Milky Way, Desperado Square) and for his controversial documentary films (Jenin, Jenin and 1948).
1948 (produced in 1998) deals with complex issues of the Palestinian “Nakba” (arabic word for the Palestinian catastrophe of 1948). The film combines clips from Bakri’s one-man theatrical adaptation of the Israeli Arab author, Emil Habibi's "The Opsimist", with interviews and documentary segments about the events of the Palestinian “Nakba” of 1948. The interviewees talk about the destruction of villages, how people were killed, and what was done in order to force the Palestinians to flee.
The film seeks to explain the main narrative of the Palestinian people. It helps the viewer to understand the great tragedy that they underwent as the state of Israel was established. Certain parts of the film attempt to shatter myths surrounding the events of that time. For example, the Palestinians who are interviewed differ in their interpretation of who was responsible for the departure of the Palestinians from their homes. Some adamantly blame the Arab leaders of the period who themselves fled Palestine and left the local population without leadership, and some blame the Jewish leaders of the time.
In his new film, Zahra, Bakri has chosen a completely different style. Combining the national with the personal -- he provides a personal family story that takes place on the background of the events of 1948.
Zahra is the filmmaker's 80-year-old aunt, a remarkable woman, and the film tells her story of a traditional way of life. Zahra married her cousin Hasan, and in 1948, when she was 19 years old, with her first 2 (out of 10) children, fled to Lebanon. At that time, her husband was imprisoned by the Israeli authorities. Later, Zahra returned to her village, Al Bane, and soon thereafter her husband was released. Over the years, Zahra raised 10 children, almost single-handedly, since her husband died young and she worked picking olives to support them. She tells stories, talks about all the people they knew. We meet her children and see her many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
In a discussion with the filmmaker following a public screening of 1948 sponsored by the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel (ICCI), a number of years ago, Mohammad Bakri candidly described himself as a member of the younger generation of Palestinians who does not have personal memories of 1948. Therefore, he expressed optimism that dialogue and coexistence could flourish in the future as the memories fade. Bakri expressed his personal desire that every young Israeli – Jewish and Arab -- would see this film so that they could better understand the pain and suffering of those people who were displaced as the State of Israel was established. When asked by the audience to also deal with the other side of the same coin – that is, what he would show every Palestinian young person -- he expressed a desire for every Palestinian to learn more about the Holocaust, both through film and through literature, in order to better understand Jews. He emphasized that: Only by learning about the most painful chapters in each other’s history can we bridge the gap between us.
Both films – 1948 and Zahra are films created by an artist -- combining poetry, Arab music and songs, and a beautiful cinematic aesthetic. The films are available from Mohammad Bakri: mohammadbakri@hotmail.com
Mohammad Bakri is well-known for his acting roles (Beyond the Walls, Cup Final, Scar, Haifa, The Milky Way, Desperado Square) and for his controversial documentary films (Jenin, Jenin and 1948).
1948 (produced in 1998) deals with complex issues of the Palestinian “Nakba” (arabic word for the Palestinian catastrophe of 1948). The film combines clips from Bakri’s one-man theatrical adaptation of the Israeli Arab author, Emil Habibi's "The Opsimist", with interviews and documentary segments about the events of the Palestinian “Nakba” of 1948. The interviewees talk about the destruction of villages, how people were killed, and what was done in order to force the Palestinians to flee.
The film seeks to explain the main narrative of the Palestinian people. It helps the viewer to understand the great tragedy that they underwent as the state of Israel was established. Certain parts of the film attempt to shatter myths surrounding the events of that time. For example, the Palestinians who are interviewed differ in their interpretation of who was responsible for the departure of the Palestinians from their homes. Some adamantly blame the Arab leaders of the period who themselves fled Palestine and left the local population without leadership, and some blame the Jewish leaders of the time.
In his new film, Zahra, Bakri has chosen a completely different style. Combining the national with the personal -- he provides a personal family story that takes place on the background of the events of 1948.
