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"On the Map" scores a victory for Israel's place among the nations


"On The Map," the Cinderella-story of the
1977 Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team which rose to win the European League Championship, is a 
documentary which shows modern Israel achieving its place among nations. Akin to the 1984 US Olympic Hockey team's "Miracle on Ice," Dani Menkin's film shows the politics surrounding little Israel's international vaunt just 4-years past the Munich Olympics tragedy. It is a treat for Jews and Gentiles alike.


Maccabi Tel Aviv's then team captain, Tal Brody, a New Jersey-raised, NBA draftee who made aliyah to play in Israel, made L.A. the final stop on his US tour promoting the movie, appearing alongside co-producer, Nancy Spielberg and director Dani Menkin.


Tal Brody spoke with JewTube.Info about the warm reception he receives in America from so many Israeli emigrants.
 

Co-producer Nancy Spielberg addressed her penchant for helping bring Israel's story to the silver-screen.  
Director, Dani Menkin, joins his two associates for a discussion and answering questions from the audience.  

The 30th Israel Film Festival is running in Los Angeles from November 12 through Wednesday the 23rd. "On the Map" screens again Sunday in Encino, California at 5pm. Writer/director, Dani Menkin, reveals in detail to JewTube.Info, what went in to making this film. 



Here, the organizers have a 10-day (to be repeated in NYC) opportunity to show films (dramatic and documentary) which portray Israel in a favorable light to the American public.  Israeli-American co-owner of  Cinemoi Film Channel, Daphna Ziman, reacts to seeing "On the Map."

Organizer, Meir Fenigstein, told JewTube.Info they appeal to a mostly American (not only Israeli-American) Jewish and Christian audience. Most of the audiences we have participated in over the past number of years have been predominantly Israeli.




Preceding the feature picture, a short comedy was screened. Actor, Itzik Golan and director, Koby Axran spoke with JewTube.Info regarding their "An Average Story," which depicts an "average" Israeli couple attempting to capitalize on their sudden unearned celebrity.
I.F.F. supporters Debra & Tim Fletcher
at Festival opening Bev Hills Gala


Americans mother and daughter, Ardyth and Alyse Freshman
express their views at I.F.F. Gala in Bev Hills


Via Soros and Rep. Keith Ellison, Hillary’s loss accelerates the Democrats’ turn against Israel

Don't think that Donald Trump's victory has ensured Israel or Jews' safety in America for the coming four-years. The leftist-influence in the Democratic Party will be antagonist in its opposition to Israel and her supporters- Jewish and Christian.

Keith Ellison Meets His People by Scott Johnson, Powerline Nov 16, 2016

On Monday, Muslim Rep. Keith Ellison met with the billionaire Marxists of the Soros-founded Democracy Alliance at its 2016 investment conference. Ellison was to update donors on “the working class vote.” Ellison presumably advised the assembled billionaires that, despite control of the media and culture by their allies on the left, false consciousness among “the working class” remains a challenge to the ultimate victory of the causes they hold dear.

Politico’s Ken Vogel reports on the conference here. Vogel obtained a copy of the conference agenda that Politico has posted here. Vogel reports that “if the agenda is any indication, liberals plan full-on trench warfare against Trump from Day One.” I think the agenda is a reliable if not a leading indicator.

Vogel adds: “Some sessions deal with gearing up for 2017 and 2018 elections, while others focus on thwarting President-elect Trump’s 100-day plan, which the agenda calls ‘a terrifying assault on President Obama’s achievements — and our progressive vision for an equitable and just nation.'”

The conference held no sessions on President Obama’s terrifying achievements. We can only pray that the “terrifying assault” on them is equal to the challenge. I urge readers to review the agenda. It is a highly useful document if you seek to understand the forces arrayed against us.

The Democrats’ big money support causes and organizations in many guises all of which are intended to undermine our freedoms. When this particular revolutions comes, you better be a billionaire or you are screwed, and Brother Keith — f/k/a Keith Hakim, Keith X Ellison and Keith Ellison-Muhammad — is just the man to lead it.

