Breaking Stereotypes

Israeli Sectors and Identity through Films

With a series of groundbreaking documentaries, Rabbi Joshua Weisberg and the Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center’ team of educators will be taking you into corners of Israeli life that are hidden from the view of the mainstream press.

Meet Brhan Worko, an Ethiopian Israeli as she reflects on the complexity of being Black in Israel, and the daughter of immigrants.

Converse with Brhan, learn about her own Israeli experiences, and join her for a traditional Buna coffee ceremony, and Ethiopian dance.

Join Rabbi Tamir Nir, a Yemenite Israeli Reform rabbi who grew up orthodox and today is finding ways to create a new brand of Israeli identity: Jewish, spiritual, ecologically committed, and firmly based on individual freedoms and social justice.

Meet Rabbi Tamir, learn about his own journey from orthodox Yeshiva student to Reform rabbi (with a stint as Jerusalem’s vice mayor along the way), and hear about his community’s groundbreaking organic urban farm.

Meet Brother Olivier, a Catholic Monk and Israeli citizen who splits his time between silent religious meditation and work with the IDF on multiculturalism.

Visit brother Olivier on his monastery just outside Jerusalem, tour the Crusader cathedral and experience the beauty of a Gregorian rendition of Hebrew Psalm and discuss his unique Israeli identity.

How this program works

Each session lasts for two-to-three hours and includes a documentary film on the personality, an hour of meeting, conversation and workshop with the person featured in the film, and text-based learning session about the underlying issues raised by the film.