A footage used in the film quotes President Obama's 2009 Cairo speech: “America's strong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond is unbreakable today, unbreakable tomorrow, unbreakable forever.” This is this idea that Erin Axelman and Sam Eilertsen have decided to investigate here. “Israelism” more specifically explores the narrative constructed around Israel through the experiences of two young Jewish American citizens, Simone and Eithan, whose perspectives offer a unique lens through which to understand the complexities of Israel's storytelling and its impact on broader political perceptions.
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It is important to keep in mind that this documentary was shot prior to the October 7th, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack and the bloody retaliation in Gaza still ongoing as of June 2024, when this review is written. This context makes the subject highly sensitive, yet the film is even more pertinent for comprehending the ongoing cacophony among Biden's administration.
The first part of the film explores the propaganda made through the Jewish educational system in America. Selective readings, gross patriotic storytelling, military-oriented youth camps or promotional foreign exchanges. As observed by both of them, these propagandist messages appear to be influenced by the directives of the powerful lobby AIPAC (America Israel Public Affairs Committee). According to the influential Abe Foxman, cited as Director of the Anti-Defamation League (sic), “Israel is the insurance policy. A Jew doesn't have to worry where he's gonna go.” This reflects not political considerations anymore, but an emotional survivalist approach inherited from the Holocaust, a point that can be difficult to argue against.
In all fairness, it is necessary to point out that America has been a mosaic of communities since its foundation, particularly when considering religions. Understanding this context can help mitigate the accusation of outrageous propaganda and its potential to indoctrinate children, as similar methods are employed in other religious communities around. Assuming this phenomenon is definitively not unique, we must however admit that the geo-political question of Palestine makes it however questionable. The Jewish community has historically been exclusive, which could partly explain the persistent persecutions in European history, where countries often comprised a singular dominant community until the recent post-colonial era (referring to Spain's treatment of Jewish and Muslim Moors communities in the late middle age or the deadly religious wars between Protestants and Catholics). Consequently, the creation of Israel can be viewed among the Jewish communities as the culmination of a historical journey marked by repeated tragedies. This is where I must declare myself incompetent to express an opinion as a modest film reviewer. Still, nothing that unique in seeing young adults begin to perceive a reality that is more nuanced than the simplistic mythology proposed though their education, like reclaiming an empty promised land, from the river to the sea.
The second part of the documentary is more striking as it shifts focus to Eithan's voluntary service in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and his personal account. Without being too specifics, his narrative exposes the impossible integration for Palestinian natives, the abuses of authority of an army in a persistent wartime attitude, and the systematic practices in West Bank settlements aimed at displacing the native population. Subsequently, Palestinian citizens are given a platform to describe the enforced apartheid system, reinforcing the narratives presented by the documentary's central witnesses. This segment serves as an opportunity to revisit the historical context of Israel's creation, which appears to be voluntary overlooked in some segments of the Jewish population in America.
In a conclusion describing the work done by Simone, whether in supporting Bernie Sanders or animating roundtable discussions as part of the Jewish organization IfNotNow, the Directors tentatively illustrate the idea that a moderate approach might be possible facing an antisemitic pressure growing up. However, it is uncertain whether this approach resonates now, given the situation within universities around the world these days. Still, beyond this witnessing, it seems that the main and central idea of the documentary is the weight of betraying one's community and the courage it requires. It explores how it could be possible to criticize Israel in USA without being labelled anti-Semitic, a challenge that has become even more compromised after the events of October 7th.
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Obviously, we are discussing a politically oriented documentary, with both filmmakers emerging from left-wing underground activism. They have followed the same path as the protagonists, shifting their perception of the “Jewish Disneyland “, as explained by Sam Wolfson in his article in The Guardian. It is therefore necessary to remember that every shot and every editing effort has been made to convey a specific message.
Talking about the form, the film demonstrates a great mastery of modern documentary techniques, including the now-recurring use of animation to support testimony — similar to the acclaimed “Flee” by Jonas Poher Rasmussen or Rithy Panh's “The Missing Picture” a little earlier. It features slow-motion aesthetic shots and a discreet yet pertinent soundtrack that serves well a narrative interspersed with news excerpts and interviews, though these last are definitively too short to be truly impactful. We can sense that the focus is on maintaining a certain neutrality, avoiding emotional emphasis or demonstrative scenes – a respectable bias – but a more rigorous (chapter) structure would have given the documentary greater impact. Both directors are currently working on a new release called “Generation Green New Deal,” another sensitive subject in the USA.
