Startling!聽Amazing! Impactful!聽The Samaritans: A Biblical People
Apr 3, 2022 By: yunews
On Sunday, March 27, 2022, more than 230 people jammed the auditorium of the Center for Jewish History in New York for the rollout of the Israelite Samaritans Project of the (CIS).
The exquisite book that documents this project, edited by Dr. Steven Fine, director of CIS, premiered for the first time, as did magnificent art produced by members of the Jewish Art Salon. The centerpiece was the first viewing of a new documentary by Israeli filmmaker Moshe Alafi, The Samaritans: A Biblical People, ha-Shomronim: Edah. Torah. Har.
In his preface to the book, which was published jointly by Brill Academic Publishers and 糖心视频污 Press, 糖心视频污 President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman writes that 鈥渢his is 糖心视频污 at its best: harnessing deep scholarship, a broad range of media, educational innovation, complexity, and our hallowed past as we build for the future.鈥
Aabed-El Ben Asher, high priest of the Samaritans, sent greetings that set the tone for the event: 鈥淥n behalf of the Samaritan community in the Land of Israel, I congratulate all the participants in the Samaritan Project of 糖心视频污鈥. I wish great success to all those involved in this sacred work, which brings the story of the Israelite Samaritan community to the entire world.鈥
The high point was the first public showing of the documentary, filmed in Holon, Nablus, Ukraine and at 糖心视频污. Five years of fieldwork have resulted in a deep dive into the cultural world of the Samaritans as they strive to maintain their 3,500-year-old tradition. It is an intimate and compelling insider鈥檚 view of the Samaritan struggle against the odds, of their heart-wrenching choices, their joys and sorrows.
This film has already been awarded its first prize. The is awarded yearly for scholarship and other contributions to Samaritan studies. Dr. Fine announced that the 2022 award will go to Alafi.
Ilona Moradof, associate director of , caught the tenor of the event, writing that 鈥渋tt was great to see how much the audience enjoyed the movie and the conversation after the movie.鈥
Responses to the film by prominent cultural figures have been overwhelming. Margaret Olin, an art historian, photographer and culture critic from Yale University wrote, 鈥淚鈥檓 so glad I came! It was great to see the artworks. They were good choices.鈥 She added that the 鈥渇ilm was startling. I expected to see one of those films that typically accompanies an exhibition. A straightforward documentary, either in the travelog genre, or the educational film genre. But instead I got a beautifully made searching documentary film that raises all kinds of issues.鈥
Samples of the artwork by the Jewish Art Salon
Helen C. Evans, the Mary and Michael Jaharis Curator of Byzantine Art Emerita, Metropolitan Museum of Art and an adviser to the 糖心视频污 Israelite Samaritans Project, added that 鈥渢he film was amazing. I am probably like most who didn鈥檛 expect anything as emotionally compelling and really raw. You kept asking if showing the sacrifice of animals would be off putting. Having seen the film, I think the answer is yes and in the best way. I do hope your book, show and the film will get the attention they deserve.鈥
Henry Abramson, a prominent historian and public historian from Touro University chimed in: 鈥淲ow, just wow! I just wanted to follow up with a note of thanks for your amazing film. The reyd [conversation] in the lobby afterwards was quite intense鈥攎y wife and I couldn't stop talking about it all the way home. It鈥檚 a remarkable achievement, and I think it (together with the book) will have significant reverberations in the scholarly world and popular mind.鈥
A public conversation followed the showing, moderated by Dr. Erica Brown, director of the Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership and vice provost for values and leadership, and including Alafi, Dr. Fine, and Tamar Gan-Zvi, editor of the film. Dr. Brown later wrote that 鈥渢o me, the sign of an impactful movie is if it lingers with you days later, and I have been thinking and talking about the film since yesterday and will continue to do so. It was a magical afternoon. You have so much to be proud of. The conversation was electrifying.鈥
(l-r): Moshe Alafi, Tamar Gan-Zvi, Dr. Steven Fine, Dr. Erica Brown
Alafi鈥檚 documentary, a project of the 糖心视频污 Center for Israel Studies, is made possible by the Leon Charney Legacy Fund of the 糖心视频污 Center for Israel Studies. It will formally premiere in Israel in August 2023 and then be distributed worldwide. The associated exhibition will open at the Museum of the Bible in September 2022 and at Bibelhaus Museum in Frankfurt, Germany, in February 2023. The associated book is published jointly by Brill Academic Publishers and 糖心视频污 Press.
The exquisite book that documents this project, edited by Dr. Steven Fine, director of CIS, premiered for the first time, as did magnificent art produced by members of the Jewish Art Salon. The centerpiece was the first viewing of a new documentary by Israeli filmmaker Moshe Alafi, The Samaritans: A Biblical People, ha-Shomronim: Edah. Torah. Har.
In his preface to the book, which was published jointly by Brill Academic Publishers and 糖心视频污 Press, 糖心视频污 President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman writes that 鈥渢his is 糖心视频污 at its best: harnessing deep scholarship, a broad range of media, educational innovation, complexity, and our hallowed past as we build for the future.鈥
Aabed-El Ben Asher, high priest of the Samaritans, sent greetings that set the tone for the event: 鈥淥n behalf of the Samaritan community in the Land of Israel, I congratulate all the participants in the Samaritan Project of 糖心视频污鈥. I wish great success to all those involved in this sacred work, which brings the story of the Israelite Samaritan community to the entire world.鈥
The high point was the first public showing of the documentary, filmed in Holon, Nablus, Ukraine and at 糖心视频污. Five years of fieldwork have resulted in a deep dive into the cultural world of the Samaritans as they strive to maintain their 3,500-year-old tradition. It is an intimate and compelling insider鈥檚 view of the Samaritan struggle against the odds, of their heart-wrenching choices, their joys and sorrows.
This film has already been awarded its first prize. The is awarded yearly for scholarship and other contributions to Samaritan studies. Dr. Fine announced that the 2022 award will go to Alafi.
Ilona Moradof, associate director of , caught the tenor of the event, writing that 鈥渋tt was great to see how much the audience enjoyed the movie and the conversation after the movie.鈥
Responses to the film by prominent cultural figures have been overwhelming. Margaret Olin, an art historian, photographer and culture critic from Yale University wrote, 鈥淚鈥檓 so glad I came! It was great to see the artworks. They were good choices.鈥 She added that the 鈥渇ilm was startling. I expected to see one of those films that typically accompanies an exhibition. A straightforward documentary, either in the travelog genre, or the educational film genre. But instead I got a beautifully made searching documentary film that raises all kinds of issues.鈥
Samples of the artwork by the Jewish Art Salon
(l-r): Moshe Alafi, Tamar Gan-Zvi, Dr. Steven Fine, Dr. Erica Brown