 
(video courtesy Republican Jewish Coalition)

Hillary’s loss accelerates the Democrats’ turn against Israel by Seth Mandel
New York Post, November 14, 2016  Israel’s supporters were hoping Hillary Clinton could forestall the Democratic Party’s seemingly inevitable turn against the Jewish state. Clinton’s loss last week means we’re officially après Hillary — and must prepare for the flood. 
This could be the last US presidential election that Israelis don’t have to watch with existential dread.
At least, the first signs of a post-Clinton Democratic Party aren't good. Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, a fiery critic of Israel, is the front-runner to be the next Democratic National Committee chairman.
As Scott Johnson detailed in The Weekly Standard when Ellison was on the verge of winning his House seat in 2006, before his congressional career Ellison had worked with Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam and even defended Farrakhan against accusations of anti-Semitism.
Ellison has left Farrakhan far behind, but his Israel criticism remains scathing. As the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported, Ellison “has organized letters urging pressure on Israel, and was an advocate of drawing lessons from the UN Goldstone Report following the 2009 Gaza War.” Even Richard Goldstone, the author of the infamously anti-Israel report, wound up essentially disowning it.
On a trip to Israel last summer, Ellison posted a photo of a sign in Hebron declaring Israel to be an apartheid state and land thief. He has also called for Israel to end the blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip — despite the fact that Gaza-based terrorists have launched over 11,000 rocket attacks on Israeli civilians since Israel withdrew from the strip in 2005. Amid the 2014 war to stop those attacks, Israel discovered that Hamas had built a vast system of underground tunnels from Gaza to Israel in preparation for mass terror attacks.
Yet Ellison is far from a lone voice among Democrats; indeed, he’s co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
In his quest for the party chairmanship, Ellison has the backing of soon-to-be Democratic Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer — who prides himself on his pro-Israel bona fides and is now using his credibility on the issue to elevate Ellison. (Retiring Sen. Harry Reid offered his own endorsement over the weekend.)
Schumer might just be bowing to the new reality. According to the Pew Research Center, Democrats sympathize more with Israel than the Palestinians by a 43-29 margin — but that’s far closer than just a few years ago.
And among liberal Democrats, it flips: Liberals prefer the Palestinians by a 40-33 margin. 

What are Jewish and Israeli filmmakers' (and Film Festivals) responsibilities to portray Judaism and Israel favorably outside of Israel?

Islamist massacre at Jewish-friendly Le Bataclan hall in Paris Nov 13, 2016
This weekend marks the first anniversary of the massacre at the Israel-friendly, Le Bataclan Massacre nightclub in Paris. In July, it was revealed (here in the Daily Mail) that the Muslim murderers went to extremes to punish patrons of the Jewish and Israel-friendly club: 
French government 'suppressed gruesome torture' of Bataclan victims as official inquiry is told some were castrated and had their eyes gouged out by the ISIS killers. Policemen on the scene of nightclub vomited when they saw victims.
Yesterday, Breitbart News reported "Six of the Jihadis Involved in Paris Attacks Entered Europe as ‘Refugees’:
Surviving Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam helped at least 10 Islamic State fighters enter Belgium as “refugees” through the Balkan route, local media reported Friday. Of these, six went on to participate in the terror attacks which struck Paris last November, and four were involved in the coordinated suicide bombings that hit Brussels in March. The two attacks left 215 people dead, and wounded hundreds more.
Trump-victory protestors in N.Y.C.fly Palestine flag, railing against Israel
One of the complaints among the anti-Trump protests' ideology is against Trump's professed plans to restrict immigration from militant, anti-Semitic, Islamist countries. Related is the anti-Zionist cause to genocide Jews in Israel. Students for "Justice" in Palestine call for a violent terror uprising against Jewish Israel, in this scene from an anti-Trump protest in NYC on Nov 10th, 2016.




