Archive for August, 2011

In a Land of Extremes, a Tel Aviv of the Mind

By On August 22, 2011 In blog With No Comments Permanent Link to In a Land of Extremes, a Tel Aviv of the MindPermalink

During our three days in Tel Aviv, my son Ben and I spent a good deal of time walking up and down Rothschild Blvd. checking out the tent protests. Almost all the conversation and signs were in Hebrew, so I really can’t claim to know for sure what was going on. But I think I got a pretty good idea. And I have to say, this movement is the most hopeful thing I saw during our week of scouting in Israel.

What encourages me, and impresses me deeply, is the level of discourse going on around the tents. Protesters gathered in circles, sometimes in very large groups, were having civilized, complex, respectful discussions about the pressing issues facing Israeli society. Hecklers and crazies lurked, but somehow the groups managed to ease them away so that intelligent dialogue could continue.

Our time in Tel Aviv was prelude to three intense days in the West Bank, both in the settlements and in Palestinian villages. Even in this part of the world that is so fraught with divisiveness and violence, we found dialogue and restraint.

But the West Bank is not Tel Aviv. There’s no apparent feel good civilized dialogue going on between the hostile parties, and the underlying problem does not lend itself to a politically correct happy ending. For the settlers, land will either be held, or surrendered. For the Palestinians, a state will either be achieved, or compromised. There is profound feeling on both sides, religious connections to the land, torturous memories of friends blown up, a history that provides fodder for endless debate and argument.

I remain committed to complete non partisanship. Still, I’m human, and as we met first with settlers, then Palestinians, and then again settlers, I felt myself being swayed back and forth. I’m not apologizing for this — I connected with people, something I need to do as a film maker. I need to love and believe in my subjects — even subjects who may not like each other. The commitment to non partisanship returned when we passed through the last check point. I find it’s much easier to think objectively when I’m lying on a bed in a nice hotel room, dreaming about the prospect of love and rationality sweeping over the disputed lands.

But there will be no tent protest movement that sweeps across the West Bank to unite Palestinians and settlers in civilized dialogue. Hebron will not turn into Tel Aviv. My small contribution, I hope, will be to maintain this project’s Tel Aviv spirit, even as we travel from one side to another in search of common truths.

Across the valley

By On August 17, 2011 In Uncategorized With No Comments Permanent Link to Across the valleyPermalink

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After yesterday’s visits to three settlements, we spent today on the Palestinian side.  Very shortly after starting from the Husan checkpoint, we found ourselves in Biet Ommar.  We stood on a balcony looking over a valley toward the settlement of Bat Ayin.

The lanscape slopes steeply down, arid interspersed with olive groves and ancient walls.  The land rises again steeply to where the Bat Ayin houses begin.  We could see the American style rustic wood house, and the scrubby backyard from which we had enjoyed the view of a Palestinian town and its white.minaret on the opposing heights.

Stories we heard from our Palestinian hosts about the settlers of Bat Ayin seemed inconceivable, so implausible given our impression of the settler.

Followers of the conflict have heard the stories many times.  A farmer goes to work the land, and settlers charge down the hill and beat him.  Family land going back generations boldly confiscated.   Water supplies cut off, while the setllers build swimming pools.

We are nonpartisan and will continue to listen to both sides.  Surely we can be criticized for this commitment to objectivity.  If one side is purely criminal, how can you give both sides equal weight?

All human beings have “equal weight.”  Villains and heros make for stories.  Let’s hope that they’re both worth watching for 80 minutes.

Settlements, Day One

By On August 16, 2011 In Uncategorized With No Comments Permanent Link to Settlements, Day OnePermalink

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A hugely productive day visiting settlements east of Jerusalem: T’koa, Rosh Zurim and Bat Eyin.  Our visits were largely spontaneous.  Unrehearsed, honest, friendly and thoughful. We met two US transplants and a cheif of security.  We wandered into the libaray of one settlement where two men were studying Talmud.  A young boy, about 7, jumped into our car at the guarded entry gate of one settlement to help us find someone who lived there.  Tomorrow, back to the West Bank.

