Another delightful evening of Ma’aleh Films was held at Congregation Rinat Yisrael on Saturday night, February 29. Ma’aleh aficionados anticipate these Israeli film gems and come out wherever they are shown in the community. Accompanying the films at this showing was Neta Ariel, who has served as Ma’aleh’s director for more than 20 years of the film school’s 30-year history. Ariel, a native of Kibbutz Ein Tzurim in the center of the country, now resides with her family in Efrat. She is a mother of five and the grandmother of many.
At the event, three short Ma’aleh-style films were shown, each exploring a pivotal incident in the life of the filmmakers which impacted them going forward. The opening film titled “Give it Back” was particularly relevant to our community as it explored the first day at an Israeli school for a recent junior-high school aged immigrant from New Jersey named Olivia.The film portrays her trepidation when entering her classroom on the first day. True to her expectations, the students, particularly the young girls in the class, taunt and mock her. The only sympathy she receives is from an Ethiopian young boy who himself is the target of the class bullies.
The second film, “To Be a Cooperman,” humorously portrayed a father and son both serving in the police department and the moral quagmire the son descends into in order not to taint the reputation of the Cooperman family in law enforcement.
The third film, “The Youngest,” or “Mezinka,” (“Broom Dance” in Yiddish), is a poignant exploration of a recent Orthodox widow’s reluctance to allow her youngest daughter to enter the shidduch scene.
During the post-screening Q&A, Ariel introduced the audience to two new innovative programs being offered through Ma’aleh. The first is a positive response to the thrusts throughout Israel to provide opportunities for members of the ultra-Orthodox community to become financially self-sufficient. The new Ma’aleh program offers ultra-Orthodox women, ages 18 to 55, a one-year program in filmmaking skills including scriptwriting, editing, technical skills such as camera and lighting and more. Upon completing the course, the women can pursue vocations in producing public relations films for schools, shuls and organizations. Several have already created private businesses specializing in preparing videos for milestone occasions in their communities such as bar mitzvahs and weddings. Some will go on to produce documentaries and short clips for advertisements. These skills enable them to support their husbands and large families while utilizing their creative talents. A moderate tuition is charged for the program, which is subsidized by the Jerusalem Municipality and a private underwriter. The goal is to expand the program to two years if the finances are available.
The second innovative program is a two-pronged VideoTherapy Program. The first component offers six to eight-month long workshops to special needs groups including youth at risk, the disabled, immigrants, victims of trauma and relatives of fallen soldiers. Guided by a filmmaker and therapist, the workshops utilize innovative methodologies created at Ma’aleh to teach scriptwriting, filming and editing. The goal of the workshops is to relieve underlying pain and trauma through creative expression. The second component in the VideoTherapy Program is the training of therapists and filmmakers in this unique combination of skills which will prepare them to guide VideoTherapy sessions for Ma’aleh and other institutions throughout Israel.
Ariel shared that the films created by Ma’aleh graduates are shown at film festivals in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv annually. The best films are selected by international film distributors and shown internationally. These films are known to break stereotypes and create bridges between Israel and worldwide cultures. Ariel is proud of the prominent names in the world of Israeli film and television who are graduates of Maaleh including the directors of “Srugim,” “Shtisel,” “Shabbabnikim” and “The Unorthodox” which was recently screened at Rinat.
Ariel, who has worked as a filmmaker for Israel’s Channel 1, recently directed her first full-length documentary,“A Mirror for the Sun.” In the tradition of Ma’aleh films which explore themes from the creators’ own experiences, Ariel’s documentary tells the inspiring and tragic story of Tamar Ariel, Ariel’s niece, the first Orthodox female combat navigator for the Israeli Air Force. The young Ariel, while skiing in Nepal over the Sukkot vacation several years ago, was caught in a powerful snowstorm. Despite the young pilot’s efforts that saved many of her fellow climbers, she as well as others, tragically perished. The film is a passionate recounting of the incident.
To learn more about the Ma’aleh School of Film visit www.maale.com.il or email [email protected]. Visit them at 20 Shivtei Yisrael Street in Jerusalem.
By Pearl Markovitz
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