Americans (especially Democrats) seeing these news pictures assume that the pro-Hillary, pro-Palestinians' grievances are worthy of appeasing, and Israel is deserving of censure and punishment.

Concomitantly this weekend, the 30th Israel Film Festival opens in Los Angeles. Here, the organizers have a 10-day (repeated in NYC) opportunity to present arguments by showing films (dramatic and documentary) which contradict Israel's opponents and win-over the uninformed, but curious, public.

At I.F.F. Gala, Debra & Tim Fletcher
have their own views on the dilemma
The socio-political economics of Israeli filmmaking encourage production of films critical of Israeli society and politics at the expense of stories favorable to Israel.  In the cold-war Israel is involved in, does the Israel-based (and Israeli government-supported) Festival owner, Meir Fenigstein, have a duty to exclude films which do not depict Israel in a favorable light?

Ardyth and Alyse Freshman share
 views at I.F.F. Gala in Bev Hills

In the wake of the election defeat of Hillary Clinton (backed by 70% of American Jews) at the opening events of the 2016 Festival in Beverly Hills, we spoke to a number of filmmakers and attendees for their perspectives. Mrs. Ardyth Freshman and daughter Alise agreed to speak with JewTube.Info.



A case in point is documentarian Maya Zinshtein's "Forever Pure" in which she examines Jewish-nationalist fans' reaction to the addition of two Muslim players to the Jerusalem capital's soccer team.  Click to play trailer for "Forever Pure" documentary from Maya Zinshtein on Vimeo.

Watch interviews with several Israel Film Festival filmmakers:

Director Raphael Rebibo ("Amor")

Estee Yakov-Meckleberg ("Sandstorm")

Cinematographer Ziv Berkovitch with several pictures in the Festival has some surprising views.

Kristallnacht at Museum of Tolerance with Czech Ambassador Pavol Sepelak

Czech Amb. Pavol Sepelak
Reflections on Kristallnacht, 
event commemorating Kristallnacht was presented by Liebe Geft- Director, Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, November 8, 2015. 

Address by The Honorable Pavol Šepeľák, Consul General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles. Screening of the award-winning film, "A Prayer for Katerina Horovitzova," based on a screenplay by Arnošt Lustig. Q&A with Special Guests Eva Lustigova, director and daughter of Arnošt Lustig, and Ivan Passer, noted Czech filmmaker and friend of Arnošt Lustig.

Would Israel be better off under Republican or Democrat leadership? Listen to Israeli Amb. Michael Oren

Amb. Michael Oren and Hillary Clinton (photo: IsraelMatzav)
On a visit to Los Angeles to promote his book, "Ally," Israeli Amb. Michael Oren discussed the Democrat administration's treatment and often, mistreatment of Israel, despite its professing "no daylight" between the two countries. Elliott Abrams reviewed the book in Commentary, entitled "The Ally that Wasn't'- Michael Oren memoir blasts Barack Obama, but pulls its punches elsewhere." 
The first thing to say about the book is that it should not have been published—not before January 2017, that is. Oren writes about Netanyahu, Obama, and many other people who are still in power, and he writes about issues and problems over which they are still fighting. . . . But to judge it on its own terms, Ally is very well written, engaging, and enormously interesting.
Amb. Oren spoke to a capacity audience in the Nixon Library in Southern California during his book tour in the Summer, 2015.



Donald Trump's campaign Israel Advisory Committee co-chairs Jason Dov Greenblat and David Friedman, released this statement days ago regarding Mr. Trump's prospective administration's position on Israel:

It has been an exhilarating election cycle. Approximately seven months ago, we were blessed to have been tapped by Donald J. Trump to be his top advisors with respect to the State of Israel. We have been fortunate to work with a talented team of people and have put together the below positions. Each of these positions have been discussed with Mr. Trump and the Trump campaign, and most have been stated, in one form or another, by Mr. Trump in various interviews or speeches given by him or on his social media accounts.

