Center for Judaic Studies – Israel Videos

Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land

David K. Shipler, who wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning book on the subject, examines Arab-Jewish tensions in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Here, in this much-fought-over and most holy of places, age-old disagreements and animosities shape the modem world, and the explosive and destructive power of bigotry and hate is continually obvious. Arab and Jew examines the forces that led to and sustain this seemingly endless conflict. Even those who rise above the misunderstandings and confines of their own suffering see little hope for eventual settlement and lasting peace. Through interviews with a wide range of people on both sides, we see that nearly everyone has suffered losses in the struggle.

Behind Enemy Lines

Benny Hernnes an Israeli police officer and Palestinian journalist Adnan Joulani spend a week traveling together through places which have become symbols of the dispute. Each has selected locations in an attempt to convince the other of his own truth: Jenin refugee camp, terror ridden Jerusalem, the disputed Temple Mount, the family of a suicide bomber and more. Adnan, has experienced the death of his beloved cousin shot dead by an Israeli settler. Another cousin went on a shooting rampage in the heart of Tel Aviv. Benny, himself a settler, trains special Israeli forces to combat Palestinian militants. “Behind Enemy Lines” is an emotional and dramatic quest through the milestones of the conflict. Despite the huge gap in their perspectives, Adnan and Benny try to find ways to communicate. Their success serves as a single ray of hope in present pessimistic times. This film is a sequel to “Sleeping with the Enemy,” a film which followed the journey of Benny and Adnan to Japan. (DVD)

Black to the Promised Land

What happens when eleven black teenagers from Bedford-Stuyvesant – a tough New York City neighborhood of drugs, guns, and graffiti – spend ten weeks on a quiet Israeli kibbutz? How do these youths with “bad habits and unrecognized potential” adjust to the demands of kibbutz living? All they know of Jews are the black-garbed Hasidim whose communities border their own; all they know about Israel are the headlines. But when their teacher suggests the trip to the kibbutz, they’re eager to go. With winning portraits of guests and hosts, Black to the Promised Land explores the different expectations of the kibbutz members and the black teens. Both were alien to each other and both were surprised by what they found. As the teens grapple with structure, responsibility, and boredom, the kibbutz is infused with the high spirits of their visitors.

Cast a Giant Shadow

In 1948, Mickey Marcus was made General of the Armies of Israel—the first in two thousand years. This Jewish-American New Yorker, West Point graduate and World War II hero defended Israel’s independence from six hostile Arab nations intent on destroying the newborn nation. When his troops complained about the overwhelming odds, Marcus reminded them, “David did it with a slingshot, didn’t he?” Cast a Giant Shadow features an all-star cast, including John Wayne, Yul Brenner, and Kirk Douglas as General Marcus. Shot in Israel with the Israeli Army as battlefield extras, the film chronicles Marcuss efforts to turn a green military into a super-efficient fighting machine. Battling against the sense of doom and fear rampant in the country, Marcus draws upon his own feelings of pride in the birth of the Jewish state to accomplish his mission.

Cup Final

In June 1982, in response to repeated terrorist attacks on its citizens, the Israeli army invaded Lebanon. Cup Final takes place during the second week of that war, which just happens to coincide with the World Cup soccer tournament in Europe. Cohen is an Israeli soldier captured by a group of Palestinian fighters, led by Ziad. Though sworn enemies, the two share a love of soccer; both even root for the same team. During the course of several days, as Cohen is in turn terrorized and protected by his captors, this shared passion helps cut through barriers of ideology, nationalism, and bloody memories, creating an unlikely alliance between the men.

Exodus

Based on Leon Uris’ bestselling novel, Exodus is the epic story of the birth of Israel. This powerful film stars Paul Newman as freedom fighter An Ben Canaan and Eva Marie Saint as Kitty Fremont, an American nurse who joins Canaan’s fight for a Jewish state. Disconsolate over her husbands recent death in Palestine, the apathetic Kitty meets Ari aboard the steamer Exodus and finds herself involved with Jewish refugees from war-torn Europe. As warring factions clash over the sacred land, and violence explodes following the birth of Israel, Fremont’s nursing skills become invaluable. Unsure at first about her role, Ben Canaan’s passion and her own experiences eventually convince her to put her personal life aside for a greater cause.

