yaelarava.com Yael Arava
A personal documentary in which I, an Orthodox Jewish grandfather from Brooklyn, seek to preserve the ruins and memories of Lifta, a ghostly Arab village standing empty in the foothills of Jerusalem. Lifta is the last Arab village depopulated in the war of 1948 that has not yet been destroyed or inhabited by Jews. For all my life I believed ...
A personal documentary in which I, an Orthodox Jewish grandfather from Brooklyn, seek to preserve the ruins and memories of Lifta, a ghostly Arab village standing empty in the foothills of Jerusalem. Lifta is the last Arab village depopulated in the war of 1948 that has not yet been destroyed or inhabited by Jews. For all my life I believed Jews were victims and not victimizers, but in Lifta I was forced to reexamine this comforting version of history I grew up with. My beloved uncle was a member the Lehi militia, also known as the Stern Gang, whose members allegedly entered Lifta's coffeehouse on December 28, 1947, killed six patrons and terrorized over 2500 villagers into become refugees. Lifta has suddenly become a personal microcosm of the larger conflict. I believe the ruins of Lifta can contribute to peace by challenging the oversimplified memories many young people have inherited. Unfortunately, the Israeli government has a development plan to build more than 200 luxury-housing units atop Lifta, mostly for wealthy American Jews, that would erase all signs of the village's Arab character and history. I seek out and join with Liftan survivors and their descendants as well as with sympathetic Israelis and others to ensure that Lifta haunting beauty is preserved as a place of memory, reflection, respect and hopefully, reconciliation.
Directed by Menachem Daum and Oren Rudavsky
Filmed by Oren Rudavsky and Hagai Mazor
Produced by Yael Shuldman and Nuha Musleh