For many Jews expressing sympathy for the Palestinian plight in Israel is far too intimidating. To do so would be a betrayal to many, making an already vulnerable Israel only moreso. Considering a scenario of a world without a dedicated Jewish homeland is to consider a world without Jews. While there are now a relatively small number of Holocaust survivors around, there is a generation of young people (roughly my age) in America, Europe and Israel who hold on the memories of their Bubbes and Zaydes like having taken a blood oath. To suggest that one can be pro-Israel and sympathetic to Palestinians at the same time is, for many, an oxymoron. But the new documentary, “Between Two Worlds“, shows that through much work and respectful discourse, some common ground may be reached.
The film, co-directed by Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman (who coincidentally founded the festival in 1980), starts with an incident at the 2009 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival where the controversial film “Rachel“, directed by Simone Bitton, was screened. That film criticized the Israeli army for the death of peace activist Rachel Corrie who was killed by a bulldozer while protesting the destruction of Palestinian homes. Rachel’s mother was invited to participate in a post-screening Q&A, something which caused sponsors to pull out and a mob of angry protestors to march outside the theater. The film does sensitively depict how polarized the Jewish community is between those who staunchly defend Israel at any cost, and those who dare to criticize.
“Between Two Worlds” will have a special screening at the Stranger Than Fiction series on Thursday, June 30th at 8pm. Both filmmakers will be present for a Q&A following the screening. The film will then go on to play at the Jerusalem Film Festival on July 8th and then, quite neatly, on to the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival later in the month.
