As headlines flash daily with devastating news from the Middle East, making sense of the conflict can feel overwhelmingly complex. Yet, unlike many documentaries about the region, Israelism isn’t strictly about the fighting on the ground—at least, not directly.
Instead, the film offers an intimate glimpse into the ways many young Jews in the United States are educated about and come to identify with the State of Israel. American Jewish institutions have long raised youth to unconditionally love and defend Israel, valorizing the IDF while leaving out the darker side of the occupation.
Enter the story of two young adult Jews raised to defend Israel at all costs. When they witness the realities of the occupation firsthand, their worldviews shatter, pushing them to join a fast-growing movement of young American Jews battling the old guard over Israel’s centrality in American Judaism and demanding freedom for the Palestinian people.
Why Watch This Right Now?
To understand the fierce debates dominating our global news feeds and university campuses today, we have to examine the foundational narratives shaping modern Jewish identity and foreign policy. Israelism exposes a profound and widening generational rift within the diaspora, offering an essential starting point for anyone trying to untangle how we arrived at this moment.
Documentary
United States (English)
1h 24min
