Israelism

“Something is deeply wrong here, and it is breaking my heart. What we’ve been told is that the only way that Jews can be safe is if Palestinians are not safe. And I guess the more I learned about that, the more I came to see that as a lie.” Those are the words of Simone Zimmerman, who grew up in Los Angeles, attended Jewish day school, colored Israeli flags, went to Jewish camps, lived in Israel on a high school exchange program, and even spent time acting the role of an Israeli soldier — and then decided to get answers to her questions about the lives of Palestinians.

The heart of the wonderful film Israelism is transformation: young Jews fundamentally changing not just their attitudes about Israel, Palestine, and Palestinians, but about their own role in the world — coming to see themselves as solidarity activists. The filmmakers begin by introducing us to a host of pro-Israel proponents and their arguments: Israel is the place you can go to be safe; Israel is the insurance policy; I cannot separate Judaism and Israel — that is my identity; it’s cool to be an Israeli soldier.

The film unravels these conclusions and attitudes through the stories of U.S. Jews whose experiences contradict conventional pro-Israeli positions. At almost an hour and a half, Israelism is long, but because it is poignant and filled with point-counterpoint storytelling, it makes for a student-friendly film. [Description by Rethinking Schools.]