by Susan Fried

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On Sunday, March 17, about 300 people gathered in the SIFF Cinema Egyptian for a screening of the documentary Israelism. The film examines the relationship of American Jews to Israel and how it started changing even before Oct. 7.

The world changed forever on Oct. 7, 2023, after Hamas attacked Southern Israel along the Gaza Strip, murdering over a thousand Israelis and kidnapping over 250 people, including women, children, and elderly people. Within hours, Israel began its retaliation and war to destroy Hamas. It dropped thousands of bombs, followed by a ground invasion that has resulted in more than 32,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. That includes an estimated 13,000 children, the destruction of 70% of the civilian infrastructure, and the displacement and forced starvation of close to 2 million people.

As the magnitude of this has enfolded in front of me, I have become more and more confused, saddened, and angered by what appears to be the slaughter of civilians for something that Hamas did without the permission of the people living in Gaza. As someone who grew up with Jewish heritage, I always assumed Israel was basically good, and that as the only “democracy” in the Middle East, one surrounded by enemies on all sides, it had a right to protect itself and secure its territory.

What always bothered me, though, was after every incident where an anti-Israeli terrorist group threw a bomb into Israel, killing one or two people, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) would retaliate by killing hundreds and destroying dozens of homes. I never understood the disproportionate response. Often, when I questioned people, they would respond with something like, “The conflict in the Middle East is complicated, and the Israelis have a right to defend themselves.”

I never did any actual research — I just became increasingly disillusioned with what I perceived as the acceptable level of violence Israel was allowed to use against people without an army or any real weapons. As far as I could tell, only angry terrorists periodically caused violence.

These days I use Instagram, and once the current war in Gaza started, I began to actually see what the IDF did and does to the people of Gaza. I became increasingly disillusioned. It became imperative that I learn more. The horror of what I was seeing made me want to understand why it was okay for Israel to destroy Gaza and kill thousands of innocent children — and for the world to just let it happen.

So as soon as I heard about Israelism, I wanted to see it. I thought the film might help fill in the blanks about the Palestinians, who they were and what their life was like living in occupied territory; why Israel seemed to be able to do no wrong; and why Americans were overwhelmingly on their side. The fact that it was made and released before Oct. 7 made it seem even more relevant.

Like me, many people at the screening were there to learn more about why some in the American Jewish community and the U.S. government continue to support Israel despite the horrific number of deaths, the maiming of children, and what appears to be an almost complete destruction of infrastructure in Gaza.

Attendee Carol Issac said she came “because I absolutely need to know everything about this situation. It’s really an incredible thing. But I have to know everything. I just cannot know a little bit. And I’m really glad to hear Jewish voices, because while I love to be an ally, I’m with JVP (Jewish Voice for Peace). I really need to hear Jewish voices a lot because I gotta get grounded.”

The film was directed by two first-time Jewish filmmakers whose experiences as Jewish children growing up in the U.S. were similar to the protagonists in the film. They were raised to believe they should love Israel unconditionally.

The screening was introduced by Rabbi David Basior, the rabbi for the Kadima Reconstructionist Community. He asked the audience to “notice how you are feeling on the cusp of watching this film together at this particular moment in history,” and to use that feeling to set an intention for learning: “Why am I here?”

He continued, “Today, in this context, I ask us to take this on. Whatever the film does for and within you, I ask that we stay present to why we have come, open and humble enough to allow curiosity and learning to persist, and that we allow ourselves to integrate and to wonder. That we work to stay grounded enough to remember and maintain the humanity of everyone in the film, everyone in this space, and everyone around in the world.”

Israelism examines how Jews growing up in the U.S. are educated to believe that loving and being loyal to Israel is integral to their Judaism and that they must defend Israel against any negative attacks. The two main protagonists – Simone Zimmerman and an American former IDF soldier identified as Eitan – went to Jewish schools and had gone on Birthright trips, which are open to all Jewish young adults 18–26 who have not visited or lived in Israel past the age of 12. Other than the application fee of just over $300, the trips are free to all Jewish young adults anywhere in the world. The Birthright trips are designed to deepen the participants’ Jewish identity and strengthen their Jewish links to Israel. The film’s protagonists loved Israel, but as they became more aware and witnessed the plight of the Palestinians, their attitude toward Israel started to change. They begin to question whether unconditional support of Israel should be part of their Jewish Identity.

The screening was followed by a panel discussion with Erin Axelman (they/them), a co-director; Zimmerman; professor Liora Halperin of UW Jackson School of International Studies and historian of Israel/Palestine; and Eliana Horn, an organizer for Jewish Voice for Peace Seattle. In their introductory remarks, they talked about their experiences as young children attending Jewish schools and learning about Israel as a significant part of their education.

Co-director Axelman said, “I realized that I knew nothing about the Palestinian experience or about Palestinian history.” They said when they got to college they met many people like the film’s protagonists, who had gotten a more pro-Israel education than he had. Those people unconditionally supported Israel before meeting Palestinians, including as roommates or professors. “They began to realize that they had not been told the whole story,” said Axelman, “and that they had, in many ways, been lied to and not about a minor thing. But about an entire people’s existence and an entire people’s history.”

Zimmerman said making the film wasn’t about an act of bravery. “It’s actually about the very ordinary courage of, you know, every person who allows themselves to witness injustice and to be transformed by it, and to hear a narrative that doesn’t comport with the narrative, a more simple story that you were raised with, and to let your mind expand and grow. I’m so grateful that this film exists right now to help people who are struggling to make sense of the reality that they see in front of them.”

As the panel ended, Zimmerman stepped off the stage. Attendee Naomi Finkelstein approached them. “I’m emotional about it,” said Finkelstein. “I mean, it didn’t tell me anything I didn’t know, but I’m glad that it’s out there, and I’m so glad that a young person is helping save the souls of my people and my religion.”

The film showed how Israeli propaganda and the deliberate lack of information on the history of the region and the Palestinian people has influenced how Americans perceive Israel and its treatment of the occupied territories. Now in the midst of a conflict that has left Gaza in ruins and the world turning against Israel, most Americans, including Jewish Americans, support a permanent cease-fire. Yet despite the UN passing a resolution on March 25, demanding an immediate cease-fire during Ramadan, the war continues.

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“Israelism” can be screened for $5 online at Kinema.com.

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📸 Featured Image: Rabbi David Basior makes some introductory remarks before the screening of the documentary “Israelism,” on Sunday, March 17, at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian. (Photo: Susan Fried)

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