Location: Jerusalem, Israel
Portrait of a Documentary Filmmaker
“If you build high walls, you suffocate your people. If you tear down the walls, all the people leave. You need right height of wall.” -- Ron Ofer
Ron Ofer’s oeuvre as writer, director, and film producer of documentaries is really quite remarkable. He wrote the screenplay for the critically acclaimed portrait Citizen Nawi; he produced the chilling but engrossing Pursued; but it is his work with and about the Haredi in his trilogy Haredim and other films such as After All You are Just a Guest that has recently absorbed a lot of his time and focus and what interested me. The trilogy, each of which can be viewed separately: Gevald!, The Rabbi’s Daughter & the Midwife, and Religion.com “enables the Ultra-Orthodox community to tell its own story, of its efforts to face the challenges and influences of a Jewish secular state and the modern, western culture that threatens to engulf them. Each of the three films offers an intimate meeting with characters involved in the delicate attempt to find the line between differentiation and integration.” He decided to use a pair of people with divergent perspectives for each of three films. One theme, two people, three films. The result is a trilogy or three stand alones.
This is a world which I know nothing about, and Ofer, a secular Jew who grew up in a left- leaning family where it was totally taboo to say anything racist about Palestinians, believes there are many people who take almost anti-Semitic, stereotyped jokes about the Ultra-Orthodox for granted. Why are these stereotypes of side locks and funny hats so prevalent, and why do so many people adhere to them? Ofer sees this, particularly for the left, as a double standard. By gaining the trust of some Ultra- Orthodox and viewing the state of Israel from their point of view, Ofer has made some insightful films and gained entry into a community that is not commonly known. Haredim should be required viewing for schools and colleges wanting to have their students understand the diversity that is Israel .
As Ofer has come to realize, there are three major areas of concern for the Ultra-Orthodox. One is their fear of the State of Israel; two is their extreme poverty; and three is their denial Western culture in particular the pitfalls and seductions of the internet. He also believes that if this community continues to isolate itself and build very high walls, instead of compromising somewhat, it will face more and more obstacles. However, if the Ultra-Orthodox tear down the walls, there will be no Ultra-Orthodox. Therefore, it is necessary to have the right height of the wall to preserve what is important to the Ultra-Orthodox but also to survive.
His journey into this world began with a literal one: a trip to the Ukraine and pilgrimage to Uman, a small village, with three of his friends, who converting to becoming Ultra-Orthodox, wanted to pay tribute to the gravesite of their spiritual leader, Rabbi Nachman of Breslav . His friends hoped he too would convert. Intrigued by this fascinating and complex world, Ofer launched himself into a deepening study. Knowing that this community has an aversion to TV, and is not comfortable with the idea of being on the small screen, Ofer and his partner Yohai Hakak began a two year process of interviewing over 200 ultra-orthodox without cameras. From these interviews they began to focus on three themes: 1) the State of Israel as a threat to Ultra-Orthodox (while the rest of the country sees them as a threat); 2) the economic problem of poverty; and 3) the influences and seductions of western culture and the internet and how to relate to it. Ofer’s films present “the search for spirituality and one's "roots", while questioning what is "authentic" in a world where spirituality has become a commodity.”