For those of you who are true friends of the State of Israel, and for those of you who believe that the State of Israel and the United States of America have an unbreakable friendship, we urge you to read the below. We would like to express our gratitude to those individuals who have helped us over the past few months – we truly appreciate your efforts, friendship and guidance. We would also like to express our gratitude to our friend, a great friend of the State of Israel, Donald J. Trump, who gave us the tremendous opportunity to serve in this capacity. May God bless the United States of America and the State of Israel.


"The unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel is based upon shared values of democracy, freedom of speech, respect for minorities, cherishing life, and the opportunity for all citizens to pursue their dreams. Israel is the state of the Jewish people, who have lived in that land for 3,500 years. The State of Israel was founded with courage and determination by great men and women against enormous odds and is an inspiration to people everywhere who value freedom and human dignity. Israel is a staunch ally of the U.S. and a key partner in the global war against Islamic jihadism. Military cooperation and coordination between Israel and the U.S. must continue to grow. 


The American people value our close friendship and alliance with Israel — culturally, religiously, and politically. While other nations have required U.S. troops to defend them, Israelis have always defended their own country by themselves and only ask for military equipment assistance and diplomatic support to do so. The U.S. does not need to nation-build in Israel or send troops to defend Israel. The Memorandum of Understanding signed by the American and Israeli Governments is a good first step, but there is much more to be done. A Trump Administration will ensure that Israel receives maximum military, strategic and tactical cooperation from the United States, and the MOU will not limit the support that we give. Further, Congress will not be limited to give support greater than that provided by the MOU if it chooses to do so. Israel and the United States benefit tremendously from what each country brings to the table – the relationship is a two way street.

Tim Constantine of The Capitol Hill Show and the Washington Times reviews the candidates' speeches to AIPAC in March

The U.S. should veto any United Nations votes that unfairly single out Israel and will work in international institutions and forums, including in our relations with the European Union, to oppose efforts to delegitimize Israel, impose discriminatory double standards against Israel, or to impose special labeling requirements on Israeli products or boycotts on Israeli goods. The U.S. should cut off funds for the UN Human Rights Council, a body dominated by countries presently run by dictatorships that seems solely devoted to slandering the Jewish State. UNESCO’s attempt to disconnect the State of Israel from Jerusalem is a one-sided attempt to ignore Israel’s 3,000-year bond to its capital city, and is further evidence of the enormous anti-Israel bias of the United Nations. The U.S. should view the effort to boycott, divest from, and sanction (BDS) Israel as inherently anti-Semitic and take strong measures, both diplomatic and legislative, to thwart actions that are intended to limit commercial relations with Israel, or persons or entities doing business in Israeli areas, in a discriminatory manner. The BDS movement is just another attempt by the Palestinians to avoid having to commit to a peaceful coexistence with Israel. The false notion that Israel is an occupier should be rejected. The Trump administration will ask the Justice Department to investigate coordinated attempts on college campuses to intimidate students who support Israel.

 

Amb. Michael Oren, MK, addresses Shimon Peres' legacy on night of promoting Druze veteran cause in L.A.

L.A. Mayor Villaragosa, Israeli Amb Michael Oren, Pres. Shimon Peres on a
previous night in Beverly  Hills Photo: Fredric J. Brown/AFP/ Getty Images 
On the night of Shimon Peres' death, September 27th in L.A. MK Michael Oren (Kulanu party) remarks on the life of Shimon Peres and Druze-Israeli contributions to Israel and her stability. Presentation at Beth Jacob Congregation of Beverly Hills.



Ambassador Oren responds to audience questions about (among other things) the difference between Israel and Obama's beliefs regarding Islamist Iran and other topics, some of which he addressed in his revelatory book, "Ally," which exposed Democrat administration duplicity towards Americans' longtime ally, Israel.