Fictitious Marriage

In contemporary Israel, Arab and Jew often play familiar roles, each viewing the other through the prism of political and cultural stereotypes. But what happens when an Israeli breaks through these barriers and is mistaken for an Arab laborer? Eldad Natan is a quiet, responsible high-school teacher from Jerusalem, a husband and father of two. As he sets out on a trip to New York, Eldad suffers a mid-life crisis, which leads him to a small hotel in Tel Aviv. There he discards his previous identities as husband, father, Israeli, and Jew. Fictitious Marriage, a humorous and gently insightful film, explores the ironies of Israeli life and asks what finally defines us and binds us to one another.

Golda Meir

Golda Meir’s life was intertwined with the development of the State of Israel, from her involvement as a pioneer during the struggle for statehood, through her rise to lead the country as Prime Minister from 1969-1974. Born in Russia and raised in America, Golda moved to Palestine as a young woman and devoted herself to the creation of a Jewish homeland. Her political style was tenacious, yet she often brought to light the human issues behind the problems facing her country. Walter Cronkite hosts this CBS News Special Report on Golda Meir, which aired in December, 1978 after her death at the age of eighty. Photos, news clips and segments from interviews illuminate her personal and professional history. Political leaders and officials including Jimmy Carter, Yitzhak Rabin, Henry Kissinger, and Abba Eban recall her contributions and comment on her career.

Hill 24 Doesn’t Answer

Hill 24 Doesn’t Answer takes place during Israelis 1948 War of Independence. It focuses on the personal stories of soldiers – an Irishman, an American Jew, and a Sabra, who are assigned to defend a strategic hill outside of Jerusalem. Through their diverse stories, Israelis birth and struggle to survive is captured from a distinctly personal perspective. On the way to their last mission – the defense of Hill 24 – the soldiers talk of their past battles and what influenced their Zionism. Through a series of flashbacks, the film reveals each soldiers story, until they converge at the hill. There, during a nighttime battle, the significance of their mission becomes apparent as their allegiance and bravery undergo trial by fire.

House on Chelouche Street

Set in Tel Aviv during the turbulent period at the end of the British Mandate, House on Chelouche Street centers on a family that left a life of comfort in Alexandria to settle in Palestine. Klara, a beautiful young widow, cleans houses to earn a living and finds a job for her fifteen-year-old son, Sami, in a factory owned by her employer. Through Sami’s eyes, we see the repression of the people under British rule, the prejudice of Ashkenazi Jews toward Sephardim, and a boys struggles to make sense of the world around him and to make a better life for himself. His successes, losses, disappointments, and hopes are set against the simultaneous emergence of the State of Israel.

How Israel Won the War

The Six-Day War, fought from June 5 to 10, 1967, established Israel as the greatest military power in the Middle East. The battle was waged simultaneously on three fronts, with Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, and Israel’s victory was swift and impressive. In the aftermath of the war, Israel was nearly four times larger geographically and in possession of Judaism’s holiest sites in the Old City of Jerusalem. How Israel Won the War, a CBS News Special Report, is a detailed review of the military strategies that enabled the Israeli Defense Force to defeat the Arab armies in the Six-Day War. Reporter Mike Wallace and retired American Brigadier General S. L. A. Marshall analyze the events of the war through visits to battle locations, documentary film footage, and interviews with Arab and Israeli military leaders.

Israel: A Nation Is Born

One of Israel’s most eloquent voices provides a personal eyewitness account of five decades of Israel’s history, beginning with the years leading up to the War of Independence. This six-part series features Abba Eban’s incisive narration and includes archival footage, newsreel clips, and interviews with Israeli leaders and key international figures. Eban, Israel’s first United Nations representative and one of the early architects of its foreign policy, says, ‘The whole of Jewish history is an eternal celebration of resilience.” Along with commentary on the young country’s wars, Eban explains how the Israelis caused the desert to bloom. Finally, he sounds an optimistic note about the prospects of peace. The programs are:

• From the Rise of Zionism to 1948
• The Creation of the State (1948-1956)
• Coming of Age (1956-1967)
• Six Days that Changed the Middle East (1967-1973)
• New Conflicts, New Dreams (1973-1990)
• On the Brink of Peace

The Israelis

Twenty-five years after statehood, Israel continued to encounter deep rooted dilemmas in times of peace as well as times of war. As a democracy, characterized by a wide diversity of social and political points of view, the nation faced unique internal challenges, including the absorption of culturally dissimilar waves of immigration and the incorporation of an increasing Arab minority. Inevitably, the constant threat of a fourth war overshadowed all aspects of Israeli life. The Israelis was broadcast two weeks after the start of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, as part of a series of CBS News Specials exploring the national character of different countries. Israeli journalist Amos Elon presents his personal perspective on the Israeli people. A rich selection of everyday scenes conveys the complexities of life in Israel.

