‘Israelism’ Documentary, About Jewish Attitudes Toward Israel, Lands U.S. Distributor (EXCLUSIVE)

Alex Ritman
·2 min read
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“Israelism,” a timely documentary exploring changing Jewish attitudes toward Israel, has been acquired by newly-launched distributor Watermelon Pictures for North America.

The film, the directorial debut of Erin Axelman and Sam Eilertsen, premiered at the 2023 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and went on to win multiple awards, including an audience award at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. It will be released in theaters and on digital platforms nationwide early this summer.

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As per the synopsis, “Israelism” is an “eye-opening and essential exploration of the dramatic shift in Jewish attitudes toward Israel, informed by Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, revealing a deepening generational divide over modern Jewish identity.”

The film centers on two young American Jews, Simone Zimmerman and Eitan, who are raised to defend the state of Israel at all costs. Eitan joins the Israeli military, while Zimmerman supports Israel on “the other battlefield:” America’s college campuses. When they witness Israel’s mistreatment of the Palestinian people with their own eyes, they are horrified and heartbroken.

The two join the movement of young American Jews battling the old guard over Israel’s centrality in American Judaism and demanding freedom for the Palestinian people. Their stories reveal a generational divide in the American Jewish community as more young Jews question the narratives their synagogues and Hebrew school teachers delivered them as children.

The doc includes voices including Sami Awad, Peter Beinart, Jeremy Ben-Ami, Noam Chomsky, Noura Erakat, Abe Foxman and Cornel West, with the filmmakers describing it as being an “urgent, crucial examination of how we got here, what the debate in the Jewish community is like at this moment, and where it might go from here.”

Axelman and Eilertsen said: “We hope that through personal stories our film illuminates the fierce and growing divide in the American Jewish community about our relationship with Israel/Palestine. We are honored that Watermelon have come on board to bring the film to a wide audience.”

Israelism was produced by Peabody-winner and multiple Emmy-nominee Daniel J. Chalfen  (“Loudmouth,” “Boycott,” “Silenced”) and Nadia Saah (“Omar,” “Speed Sisters,” “Five Broken Cameras”), executive producers Brian A. Kates (“Marvelous Ms. Maisel,” “Succession,” “The Plot Against America”), Gili Getz, Matthew Lindenbaum, Bennett Lindenbaum, and Sidney Topol, and is edited by Emmy-winner Tony Hale (“The Story of Plastic”).

Founded by brothers Hamza Ali and Badie Ali earlier this year, Watermelon Pictures is a film production and distribution company committed to amplifying the voices of underrepresented filmmakers across the globe through the powerful medium of storytelling.

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