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Western Jewish
Bulletin
On the Defensive
Israel's consul general addresses concerns about ■ Israel at Or Shalom/2
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$1.00 includes GST MAY 3,2002/21 lYAR 5762
OutandOrttiodox Global Comrol
Film exannines internal . What lies at the heart of conflicts of religious gays / 6 Izzy Asper debate? /14
Facing tlie ForestmlxK Crusader history and suspense at the 14th Annual Vancouver Jewish Film Festival.
For a review of the film, please see page 15.
Israel a focus at film festival
The 14th Annual Vancouver Jewish Film Festival gets under way next week and films ft-om Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia and South Africa will be among the fare oflered to viewers. But, with more than 20 en-' tries, films from Israel will bo front and centre, especially with more people currently showing an interest in all things Middle East. Among the collection are three world premieres and five Canadian premieres.
Gloomy Sunday opens the festival May 9, at the Norman Roth-stcin Theatre. Winner of the best feature film at the 2000 Jerusalem Film Festival, this German/Himgarian production is about love triangles and a haunting melody that causes people to commit suicide. It will be followed by a gala reception.
Afi,er the opening night two documentaries about Israel wdll lead the program: Birthright Israel is a made-in-Canada, hour-long video that follows Birthright participants on their life-changing journeys to Israel. It is a free screening, sponsored by the Israel Experience Centre. In Search of Peace is a feature-length chronicle of the first two decades of Is-
rael's existence. Directed by Richard Trank and narrated by Michael Douglas, Edward Asner and Anne Bancroft, among others, the film offers a fascinating mix of historical narrative, interviews and dramatic storytelling. These two films screen on May 12, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, in the Norman Rotli-stein Theatre.
Also on May 12, at the Pacific Cinemath6que, is The Best of Israel's Film Schools. This is a series of three half-hour works from the students of three different film schools in Israel. These show at 9 p.m.
Other imique Israeli contributions include Komcdiant: The Comedians -100 Years of Yiddish Comedy Tlieatre, which won the 1999 Israeli Academy Award for best documentary; Sadeh Mag-netti (May 13), which comprises two episodes of a new TV series that will be broadcast in Israel next fall; A Bomb in tlie Basement (May 14) discusses Israel's options for nuclear development; and Late Marriage (May 19) is a drama that looks at a Georgian couple in Israel trying to find their son a suitable Jewish bride. It won nine Israeli Academy Awards, including best film.
These four films will screen at the Norman Rothstein Theatre.
Female perseverance
One of the more timely showings at the film festival this year is Company Jasmine, about women training for the Israel Defence Force (IDF).
As the film makes evident, training to be an officer in the IDF is a challenging task that has pushed many men to their physical and mental limits. However, due to safety reasons and concerns over strength and stamina, only a small number of women have been allowed to hold that title. Until recently. The success of many female officers has resulted in the opening of a new program of IDF training for women.
In this documentary, Israeli filmmaker Yael Katzir, a former officer in the IDF herself, and her crew, follow the young women in their 17-week venture to graduate as officers.
The film focuses closely on a few of the soldiers through the ups and downs of their training, as well as on the weekends, home with their families.
Please see FILMS on page 15
Supporting One Family
Danielle Ames is doing all she can to help Israel.
.KYLE BERGER REPORTER
Amid the violence and the fear that pervades many areas of Israel, Danielle Ames is bringing a little
■ solace to those who need it most. Based in Jerusalem, the
; 18-year-old Vancouverite has ' spent the past year maintain-t ing her studies at Midreshet iLindenbaum, an Or Torah t Stones school.
; "I don't want [the terrorists]
■ to take away my opportunity to ; be here and team, [the way] they ^ have taken so many other peo-! pie's opportunities away," said I Ames, who graduated fnom Van-|Couver Talmud Torah high I school lastyear. "We can't go out ; for dinner and we can't go gro-^ eery shopping but at the same : time, I feel an obligation and a
duty to be here ri^t now."
While Ames emphasizes the value of just being in Israel and •showing support for Jews' ; struggle for freedom and survival, she has taken her com-. mitment one step further. Ames has been working with the One I Family Fimd in Israel for the . past several months.
The fund was created by ; Mark Belzberg, originally of 'l Vancouver, and his wife, Chan-; tal. It was established to raise i money and support for Israeli ; victims of terror attacks and their families.
Ames gathered more than 20 fellow students firom her school and volunteered their time to One Family.
"We started visiting hospitals 'right after the Ben Yehuda ; bombing in the beginning of De-5 cember," she told the Bulletin. There are a lot of hospitalized : families and we bring them fixxi - Ml Fridays so that they can have ; aShabbatmeal.
"niere's a feeling in Israel, especially at a time like this, where everyone is responsible for each other," she continued.
When Ames was home in
Vancouver for a month over Passover, she decided to reach out to her own Jewish community to get their support for the cause, as well.
The One Family Fund has a program in which Diaspora communities develop relationships with and offer assistance to individtial families in Israel who have been directly affected by terrorism. Ames has part-neied Vancouver with an Israeli man named Moshe Saperstein, the victim of a random Palestinian attack.
On Feb. 18, Sai>er8tein was driving on a road in Gush Katif, located in the Gaza Strip, when he was shot in the left hand and left leg by a terrorist. Despite being shot, Saperstein turned his car toward the shooter and drove into faim. llie terrorist threw a grenade into Saperstein's car but it failed to detonate. The terrorist was knodked down by the impact of Saperstein's car long enough for an Israeli artoy jeep to move in and remove hun. .
Saperstein, who had aheffily lost his right arm 28 years ago fighting for Israel in the Yom Kippur War, had to have <me fmger amputated and msgor BUT-gi<^ repairs to his hand and shin. TreatnMnt far Saperstein's recovery will likely cost more than $12,000 US.
Ames said eveiy possible donation or gesture of support goes a Iraig way for victims like S^)CT-stein and his wife, Rachel.
"It's important for [the Israelis] to know that for eveiy bad person thafs out there trying to hurt them, there's a good person out there who wants to help them," she said. "And that^s why the cards and the letters and the support mean so much."
Donations can be made and inforroatun about the OiK Family Fund can be found online at www.walk4israeI.oom.
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