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Children of the Bible/These Are My Names
This double feature tackles the issues faced by an expanding but relatively quiet minority group in Israel. For nearly 30 years, Ethiopian Jews have been immigrating to Israel in large numbers for a chance at a better life. Understandably, there have been some missteps in the policies implemented during this difficult transition, and these documentaries examine some of these consequences and the ways in which people are working to fix the situation.
In Children of the Bible, we simply follow the exploits of rapper Jeremy Cool Habash, an Ethiopian raised and currently residing in Israel. The ways in which Habash engages himself with the Ethiopian community are so numerous that it’s amazing they were able to fit them all in a 50 minute movie. The man throws concerts, pleads with the community’s religious leaders, and leads a support group for the troubled Ethiopian youth. He also finds time to visit his old living quarters, collaborate with a prominent Israeli singer, and even travel back to Ethiopia to visit his childhood home. This portrait is fascinating in how his mission appears tireless and sprawling, but that same sprawling nature of his work makes the movie a bit disjointed.
Following that film is a screening of the short documentary These Are My Names. This film focuses on the Israeli policy that asks Ethiopian immigrants to drop their Amharic name and adopt a Hebrew one. Through numerous interviews, we learn of the personal struggles these individuals encounter during this difficult transition. Possibly related to the low-budget quality of the movie, the story was extremely difficult to understand (it would have been near impossible if we hadn’t gained some valuable background information from the previous screening). The movie would have benefited from limiting its main characters to just one or two individuals.
Both films are a bit too unfocused to tackle any serious discussions about integration and immigrant policies in Israel, but they provide great value as an introduction to the daily struggles and prejudices these immigrants constantly face. Together, these films are valuable documents for anyone in the community concerned with the treatment of immigrants from the Horn of Africa.
This double feature tackles the issues faced by an expanding but relatively quiet minority group in Israel. For nearly 30 years, Ethiopian Jews have been immigrating to Israel in large numbers for a chance at a better life. Understandably, there have been some missteps in the policies implemented during this difficult transition, and these documentaries examine some of these consequences and the ways in which people are working to fix the situation.
In Children of the Bible, we simply follow the exploits of rapper Jeremy Cool Habash, an Ethiopian raised and currently residing in Israel. The ways in which Habash engages himself with the Ethiopian community are so numerous that it’s amazing they were able to fit them all in a 50 minute movie. The man throws concerts, pleads with the community’s religious leaders, and leads a support group for the troubled Ethiopian youth. He also finds time to visit his old living quarters, collaborate with a prominent Israeli singer, and even travel back to Ethiopia to visit his childhood home. This portrait is fascinating in how his mission appears tireless and sprawling, but that same sprawling nature of his work makes the movie a bit disjointed.
Following that film is a screening of the short documentary These Are My Names. This film focuses on the Israeli policy that asks Ethiopian immigrants to drop their Amharic name and adopt a Hebrew one. Through numerous interviews, we learn of the personal struggles these individuals encounter during this difficult transition. Possibly related to the low-budget quality of the movie, the story was extremely difficult to understand (it would have been near impossible if we hadn’t gained some valuable background information from the previous screening). The movie would have benefited from limiting its main characters to just one or two individuals.
Both films are a bit too unfocused to tackle any serious discussions about integration and immigrant policies in Israel, but they provide great value as an introduction to the daily struggles and prejudices these immigrants constantly face. Together, these films are valuable documents for anyone in the community concerned with the treatment of immigrants from the Horn of Africa.
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