Late Summer Blues

The time: June 1970. The place: Tel Aviv, where a group of teenagers are about to graduate. The War of Attrition continues at the Suez. The youths impending draft looms over them – they cannot conceive of a future beyond it. ‘There is a feeling,” says the narrator of Late Summer Blues, “that this is our last summer vacation … the last summer that were together.” The film, which won first prize at the 1987 Jerusalem Film Festival, is a poignant evocation of universal themes of friendship, idealism, and the confusion of growing up. But it also is about the particular struggle of Israeli youth living under wars shadow to reconcile patriotism with their desire for personal fulfillment – and the deaths that haunt them just as they are ready to burst free.

Operation Thunderbolt

On June 27, 1976, Air France Flight 139, enroute from Tel Aviv to Paris, was hijacked by Arab and German terrorists and commandeered to Entebbe, Uganda. In short order, the 103 Jewish and Israeli passengers (joined by the French crew) were separated from the others, who were then freed. The terrorists demand: the release of 43 Arabs held in Israeli prisons in exchange for the Jewish lives. The Israeli government negotiates, while secretly planning one of the most daring rescues ever attempted. Operation Thunderbolt reenacts these heart-stopping events in realistic and thrilling detail, giving us an inside look at the decisions that led to the dramatic rescue. Many of the figures who played a role – Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, Yigal Yadin, and others – appear in cameo roles, lending the film a unique authenticity.

Over the Ocean

Israel or North America? In this dramatic comedy, an Israeli family struggles with the question of where they belong – whether in the land they feel connected to or in a land of opportunity “over the ocean.”

The winner of nine Israeli academy awards including best picture, the film is told through the yes of the ten-year-old son, who dreams of becoming a heroic paratrooper. His teenage sister is romantically involved with the neighborhood bully, to the dismay of her parents, Menachem and Rosa, Holocaust survivors who want to create a safe, secure home for the family.

Inspired by an old friend from their childhood in Europe, Menachem dreams of closing his modest shop and becoming a real-estate tycoon in Canada. To Rosa, their roots in Israel are too strong to sever. A battle of wills ensues, culminating in a crucial decision about their future.

Promises

PROMISES follows the journey of one of the filmmakers, Israeli-American B.Z. Goldberg. B.Z. travels to a Palestinian refugee camp and to an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, and to the more familiar neighborhoods of Jerusalem where he meets seven Palestinian and Israeli children. Though the children live only 20 minutes apart, they exist in completely separate worlds; the physical, historical and emotional obstacles between them run deep. PROMISES explores the nature of these boundaries and tells the story of a few children who dared to cross the lines to meet their neighbors. Rather than focusing on political events, the seven children featured in PROMISES offer a refreshing, human and sometimes humorous portrait of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

PROMISES, a film by Justine Shapiro, B.Z. Goldberg and co-director and editor Carlos Bolado was shot between 1995-2000. Running time, 106 minutes. Arabic, Hebrew and English dialogue with English subtitles.

Sadat in Israel

In the fall of 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat announced that he was willing to address Israel’s Parliament to discuss peace and the return of territories. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin officially extended an invitation, and on November 19, Sadat landed at Lod airport. After generations of hostility and four major wars, Egypt dramatically altered the politics of the Middle East by becoming the first Arab country to proclaim Israel’s right to exist and to negotiate for peace. Sadat in Israel was presented as part of the CBS News coverage of the Egyptian Presidents historic visit to Jerusalem. The program reviews the days events, including Sadat’s tour of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish sites, excerpts from speeches by Sadat and Begin before the Knesset, interviews with both leaders, and reactions by Arafat, Kissinger, and Mondale, among others.

See It Now: Egypt-Israel

By the mid-1950s, tensions between Israel and the bordering Arab nations, particularly Egypt, began to escalate. Egypt suffered a bitter loss in the 1948 War of Independence and viewed the establishment of the State of Israel as an effort by the West to undermine Arab nationalism. Problems of Palestinian refugees in Gaza were intensifying. Eventually war with Egypt erupted in the fall of 1956. Edward R. Murrow hosts this portrait of Egypt and Israel, broadcast on one of early television’s most significant public affairs series, See It Now. The program, filmed during three weeks in February 1956, includes scenes of everyday life in both countries and extended interviews with Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser and Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion.

