Movie review, “Israelism” (2023)

A Documentary Critically Exploring the Ties Between Jewish Identity and Support for Israel

This weekend, I watched the documentary Israelism. You can read about the movie here. The film has received a wide range of reviews, with some praising it for its bold approach, while others have fiercely criticized it. Usually the praise or critique follows ones views on the Israel-Palestine conflict. On one side, it is lauded for opening up a conversation about the deep connections between Jewish identity and support for Israel. On the other, it's attacked for being overly simplistic, with detractors calling it propaganda, shallow or a one-sided portrayal of the situation. These polarised reactions often reflect the viewer’s pre-existing views on the conflict, which underscores the documentary's provocative nature.

While it’s true that the film, with its one-hour runtime, doesn’t cover every detail, this critique somewhat misses the point. The movie isn’t designed to be, nor claims to be, a comprehensive analysis of all the issues regarding this conflict. Rather, I see it as a person…