POSTPONED!—Israelism: Voices from the Holy Land Film Salon

Date/Time
Date(s) - 10/15/2023
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Categories


POSTPONED!

Voices from the Holy Land has decided, in light of recent events, to postpone this film screening.  Their note to us said that the registration count was one of the highest ever, but

The events of the week in the Holy Land have shaken all of us to the core.  The continuing violence, deaths and destruction is difficult to watch and comprehend.  We all need time to understand and reflect.  We have held conversations with the filmmaker, the moderator, and the panelists, and they are not ready to have a conversation on this topic now.

Keep watching our site for details on a new date and for the November 19th Salon, which features  Marketing the Occupation – Part Two: Media and the Palestine Problem.  This is the first time in the 9-year history of the salon that they are cancelling a scheduled event.

Here is our original description of the event:

We are cosponsoring this film screening; here is the description from Voices from the Holy Land:

Israel is central to the political and cultural life of the American Jewish community. But it has also become a deeply divisive subject, as painful generational cracks have emerged within the Jewish community over the Israel-Palestine conflict, inspiring argument, protest, and even censorship.

Focusing on the stories of 2 young Americans raised to defend Israel at all costs, “Israelism” traces their awakening to Israel’s dehumanization of Palestinians and the ongoing violence of the occupation. The film explores the past, present, and future of the relationship between American Jews and Israel, as growing numbers question whether support for Israel should condition and define their Jewish identity. Featuring a range of American Jewish thinkers, community leaders and activists, “Israelism” asks how and why Israel became the cornerstone of American Judaism, what the consequences have been, and what will happen as divisions continue to grow.

woman stands in front of wall with amateurish cartoons of U.S.American and Israeli flags “Israelism”

All are invited to watch the film for free at your convenience and then join the Q&A Discussion with

  • Eric Axelman: filmmaker, co-founder of Tikkun Olam Productions
  • Simone Zimmerman: Jewish American activist, co-founder of IfNotNow
  • Lubna Alzaroo: instructor at University of Washington specializing in settler colonialism
  • Peter Beinart: editor-at-large at Jewish Currents, professor of journalism, CUNY and Publisher, The Beinart Newsletter

After you register, you will get a confirmation e-mail from Zoom with a link to the meeting and a link with to watch the film.  Save that letter to participate in the discussion; the link is unique to your e-mail address.

Watch the Trailer: http://Tinyurl.com/VFHL-IsraelismTrailer.

Don’t forget to watch recordings of previous Online Film Salon recordings in their entirety here, including for the July 16, 2023, Q&A discussion of My Tree.

Eric Axelman, Director and Producer of Israelism, is a trans Jewish filmmaker who has produced videos for Senator Ed Markey, as well as Congressman Jamaal Bowman. Eric is the Co-Executive Director of Tikkun Olam Productions, which is a progressive multimedia storytelling collective, and executive director of Pushed Learning and Media. For three years, Eric ran the multi- disciplinary high-school hip-hop program at the Wheeler School in Providence, Rhode Island, and has a solo hip-hop album, Too Much.

Simone Zimmerman is the central character in the documentary Israelism. In 2014, she helped found IfNotNow, which states, “[The Jewish American Community] faces a choice: Will we continue to teach our children that Jews can only be safe if we have power over others? Or will we recognize that Palestinian and Jewish safety are intertwined, and join together in the fight for equality, justice, and a thriving future for all?” Simone was national Jewish outreach coordinator for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign and has worked for a variety of human rights organizations focusing on both Palestinian rights as well as the fight against antisemitism.

Lubna Alzaroo grew up in Hebron, Palestine, before moving to the U.S. for graduate school on a Fulbright Scholarship. She has a Ph.D. in English from the University of Washington and is currently a part time lecturer at the University of Washington and South Seattle College. Her research is particularly interested in the representation of settler colonial infrastructure, necropower, and the environment in both U.S. and Palestinian literature.

Peter Beinart is Editor-at-Large, Jewish Currents; MSNBC Contributor; Professor of Journalism and Political Science, Newmark School of Journalism, CUNY; Fellow, Foundation for Middle East Peace; and frequent contributor to the New York Times. He publishes The Beinart Newsletter online, writing, “I don’t think the U.S. possesses any inherent right to run the world. If America wants moral authority, it must earn it. And I believe that the best way to secure the safety of the Jewish people, my people, is through equality and justice for Palestinians. I hope these principles foster a different kind of conversation.”

SUPPORTER Organizations: Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) + Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace + Quaker Palestine Israel Network + Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East + Indiana Center for Middle East Peace + Disciples Palestine-Israel Network + Virginia Coalition for Human Rights + Mennonite Palestine Israel Network + Friends of Sabeel North America + Center for Jewish Nonviolence + Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network + United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network + Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service Churches for Middle East Peace + Kairos Puget Sound Coalition+ Pax Christi USA + Jewish Voice for Peace – San Diego

In addition, we received this information along with the materials for the discussion of The Truth: Lost at Sea:
Please also note that the edited recording of August Online Film Salon on The Truth: LOST at SEA, one of our best attended events is posted here:  https://www.voicesfromtheholyland.org/online-film-salon-videos/online-film-salon.

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