Siege

Israel’s victory in the Six Day War brought a feeling of euphoria and superiority to its people. The resounding triumph also created a feeling that future political problems might be solved through military dominance. Siege takes place during this era of national confidence. Tamar is an Israeli woman whose husband has been killed in the Six Day War. Her husbands army buddies want her to keep his memory alive, and mourn him as a respectable war widow should. But Tamar wants to move on with her life, raise her young son, and enjoy the fruits of the Israeli victory. When she meets a new man, one of her husbands friends secretly arranges to meet him, as if to decide whether he approves. The psychological games take their toll on Tamar, until she finds a way to break from her past.

Sleeping with the Enemy: An Israeli-palestinian Journey to Japan

Benny, an Israeli police officer, never met the Palestinians unless it was at a roadblock or Interrogation room. Adnan, a Palestinian activist, planned to stab Israeli soldiers as part of the intifada uprising. Back then neither Benny nor Adnan imagined they’d meet in, of all places, Japan. They’re just tow of twenty young leaders from both sides of a one-hundred-year conflict. Every year ten potential leaders from each side of the conflict meet in the land of the rising sun to debate their differences. As they soon discover, it’s only 10,000 kilometers away from home where they can overcome their turbulent past and simply become friends. Perhaps it’s the distance from all that they hold dear; or perhaps it’s the discovery that they hold so much in common, especiall when faced with all the intricacies of Japanese culture. Ten days after meeting, Benny and Adnan are sharing the same tatami mattress on the floor of their accommodations. After one hundred years of bitter conflict, here in Japan they finally have a chance to see what it’s like “sleeping with the enemy.” Followed by “Behind Enemy Lines.” (DVD)

A Wall in Jerusalem

For centuries the only part of the Temple that escaped destruction by the Romans, the Western Wall in Jerusalem symbolized the desire of Jews to return to Zion. But not until the late 1800s did the call for a Jewish homeland make it conceivable that significant numbers might do so. Through fascinating historical footage, A Wall in Jerusalem tells the story of the first nineteenth-century pioneers and subsequent settlers in Palestine. Working to cultivate long-fallow fields and tame malarial swamps, they had to deal with Ottoman control, Arab animosity, British rule, and worldwide political disapproval until the founding of Israel in 1948. The film shows the forming of kibbutzim and the gathering of Jews from Europe, Yemen, and Iraq, as well as the political history from the first years of statehood to the end of the Six Day War in 1967 and the reclaiming of the Wall.

A Woman Called Golda

Golda Meir is best remembered as the tough but grandmotherly fourth Prime Minister of Israel—the role that culminated her lifetime of service to the State. A Woman Called Golda, a drama starring Ingrid Bergman, tells what came before, chronicling a life that parallels Israel’s early years. In a visit to the Milwaukee school where she was valedictorian, a retired Golda recalls how, as a child during the pogroms of Russia, she clutched at the idea of a Jewish homeland in Israel. She held onto this dream even after her family found safety and opportunity in the United States. Golda moved to Palestine to pursue life as a kibbutznik, but became caught up in the whirlwind of politics and war that forged the State. A Woman Called Golda portrays a courageous feminist who accomplished as much through irrepressible charm as keen intelligence.

The Wooden Gun

In the years following the War of Independence, tensions ran high in Israel. The newborn nation was preoccupied with securing its borders from hostile neighbors while defining its relationship with other nations of the world. This film, made in 1979, looks back at the early years of the state from the perspective of a very different time. Set in Tel Aviv in 1950, it depicts the war games of two rival groups of children who interpret the values of heroism and toughness they have been taught by anxious adults. Their encounter with a troubled Holocaust survivor reveals a vast gap between native-born Israelis and those who experienced the war in Europe. The Wooden Gun poses the question: can a country justify violence while simultaneously seeking peace?

Yitzhak Rabin

Yitzhak Rabin’s life story is closely tied to the history of Israel. Born in Jerusalem in 1922, he was both a witness and a key player in many of the young nation’s most significant events.

Drawing on historical footage and interviews with people in the government, the military, and the media who knew him well, this documentary traces Rabin’s evolution from soldier to statesman, warrior to peacemaker. The film spotlights Rabin’s role in Israel’s War of Independence, his triumph in the Six-Day War, his ambassadorship in Washington, his two prime ministerships, his marriage to Leah Schlossberg, and the celebrated 1993 handshake on the White House lawn – where he and the man who was once his worse enemy, Yasir Arafat, signed the peace accords. It depicts reaction both in Israel and internationally to the prime minister’s assassination on November 4, 1995, as he attended a peace rally in Tel Aviv.