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CAN WE TALK!?!
A healthy democracy recognizes the
nuances of free speech. Art, for instance, speaks a different language from
politics. Whereas political discourse seeks to define, refine and convince,
art seeks to explore and question. The one seeks to cut through complexity,
the other revels in it. Film festival like ours try to do both, and with the
help of our wonderful audience, often succeed. We are proud to host a broad
diversity of opinion during the eight days we are together.
This year a number of films challenge
us to at least confront, if not revel in, the complexity of certain
contemporary issues. We look forward to the discussions that will follow
such difficult films as DIVINE INTERVENTION,
YELLOW ASPHALT,
MY TERRORIST,
KEDMA,
THE SETTLERS, MOMENT ISRAEL 2002
and AMEN.
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As a program of the
American Jewish Committee, we strongly feel that dialogue is a critical tool
for building bridges of understanding. The below emails were sent to
feedback@ajc.org. Please email
us if you have responses or comments. Thank you.
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| The Settlers film was very
interesting, just as you characterized. Some people feel it is
probably negative; I thought it was accurate, and what really transfixed
me was their utter calm. They seemed so "unzealot-like". Fascinating
film. We also really, really enjoyed the Kenya film on opening night.
What a cinematic, aural, and narrative treat. Thanks again.
David Landsman Posted 3/17 |
| Dear American Jewish Committee and
Yulie Cohen Gerstel, My Terrorist is a progressive film, and I can
understand Yulie's thoughts that Israelis are not ready for it. I think
that has something to do with the fact that members of the faltering
Israeli liberal community acknowledge and want to stop injustice against
the Palestinian people and to get out of the occupied territories, but
cannot see the release of Fahad as a step toward peace, despite his
reform. They probably feel that Yulie's energies could be spent in
directly aiding families and not former terrorists.
It is, unfortunately, very hard to find direct ways of helping, and
the case Yulie makes is very compelling: there was probably no better
way for her to work toward both a national and a private peace than to
publicly forgive the terrorist who harmed her. By forgiving Fahad, Yulie
shows Israelis and the world that the revenge cycle can be broken.
It's probably true also that Yulie's slight physical injury enabled
her to see the 1978 incident more objectively than others, who have lost
children to terrorism, see it, and that it afforded her the luxury of
forgiveness. But she acknowledges that Israel, as a powerful nation, has
the luxury to forgive, just as she, left alive, has the luxury to
forgive.
Still, the search for peace is met with challenges. People don't
listen to each other. Even the reporter to whom Yulie turned for help
paid no more attention to her than demonstrating right-wingers in the
park. Many of the people to whom she spoke were so busy formulating
their own ideas they forgot to listen to her at all; these were people
on the right and the left. It would be nice if we could learn to listen
to each other; it would be another way out of the cycle of fear and
dogma that encompasses the community of Israel and the world.
Thank you to the AJC and to Yulie for giving voice to an Israeli
minority of which I am a part, and for helping us see a way toward
peace.
H.
Posted 3/17/03 |
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Hi - first of all, thanks for a great
selection of films. My favorites were "Shanghai Ghetto" and "Amen" of
those I saw. But my comments here are about "My Terrorist", which was
as a film technically less than impressive but that had a powerful
message which all of us (and American Jews in particular, among whom I
include myself) ignore at our peril. That is: the historical and
current victimization and persecution of Jews does NOT preclude the
reality of Israeli oppression of Palestinians, even as some
Palestinians visit equally horrific and condemnable horrors on
Israel. Why this is so hard for Jews to accept is an interesting
psychological study which I won't speculate on here. But it was
fascinating to hear the murmers and hissing in the audience during the
film showing when some of the unpleasant observations - by an Israeli
Jew working in the "occupied territories" - were made.
As the filmmaker noted in the audience
Q&A, American Jews do have a unique role to play in dealing with the
Palestinian/Israeli situation, and unfortunately most of them are very
aligned with right-wing politics on this issue. We will never get to
a point of true peace and security - in that region or the rest of the
world, as I fear we are about to see - until we recognize the rights
of self-determination for both groups. There are extremists on both
sides, and we can only hope to circumvent them through the practice
of "justice, always justice shall we seek". Just as Palestinian
suicide bombers and attackers are abhorrent, so is deliberate
provocation through army oppression, bulldozing housing, denying the
rights to medical care and economic viability, establishing more
illegal settlements in the territories, and on and on. I'm not
interested in a debate about who started it or who is doing worse
damage. The point is that we effectively support the right-wing
agenda - in Israel and here at home - by not speaking out for an end
to the violence and oppression. If that makes some Jews
uncomfortable, fine - ultimately, Israel's survival can only be
assured through allowing a viable Palestinian state, not waiting for
an endless series of preconditions.
The director of "My Terrorist" is to be
highly commended for her unpopular stand (especially in her own
country). Yet this proud former Israeli army officer and shooting
victim of a terrorist herself has had the moral courage to look beyond
her anger and fear and offer a message of hope. Her compassion
and willingness to seek understanding makes her a model we can hope to
emulate, and I hope this film gets wider distribution. The
vituperative attacks of most of the other commenters on "Divine
Intervention" shows we have a long way to go before we can apparently
even entertain that there is more than one side of the issue.