Ben on Tel Aviv

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This was my final day in Tel Aviv, I wish I could have spent more time here but (my father’s duty) calls, so we will soon experience the reality of West Bank. It has been hard to believe how close this very western city is to areas in Gaza and the West Bank where unemployment is above 40% and many people live far below the poverty line. But even though it seems that Tel Aviv has been but a dream, it was a good dream, and I learned something about a lot if things.

A 15-Year-Old View

By On August 15, 2011 In blog With No Comments Permanent Link to A 15-Year-Old ViewPermalink

Ben Cohn, 15, lives in NYC
This city radiates the kind of energy that I haven’t seen in my life time. The sheer amount of young people here is mind boggling. I have to admit that on the plane ride here I was never imagining such a secular and moderate city. Now that I have walked the streets I see that the city is mostly young vibrant men and women who dominate the streets and shops. The separated neighborhoods that I imagined are nonexistent.

Instead this is an easy going and blended city, with arabs and jews coexisting in harmony. It is almost as if the city is in its own bubble of community and peace. I think that the city can be compared with Williamsburg Brooklyn because of the volume of new young hip kids who are just coming of age, the orthodox community, and the intense diversity of other European and African immigrants.

The kids here in Tel Aviv; however; are a little more assertive and politically aware than heir counterparts in Williamsburg, which is demonstrated by the huge rallies and tent protests that have taken place here because of the state of housing and other issues in Israel.

There are definitely enough reasons for young people in Brooklyn to be protesting as well; but it is harder in New York because of the police stateb it has become.

Tomorrow is my last day here and I hope to get in every minute of the girls and other sites of this amazing city.

The Vibe in Tel Aviv

By On August 13, 2011 In blog With No Comments Permanent Link to The Vibe in Tel AvivPermalink

Tel Aviv makes a strong impression. The Rothschild Blvd protests are remarkable: blocks of tents, some tents empty and symbolic, otbers providing shelter to groups of varied protestors in conversation or playing music. But the feeling and vibe of the city is also striking. Even on a sabbath saturday afternoon.

Tel Aviv reminds me of an energized, happening, european city. Like Madrid in the 80s. There is furious building activity everywhere. Many houses and apartment buildings marked for demolition.

This prosperity when everywhere else is caught in economic crisis is remarkable. And it no doubt adds to the tent protester’s anger, struggling to survive with so much growth and affluence around them.

It’s truly hard to believe that the Green Line is only a half hour away, and the problem of the settlements looms so close at hand.

The Israel Documentary — Day One

By On August 11, 2011 In blog With No Comments Permanent Link to The Israel Documentary — Day OnePermalink

This project, and this web site, launched on Friday, August 12 when my son Ben and I left for Tel Aviv to begin research for my new film project, a documentary about the settlements in Israel. Ben, who just turned 15, came along to help out.

Why a film about the settlements? It seems an unlikely follow up to my last project, “Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America.”  But I see it as a perfectly logical next step. My passion is to make films that explore complex social and political issues, and the Israeli settlements are certainly a complex issue. I also look to tell stories about people who take risks and make extraordinary commitments, and there are many of them in Israel and the West Bank, on both sides.

For the Israel project (modestly being called “The Israel Documentary), our first priority is to find settlers who can be our main subjects. The second thing is to understand the issues, and to meet the people who have dedicated their life to it, on all sides.

It will be an intense five days.  Two days in Tel Aviv — for some meetings and a chance to observe the demonstrations..   Then three days in Jerusalem and the West Bank.   All energy devoted to finding the story.

My fear is that I’m too naive, with no experience in the Middle East. I’ve already been told it’s impossible not to take sides. We’ll see if I can fight against that rule, in an effort to give voice to everyone.