Today is my birthday according to the Hebrew calendar. 42 years ago, I was born on Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day). My family tells me I always felt connected to Jerusalem as a child and wanted to visit often. Over time, I started to understand the significance behind the day, the tension, the politics, etc. and eventually, the peaceful warrior within me began to feel like maybe I was born on this day for a reason, even by “choice”. I thought there was some higher purpose to it, something I came here to do, or help with.
I wanted Jerusalem to be a universal sacred space; a safe haven for all faiths and all cultures. I wanted it to be an example for the rest of the world. I never even considered myself ‘religious’ but I always understood it’s importance. Once during a random meditation, I had an extremely vivid “vision” (I don’t usually get those, though I wish I did). I saw planet Earth from afar, and a soft light started to emanate from our little corner of the world. It became brighter and brighter, and soon it was so bright that the rest of the world could not help but stop everything they were doing to turn their attention to it, almost squinting as they tried to take it all in.
For years, I would carry this image with me. It was a metaphor for what I wanted for this country. Those were the days of hope and naïve innocence, but the older I got, the harder it became for me to see this vision, or my purpose, clearly. With each passing year, and with each passing news headline, it became more difficult for me to relate to the current state of reality, or to envision a better one.
Today, I still want to keep the vision alive but I’m starting to forget how or even why. Sometimes I wonder if the light show I imagined was just the Middle East self-destructing. (That would be an interesting spectacle, too.) ??
Government: “We need to shut down the economy in order to protect ourselves from a deadly virus.” People: “F*ck you, I won’t do what you tell me.” Government: “We need to shut down the economy in order to atone for our sins and ask for God’s forgiveness.” People: “Where do I sign?”
“A local man came up and said ‘Please – what does this mean?’ I explained I wanted to highlight the destruction in Gaza by posting photos on my website – but on the internet people only look at pictures of kittens.” – Banksy http://banksy.co.uk/
When I was in 3rd grade we were asked to write a letter to the POTUS. I recently came across this letter and noticed the little edit that my teacher decided to add in red. I don’t know if to be mad at the teacher for trying to force her political views on me, or to thank her for trying to open my eyes at such an early age…
That awkward moment when you’re sitting at a Jerusalem bus stop minding your own business and out of nowhere a religious girl chokes on her drink, spits it all over you, apologizes profusely, and then gives you a blessing. o_0
Whenever anyone says anything critical about Israel, there’s always an Israeli who will compare it to other countries and say “So what if we suck, we’re still better than THEM”. What kind of fucked up logic is that? How does that serve anything? We need to stop pointing our fingers at everyone else and start looking at ourselves! Like Gandhi said: “BE the change you want to see in the world” …he did NOT say…”Compare yourself to people who suck even more than you so that you can feel better about yourself.”
“Greetings, dear ones. I am Kryon of Magnetic Service.”
I’m at a 2-day seminar in New Jersey with one of the most famous channelers in the world, Lee Carroll, who channels the energy “Kryon”. After following his work for years, it’s such an honor to be able to meet him in person.
Anyway, I noticed 2 Israeli girls here talking non-stop and kind of thought to myself, “Damn Israelis.” :/ Then about 5 minutes later the 2 girls overheard another man speaking Hebrew, rolled their eyes, and gave him this evil look as in, “Damn Israeli.” :/ So basically there are a bunch of Israelis here simply ignoring each other and making faces. What can I say, we are a unique species. 🙂
Hit the “snooze” button on the Israel-Palestine situation enough times, and eventually the clock becomes a time-bomb. – Shira Tamir
Me to a theater full of Jewish New Yorkers as we wait for the movie “The GateKeepers” to start:
“Sooooo… What are we gonna do about those Israelis?” Them: (nervous laughter) Me: “It’s ok, I’m Israeli, I’m allowed to say that.” Them: (relieved laughter)
West Bank Story is a musical comedy about David, an Israeli soldier, and Fatima, a Palestinian fast food cashier – an unlikely couple who fall in love amidst the animosity of their families’ dueling falafel stands in the West Bank.
Tensions mount when the Kosher King’s new pastry machine juts onto Hummus Hut property. The Palestinians ruin the machine and the Israelis respond by building a wall between the two eating establishments.
The couple professes their love for each other, triggering a chain of events that destroys both restaurants and forces all to find common ground in an effort to rebuild, planting a seed of hope.
******************************
Why did you make the film?
I wanted to accomplish three things with the movie:
1. I wanted to make a film that would get attention and also make people laugh.
2. I wanted to make a movie that was pro-peace and offered a message of hope.
3. I wanted to address the situation in an even-handed and balanced way so that Jewish and Arab audiences would feel fairly represented enough to let their guard down and laugh WITH the characters from the “other side”. I thought, if we can make a movie that Israelis will watch and like the Arab characters and that Arabs will watch and like the Israeli characters then that will be something valuable.
