I already added some comments on *Israelism* in another thread, but for the benefit of those who are considering attending, here's a more extensive fact-check of this movie:
- As I mentioned before, *Israelism* ignores all Jewish historical ties to Israel. The movie does not address the deep historical and ancestral connections between Jewish people and the land of Israel, which is essential for understanding the complexities of the region. Jews are not simply those who practice a religion, they are a peoplehood that comes from that specific part of the world, with their own culture, history, ethnicity, and religion. - *Israelism* omits many significant historical events, such as the role of the United Nations in Israel's creation, Arab aggression during the state's formation, and ongoing Arab terrorism that has plagued the region. This lack of context leads viewers to an incomplete understanding of the conflict's origins and complexities. - The movie's claims of apartheid against Arabs are factually inaccurate: Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs possess equal rights, which are specifically enshrined in the Israeli Declaration of Independence <https://5a55e4ca.streaklinks.com/CQwQjTLcnLTvgWrl3Q_4W6W9/https%3A%2F%2Favalon.law.yale.edu%2F20th_century%2Fisrael.asp>: "We appeal... to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions." - The film suggests that American Jewish organizations uniformly suppress criticism of Israel and promote a one-sided narrative. This is not true. Talk to any number of Jews, and they'll tell you how they wrestle with the conflict themselves. And I don't know a single Jew in America or Israel who thinks Netanyahu is a totally awesome dude. He has a 58% unfavorable rating in Israel, and a 63% unfavorable rating among American Jews. The idea that Jews blindly approve of every Israeli action is ludicrous. Hope this helps. ᐧ On Sat, Jan 4, 2025 at 4:41 PM Stephen R. Low <steve....@gordianconcepts.com> wrote: > *A second chance to see Israelism:* > > > > *Sunday, January 5 at 2 PM at the Lincoln Public Library, 3 Bedford Road* > > ** > > *Revealing the widening schism in America’s Jewish Community* > > > > > > *The GRALTA Foundation screens **Israelism**, a 2023 documentary directed > and written by two first-time Jewish filmmakers who share a similar story > to the film’s protagonists. * > > > > *Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/bondvm3hvGM > <https://youtu.be/bondvm3hvGM>* > > > > *Dual Award Winner*** > > *San Francisco Jewish Film Festival* > *Best Feature DocumentaryAudience Award (Feature Documentary)* > > ***Winner*** > > *Brooklyn International Film Festival**Board of Director’s Spirit Award* > > > > *Why all the controversy?* > > *Sample the media attention given to this film.**Then see it for yourself* > ! > > > > · > *‘Students do not like being censored’: ‘Israelism,’ a new doc with New > England roots, is film flashpointBOSTON GLOBE* > By Erin Trahan > Since Oct. 7, screenings across the country have been canceled, postponed, > and cited in a federal lawsuit. > > > > · > > *“Israelism” on Tour: New Film Examines American Jews’ Growing Rejection > of Israel’s OccupationDEMOCRACY NOW*The new documentary Israelism > examines the growing generational divide among Jewish Americans on the > question of Palestine, with many younger Jews increasingly critical of > Israel and less supportive of Zionism. > > > > · > > *The Jewish Community Rupture Over Israel–PalestineTHE INTERCEPT*Ryan > Grim speaks to the filmmakers of “Israelism,” a documentary on the unique > relationship between American Jews and an idealized version of Israel. > > > > · > *Jewish UPenn Students Could Face Discipline For Screening Film Critical > Of IsraelHUFFPOST* > By Matt Shuham > University of Pennsylvania administrators told a student group it could > lose funding and organizers could face consequences for screening > "Israelism." > > > > · > > *Hunter College Pulls Screening of Film Critical of IsraeLNEW YORK TIMES*By > Jennifer Schuessler > Hunter College this week abruptly pulled a screening of a documentary film > critical of Israel, creating a backlash from faculty members and students > who have charged the New York school’s administration with undermining > academic freedom. > > > > · *The Backlash to Anti-Israel Protests Threatens Free Speech* > > *NEW YORK TIMES*By Michelle Goldberg > If you want to understand the wrenching generational rift over Israel > among many left-leaning American Jews, the documentary “Israelism,” which > came out this year, is a good place to start. > > > > · > > *Israelism Is a Powerful Indictment of Pro-Apartheid IndoctrinationJACOBIN*By > Ben Burgis > A new documentary called Israelism tells the story of young American Jews > coming to question the narrative they were taught about “the only democracy > in the Middle East.” > > > > · > > *Were young American Jews lied to about Israel? A new documentary says > yesTHE [JEWISH DAILY] FORWARD*By Mira Fox February 24, 2023 > I was no`t raised attending a Jewish day school, or Hebrew school on the > weekends, or even a Jewish summer camp. Apparently, if I had been, I might > have been subjected to heavy propaganda about Israel. That’s the thesis of > Israelism, a provocative and professionally edited documentary that > premiered this week at the Big Sky Film Festival, criticizing American > Jews’ loyalty to Israel. > > > > · > > *What if a quarter of Jews really do think Israel is a genocidal, > apartheid state?THE [JEWISH DAILY] FORWARD*By Arno Rosenfeld July 15, 2021 > The questions were tucked toward the end of a lengthy poll of American > Jewish voters: do you agree, the Jewish Electorate Institute asked > respondents, “that Israel is an apartheid state?” Do you agree that “Israel > is committing genocide against the Palestinians?’’ > > > > · > > *Cancel culture comes for a documentary about Jews critical of IsraelTHE > [JEWISH DAILY] FORWARD*By Mira Fox > ‘Israelism’ exposes attempts to control the narrative about Israel. Now > those same forces are coming for the film. > > > *Regards,* > > *Steve Low* > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ > . > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > >
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