Israelism: Documentary Screening and Q&A

Documentary screening about the relationship between Israel and new generation of American Jews and their struggle to redefine it. Afterwards a Q&A with the filmmakers and guests. Two young American Jews – Simone Zimmerman and Eitan – are raised to defend the state of Israel at all costs. Eitan joins the Israeli military. Simone supports Israel on ‘the other battlefield’: America’s college campuses. When they witness Israel’s mistreatment of the Palestinian people with their own eyes, they are horrified and heartbroken. They join the movement of young American Jews battling the old guard over Israel’s centrality in American Judaism, and demanding freedom for the Palestinian people. Their stories reveal a generational divide in the American Jewish community as more young Jews question the narratives their synagogues and Hebrew school teachers fed them as children. The film also features voices like Jacqui, a Jewish educator who says “Judaism is Israel and Israel is Judaism”, and former Anti-Defamation League President Abe Foxman, who claims voices like Simone and Eitan’s represent a small minority. Thought leaders like Peter Beinart, Jeremy Ben-Ami, Noura Erakat, Cornel West, and Noam Chomsky also weigh in. With: - Erin Axelman, Co-director and producer of Israelism - Sam Eilertsen, Co-director and producer of Israelism - Erella Grassiani, Co-founder of Gate48 and anthropologist at the University of Amsterdam - Levi Hilz, Part of Erev Rav and Policy officer at Rotterdam BIJ1 - Yonathan Listik, Lecturer in Philosophy and Public Affairs at Leiden University About the documentary: Directed by two first-time Jewish filmmakers who share a similar story to the film’s protagonists, Israelism is produced by Peabody-winner and 4-time Emmy-nominee Daniel J. Chalfen (Loudmouth, Boycott), executive produced by two-time Emmy-winner Brian A. Kates (Marvelous Ms. Maisel, Succession) and edited by Emmy-winner Tony Hale (The Story of Plastic), Israelism uniquely explores how Jewish attitudes towards Israel are changing dramatically, with massive consequences for the region and for Judaism itself. Context: Israelism’s release comes at a key moment for Israel and its relationship with the US and the Jewish diaspora. Protests in Israel against the right-wing ruling government’s plans to overhaul the judiciary system and further undermine democracy dominate today’s news from the region. Even longtime defenders of Israel like New York Times columnist Tom Friedman have grown increasingly critical of the Israeli government and anxious about its direction. American Jews are more willing to criticise Israel than at any time in recent memory, with 25% of all American Jews and 38% of Jews under 40 agreeing with the statement “Israel is an apartheid state.” The Trump era and the rise of the alt-right, the recent removal of Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a battle over Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, and efforts to define certain criticism of Israel as antisemitism in the context of civil rights enforcement, among many other news stories all have sparked debate about what is and isn’t antisemitism and the changing nature of American Jewry’s relationship with Israel. Israelism looks at how we got here, what the debate in the Jewish community is like at this moment, and where it might go from here. Erin Axelman | Sam Eilertsen | Erella Grassiani | Levi Hilz | Yonathan Listik -- Event source: https://dezwijger.nl/programma/israelism