Zahra is the filmmaker's 80-year-old aunt, a remarkable woman, and the film tells her story of a traditional way of life. Zahra married her cousin Hasan, and in 1948, when she was 19 years old, with her first 2 (out of 10) children, fled to Lebanon. At that time, her husband was imprisoned by the Israeli authorities. Later, Zahra returned to her village, Al Bane, and soon thereafter her husband was released. Over the years, Zahra raised 10 children, almost single-handedly, since her husband died young and she worked picking olives to support them. She tells stories, talks about all the people they knew. We meet her children and see her many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
In a discussion with the filmmaker following a public screening of 1948 sponsored by the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel (ICCI), a number of years ago, Mohammad Bakri candidly described himself as a member of the younger generation of Palestinians who does not have personal memories of 1948. Therefore, he expressed optimism that dialogue and coexistence could flourish in the future as the memories fade. Bakri expressed his personal desire that every young Israeli – Jewish and Arab -- would see this film so that they could better understand the pain and suffering of those people who were displaced as the State of Israel was established. When asked by the audience to also deal with the other side of the same coin – that is, what he would show every Palestinian young person -- he expressed a desire for every Palestinian to learn more about the Holocaust, both through film and through literature, in order to better understand Jews. He emphasized that: Only by learning about the most painful chapters in each other’s history can we bridge the gap between us.
Both films – 1948 and Zahra are films created by an artist -- combining poetry, Arab music and songs, and a beautiful cinematic aesthetic. The films are available from Mohammad Bakri: mohammadbakri@hotmail.com
Friday, October 23, 2009
Issues of Identity, Family and Tradition
I just viewed this unique and compelling film which premiered at the Haifa Film Festival during Succot. The film is about Sophie Tzedakah, an actress and TV personality, whose life is filled with contradictions. Sophie, born in 1975 to a Samaritan family living in Holon, has cut off her ties with the Samaritan community and become a Jewish Israeli.
We meet Sophie in the film, Lone Samaritan (Barak Heymann, documentary, 52 minutes, 2009), which provides a small peek at the world of the Samaritan community – 730 individuals, half living in the West Bank on Mt. Gerizim near Nablus, the other half in Holon. The Samaritans preserve the laws of the Torah – brit, family purity, etc. and they speak Hebrew. However, in their need to preserve their small community and due to the fact that they do not have enough women to marry the eligible men in the community, they do not forgive any of the girls who leave the sect.
On camera, Sophie talks about growing up in a shattered home. When she was just a child, her older sister, Orna, disappeared from home and separated herself from the community in order to marry a Jewish man. Their father reacted so badly, that eventually the other sisters left also. But things were not so simple for their parents, Baruch and Tova Tzedakah – they were
completely shunned by the other Samaritans and still today suffer from being socially and religiously ostracized. As a result, Baruch is a broken man and Tova is torn between her estranged daughters and her husband. The title of the film refers to her father, a man who continues to observe his faith and tradition -- alone.
Sophie has married – and divorced – outside the community. She traveled abroad and lived all these years outside the community. But, she is very connected to her parents and to the traditional framework in which she was raised. However, she cannot stop herself from being critical of her father who adamantly continues to try to be part of a group even though he is not accepted.
It is so difficult to separate oneself completely from one's roots and to be cut off from the things that are important to you. When asked about her identity and where she feels she truly belongs – Sophie surprises even herself by admitting that if there were no social issues involved, she would return to the community.
The film is available from Ruth Diskin Films
We meet Sophie in the film, Lone Samaritan (Barak Heymann, documentary, 52 minutes, 2009), which provides a small peek at the world of the Samaritan community – 730 individuals, half living in the West Bank on Mt. Gerizim near Nablus, the other half in Holon. The Samaritans preserve the laws of the Torah – brit, family purity, etc. and they speak Hebrew. However, in their need to preserve their small community and due to the fact that they do not have enough women to marry the eligible men in the community, they do not forgive any of the girls who leave the sect.