What problems did you encounter in making the film?
Many people said you can’t make a film that’s a comedy about a tragedy like the Middle East conflict. They said that no one wants to see that and you will end up offending every Jew and Arab in America. I was also advised against making a short movie that takes place in another country because it would be too expensive. They insisted I would never be able to pull it off and it would look student and cheap.
1. At first, I heeded their advice and I shelved the project for 5 months. It wasn’t until I started working with my co-writer, Kim Ray, that we returned to the project with a new perspective. We decided that it was necessary to simplify the situation in order to make it comedic. We wanted to show that both sides were more alike than they care to admit so we brainstormed a list of things that Arabs and Israelis have in common. When we came up with food and the premise of competing falafel stands, the script began to come to life.
2. A major challenge was balance in portraying both sides evenly. Our fear was that we might offend one side and then turn them off to the story. Therefore, we made sure that for every joke against one side we had one for the other. Likewise, for every endearing or heartfelt moment for the Palestinians we had to have one for the Israelis. Balance was crucial to staying credible. This balance carried over into every aspect of the film. The costumes had to be equally funny on both sides as did their restaurants and the personalities of the characters. I think we did a pretty good job of keeping it balanced.
What do you want the viewer to take away from the film?
I sometimes get remarks about the film being too simplistic and that it does not accurately show the suffering of any one side. I agree, it IS simplistic because it has to be in order to be a comedy. This film is not meant to be a learning tool for the situation in the Middle East. It is not an historical explanation, or a political solution on screen. It is a movie about HOPE and PEACE and that is it. It is meant to counteract the multitudes of negative documentaries and news reports that, while very informative, usually seem to be skewed to one side and ALWAYS leave the viewer feeling like this conflict will go on forever. I truly believe that peace between Israelis and Arabs will be achieved and don’t believe it is a hopeless endeavor. We wanted to make a film that would convey that feeling.
What has been the response from Jews and Arabs?
The response has been overwhelmingly positive from both sides. I have had requests for Dvd’s from professors from Qatar, libraries in Egypt, soldiers in Israel, Palestinian families in Gaza, Elementary school teachers in Haifa, Jewish and Arab film festivals all over the United States, and the list goes on. The film played at the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival and the Tel Aviv University Student Film Festival in Israel. It also played at the Dubai International Film Festival to a very warm reception and was screened there more than any other film at the festival. It was one of the best screening experiences I have ever had.
What is your background? Are you from the Middle East?
I was born in the United States and am the son of an Israeli father and an American mother. I studied Islam, Judaism, and the History of the Middle East in college and have traveled the Middle East extensively having been to Israel (almost every year), Palestine, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, and Dubai. I currently have family that live throughout Israel.
Hmmm, I’m not sure what’s more disturbing: The fact that a woman is carrying a gas mask to the supermarket (just in case!) or the fact that 3 security guards cornered me insisting that I delete this photo because it’s “against the law to film inside the supermarket.”
YouTube legend Matt Harding(aka “Where The Hell is Matt”) dropped by Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv to film his Israeli fans dancing for his third YouTube clip. When my husband and I found out, we decided to join in, of course!
For those who still don’t know Matt’s story, here’s a rundown:
A few years back, Matt decided to screw everything, quit his 9 to 5 day job working with computer games and travel around the world. A friend of his came up with the idea to film Matt doing his “unique” dance at every location they went to and made the first “Where the Hell is Matt” video clip. The clip was an overnight YouTube success, which quickly got a chewing gum company called Stride to make Matt the following offer (more or less):
“Plan another trip around the world, anywhere you want, all expenses paid by us, and make a second clip for YouTube. All we want in return is that you write, “Thank you to Stride” at the end of the clip.”
And so, here he is in the heart of Tel Aviv, filming yet another clip around the world, explaining how it is gonna work and demonstrating his infamous dance to the delight of the participants. I filmed this from inside the group of dancers:
For the record, Matt was charming and friendly (even in the scorching sun) and it was a pleasure making a fool out of myself for him:
Here Matt hands out Stride Gum bracelets to participants after they sign the release form:
Matt sneaks a peek at the camera before his girlfriend starts filming:
Me, Matt and Niv (my hubby)
You can see more video footage from the event on Ynet, (I’m the girl in the close-up at 1:01 being blinded by the sun).
This month alone, Matt has already managed to shoot his infamous dance in Portugal, France, Belgium, Sweden and now, Israel.
The final product is said to be up and running on the web in a couple of months.
