Raised to see Israel as a 'Jewish Disneyland', two US film-makers are telling a different story

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https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/nov/12/israelism-documentary-american-jewish-israel-palestine-conflict

Raised to see Israel as a ‘Jewish Disneyland’, two US film-makers are telling a different story

A new documentary argues some young Jewish Americans – including the directors themselves – have been raised in a system that demands pro-Israel activism

Sam Wolfson
Sun 12 Nov 2023 08.00 EST

Erin Axelman was a fervent Zionist by the time they reached high school in the late 2000s. For their bat mitzvah, they had received a copy of Exodus by Leon Uris. The 1958 novel, one of the bestselling books of the decade, tells a story about the creation of the Israeli state that helped cement American Zionism. “It’s this kind of heroic, almost mythical tale of the creation of the state of Israel and it was incredibly empowering,” Axelman said.

After reading Exodus, Axelman “became obsessed with Israel”, they said. “I considered joining the Israeli military and fantasized about moving there.” They latched on to the story of Jews returning home.

Then in high school, a teacher, taking note of Axelman’s enthusiasm, suggested they read about the history of Palestine. It proved a wake-up call. “The narratives I’d learned up to that point only mentioned Palestinians in passing or as an obstacle,” said Axelman. “But I read for an entire year Palestinian historians like Rashid Khalidi and leftwing Israeli historians like Tom Segev.” They say the process reminded them of what they’d learned in school about the history of the US, “in terms of a people who came to a new country that were refugees or immigrants and created a city on a hill, a beacon of light and a democracy. That narrative is incredibly empowering until you hear about the Native Americans and you realize it lacks some really basic points.”

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“If there’s anything that gives me even a drop of hope in this horrific time, it’s that more people are going to take the blinders off,” said Zimmerman. “That people are going to stop believing the lies we were taught and have the courage to face the reality of Israel and not the fantasy of it.”

Israelism is screening in-person across the US and online for free. For details go to https://www.israelismfilm.com/screenings