Weekly On-line Rabbi's D'var-Torah
March 6, 2025
6 Adar 5785
Parashat Tetzaveh
Shabbat Zachor
I didn’t watch the Oscars this year and I haven’t seen the documentary “No Other Land,” but wow – I have heard a lot about both of them in the last few days. Both the film itself and the acceptance speeches of the filmmakers have caused a great deal of discussion.
So, let’s start with the film. As I said above, I haven’t seen it, but I can comment on just the title. In Hebrew it is called, “אין ארץ אחרת – Ein Eretz Acheret” – just one word off from a well-known Hebrew song called “אין לי ארץ אחרת – Ein Li Eretz Acheret,” which means “I Have No Other Land.” The idea behind the song is that despite Israel’s imperfections, it is still the one and only Jewish homeland. After October 7th, it has been used as a song of comfort and determination (click here for a recent version).
Yuval Abraham – the Israeli filmmaker who co-directed the documentary had to know about the song and how the film title would be received by Jews and Israelis who know the song. It’s a bit of a slap in the face.
Of course, many Jews and Israelis who have seen the film have criticized it for selective editing, staging scenes and one-sidedness. I can’t really judge the accuracy of those critiques. However, I find it interesting that the BDS movement has issued a statement in opposition to this film as well. They reject this film because they claim it engages in the crime of “normalization.” In other words, the Palestinian co-director Basel Adra treated Yuval Abraham as an equal, as a peer. And that is not acceptable in the BDS world.
That is one of my biggest issues with this film. Even when an Israeli Jew bends over backwards to acknowledge Israel’s missteps, it’s not enough. Yuval Abraham’s existence as a Jew in the land of Israel is enough to outrage the BDS crowd. Conversely, it is impossible to find Palestinian filmmakers who are willing to turn their cameras toward Hamas with a critical eye. If this film had been willing to address the missteps of Hamas as well, it could have truly been a powerful film for both Israelis and Palestinians. We Jews are under no obligation to give the anti-Israel activists more material for their relentless attacks on Israel if they are not willing to judge Hamas in a similar fashion.
Lastly, in his acceptance speech, Basel Adra made it a point to call out Israel for ethnic cleansing. Israel currently has approximately 2 million Arab citizens, which is roughly 1/5 of its population. On the flip side, the only Jews in Gaza are the hostages being held in the tunnels. There are virtually no Jews left in the Muslim countries of the world. Not only that, but the Palestinians have forced out Christians as well. In 1948, the Christian population of Bethlehem was 85%. Today it is less than 10%. The only country in the Middle East with a growing Christian population is Israel. Who exactly is engaged in ethnic cleansing?
Over the years, Jews found great success in the movie industry when they were shut out of other opportunities. It is unfortunate and ironic that on a night designed to celebrate that industry, there was no one to stand up for the one and only Jewish state.
Fortunately, in the days following the Oscars, both Gal Gadot and David Schwimmer gave terrific speeches at the ADL Never is Now conference.
Shalom,
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