On camera, Sophie talks about growing up in a shattered home. When she was just a child, her older sister, Orna, disappeared from home and separated herself from the community in order to marry a Jewish man. Their father reacted so badly, that eventually the other sisters left also. But things were not so simple for their parents, Baruch and Tova Tzedakah – they were
completely shunned by the other Samaritans and still today suffer from being socially and religiously ostracized. As a result, Baruch is a broken man and Tova is torn between her estranged daughters and her husband. The title of the film refers to her father, a man who continues to observe his faith and tradition -- alone.Sophie has married – and divorced – outside the community. She traveled abroad and lived all these years outside the community. But, she is very connected to her parents and to the traditional framework in which she was raised. However, she cannot stop herself from being critical of her father who adamantly continues to try to be part of a group even though he is not accepted.
It is so difficult to separate oneself completely from one's roots and to be cut off from the things that are important to you. When asked about her identity and where she feels she truly belongs – Sophie surprises even herself by admitting that if there were no social issues involved, she would return to the community.
The film is available from Ruth Diskin Films
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Far from the Crowd
People often ask me for films that deal with life in the development towns. Some of the best films in this category would be the following, all of which are stories of women, some have been reviewed on this blog: Turn Left at the End of the World (feature film), HaMakom (short drama) and Fata Morgana (documentary).
I would like to add to the list a compelling TV drama, directed and scripted by David Deri, called Until Tomorrow Comes (2004), which tells the story of three generations of Israeli women, all from the same family, living in Yerucham, a small town in the northern Negev.
The drama portrays real-life issues for these women, including grappling with the difficult decision about whether to put grandma in a home for the elderly, how to soothe the nerves of a young bride, and how there can be room in your life to love again.
Three generations of women – a tale of loneliness, widowhood, and impending divorce combined with warmth, empathy and compassion.
Aisha, the aging grandmother at beginning stages of Alzheimer, represents the immigrant generation. She has never quite acclimated to life in Israel. Constantly looking back on her life in Morocco, she especially misses her now long-gone husband. Lillian, her daughter is shouldering the responsibility for the family ever since her husband passed away 12 years ago. She runs a bridal salon and is being romantically pursued by the local chief of police. Her grown daughter, Etti, is "temporarily" living at home with her mother, having recently decided to leave her husband. The mother and daughter are played by a distinguished mother and daughter team of professional actresses – Raymonde and Yael Abecassis.
Until Tomorrow Comes (50 minutes) is available from the producer, Eran Riklis, at eriklis@netvision.net.il or contact the filmmaker directly, David Deri, david_deri@walla.com
I would like to add to the list a compelling TV drama, directed and scripted by David Deri, called Until Tomorrow Comes (2004), which tells the story of three generations of Israeli women, all from the same family, living in Yerucham, a small town in the northern Negev.
The drama portrays real-life issues for these women, including grappling with the difficult decision about whether to put grandma in a home for the elderly, how to soothe the nerves of a young bride, and how there can be room in your life to love again.
Three generations of women – a tale of loneliness, widowhood, and impending divorce combined with warmth, empathy and compassion.
Aisha, the aging grandmother at beginning stages of Alzheimer, represents the immigrant generation. She has never quite acclimated to life in Israel. Constantly looking back on her life in Morocco, she especially misses her now long-gone husband. Lillian, her daughter is shouldering the responsibility for the family ever since her husband passed away 12 years ago. She runs a bridal salon and is being romantically pursued by the local chief of police. Her grown daughter, Etti, is "temporarily" living at home with her mother, having recently decided to leave her husband. The mother and daughter are played by a distinguished mother and daughter team of professional actresses – Raymonde and Yael Abecassis.
Until Tomorrow Comes (50 minutes) is available from the producer, Eran Riklis, at eriklis@netvision.net.il or contact the filmmaker directly, David Deri, david_deri@walla.com
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