This film refreshingly avoids preaching to instead goes deep, through the lenses of two US Jews, on how easily they were indoctrinated into what it calls "Israelism". US Jews watching, like me, will identify how normalized and out of sight, the oppression of Palestinians is, and learns from each person, what it took for them to zoom out, and choose to stand with Palestinians and human rights defenders for the safety and humanity not only of Palestinians, but Palestinians and Jews.
The film also offers an insider's peak, with a lot of rich, archival footage of IfNotNow, a movement of young American Jews who formed after the 2014 bombing of Gaza, their incredible growth across the nation, and their goal of ending US Jewish support for the occupation.
Most importantly, what's rare and powerful about the the film is that it's a good entry point for people struggling with the Palestine/Israel issue. It correctly sees popular US Jewish support for Israel not one of villainy, selfishness, Islamophobia and anti Arab racism (which is often can be). But one so integrated into cultural norms by our Jewish institutions that otherwise progressive people with low information, have not zoomed out to see the wide picture. To know Palestinians. To examine our assumptions. And to examine motivations of people in power who do promote allegiance to Israelism over progressivism, humanitarianism and even Judaism.
The film also offers an insider's peak, with a lot of rich, archival footage of IfNotNow, a movement of young American Jews who formed after the 2014 bombing of Gaza, their incredible growth across the nation, and their goal of ending US Jewish support for the occupation.
Most importantly, what's rare and powerful about the the film is that it's a good entry point for people struggling with the Palestine/Israel issue. It correctly sees popular US Jewish support for Israel not one of villainy, selfishness, Islamophobia and anti Arab racism (which is often can be). But one so integrated into cultural norms by our Jewish institutions that otherwise progressive people with low information, have not zoomed out to see the wide picture. To know Palestinians. To examine our assumptions. And to examine motivations of people in power who do promote allegiance to Israelism over progressivism, humanitarianism and even Judaism.