Sincerely, Eric Mandel - Posted
3/17/03
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| Dear AJC, I want to thank you for
your great decision to show Divine Intervention. You have greatly
expanded the definition "Jewish film" to include the people most greatly
affected by our community's actions. Your choice of knowledgeable panel
members kept the discussion focused on the artistic merit of the film
and captured its vital portrait of Palestinian anger. Two criticisms: I
believe the director does not identify as an "Israeli Arab" but as a
Palestinian. Also, an Arab speaker would have been good to go with the
other panelists. I was struck by how much people are unused both to
expressions of Palestinian frustration and emotion and to nontraditional
films. You have done them a great service by playing a work that is
both.
yours, Jesse Bacon Seattle, WA - POSTED 3/12/03 |
| Hello,
My partner and I attended the film Divine Intervention last night,
and stayed for most of the discussion. I want you to know that I am very
glad the Festival chose to play this film. I know the content was
challenging for most of the audience, and certainly there were scenes
that made me very uncomfortable. Nevertheless, there are two sides to
every story and we all need to listen to the other side if there is to
be any hope for peace.
We also noted that we might not have felt comfortable watching the
film at the Varsity (for example), but seeing it at a Jewish film
festival seemed like a safer environment. Specifically, we felt the
likelihood of hearing anti-Semitic comments was significantly reduced at
the Festival setting.
So once again, thank you. Lis Christine Lutz, CPA POSTED
3/12/03 |
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Shame on us—Shame on you!
As a group, Jews are generally
very liberal people open to views and discussion. Our situation in the
world is not good, so we need to do our best to present our ‘case’ or
our position. We have a very serious conflict with the Palestine’s and
sitting here in America we are all witnessing much pain and suffering on
both sides. Nevertheless, we need to stand up and support Israel and our
Jewish way of life and not spread hatred and misinformation.
Yesterday I attended local film
showing of the ‘Divine Intervention”, which was selected by our local
Seattle Jewish Film Festival. If this movie would have been shown by
any other organization, I am sure the Anti-defamation league would have
made strong protest of a film spreading lies and hate against Israel.
Nothing wrong with showing films regarding Israel or Palestine
situation at Jewish Festival, but it needs to be WELL BALANCED and
presented in order to help us understand the situation.
This was a film of HATE and doses
not belong in a Jewish Film Festival. If we do not stand up for our
self, who will?
To the Festival Management all I
can say is SHAME ON YOU. We are a people who ‘celebrate life’ and we
should be using ever opportunity we have to show our Jewish values.
Alex Leaivtt POSTED
3/12/03 |
I am very disappointed that the SJFF chose to show the film Divine
Intervention. This has no place in a festival that should promote
only Pro Israel views. We struggle enough with all the anti
Israel sentiment in our media and University's. I know Seattle has
many different points of view on this subject, but this is a time to
celebrate Israel not the Palestinians. Joe Arfin
POSTED 3/12/03
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To the Seattle American Jewish Committee leadership,
Thank you for the courage to show Divine Intervention at the Seattle
Jewish Film Festival. As an American Jew I am deeply concerned about
the resistance of many Jews to confront the painful reality of the
plight of many Palestinians and Israeli Arabs. This was evident by the
number of people who either did not stay or walked out of the
discussion after last night's screening. The existence and security of
Israel depends so much on an increased willingness by Jews to be open
to the voices of Arabs and to try and understand their perspective.
Until Jews are willing to listen and not just react there will never
be a just, peaceful resolution to the Israeli/Arab conflict. My
impression is that policy is being established based on reactionaries
from both sides rather than on the majority of moderate Arabs and
Jews. The absurdity of the increasing violence in the Middle East was
certainly an element of the film.
Soon after 9/11 I read an article in the New York Times Magazine by a
reformed rabbi who lives in Israel. His grief and hopelessness were
palpable and he was questioning whether Israel was a "failed
experiment". How painful it was to read those words.
I commend the Seattle American Jewish Committee for its obvious
commitment to Peace and Israel's secure existence by expanding the
dialogue and challenging the Jewish community. Thank you for
broadening my perspective by offering Divine Intervention at the
Seattle Jewish Film Festival.
Sincerely,
Susan Goldman POSTED 3/12/03 |
This year we have expanded our
discussion forum to include new avenues of communication. We invite
you to participate in one or more of the following:
1. POST FILM DISCUSSION:
We have invited
directors, local and national experts, and first hand witnesses to deepen
understanding, provide focus and illuminate complexities. this is the
best form of discourse: listening and sharing.
2. ON-LINE BULLETIN BOARD:
For those of you who
like to savor and sift through the thoughts and emotions that a film can
evoke, the discussions immediately following a film's screening sometimes
come too soon. We welcome you to post and read opinions and
observations about all of our terrific films. Please send your
feedback to
feedback@ajcseattle.org.
3. SCHMOOZE RADIO
We are pleased to host
Shmooze Radio,
(Sundays, 7pm,
KKOL AM1300 and KLFE AM1590) Seattle's talk
show, which will broadcast live from the theatre lobby Sunday afternoons.
Feel free to listen at home or live in our lobby and perhaps even
participate in an on-air discussion with co-hosts Moti Krauthammer and Rabbi
Elazar Bogomilsky.
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