The New Jews - a Documentary Film

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LOGLINE

The New Jews is a daring documentary that follows non-Zionist Israeli-Jewish exiles in Berlin as they seek connection and intimacy amid political and historical tensions. Through interviews, online chats, and sexy phone calls, it explores the tensions between Germans, Jews, and Palestinians, the shadows of history, and the complexities of belonging in a city marked by its past.

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SYNOPSIS

The New Jews is a daring documentary that follows a group of Israeli-Jews who have moved to Berlin, driven by their Pro- Palestine stances and frustrations with the political climate in Israel. The film focuses on Amir and Inés, two filmmakers who seek not only a fresh start but also intimacy and sexual adventures in their new home. However, their attempts to connect with Berlin locals are constantly hindered by the lingering history of the Holocaust and the present-day Israeli-Palestinian conflict, casting a shadow over every interaction. This tension often leads to moments of frustration and dark humor as they navigate the complexities of relationships in a city still marked by its past. Other characters are interviewed in dark, interrogation-style settings, where they discuss the persecution they faced in Israel for their Pro-Palestine activism. These interviews reveal the parallels and differences between the challenges they encountered back home and their experiences in Germany. Visually, the film employs a striking rotoscope animation style, similar to Loving Vincent (2017), to reflect the characters’ sense of detachment from their surroundings. This artistic choice not only mirrors their emotional disconnection but also invites viewers to critically engage with the film, drawing on Bertolt Brecht's ideas of creating distance for reflection. Through its unique blend of personal stories, historical echoes, and artistic experimentation, The New Jews offers a layered exploration of identity, desire, and the enduring impact of history on the present.

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DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

When I moved to Berlin, I didn’t expect my Jewish heritage to define me as much as it does here. I left Israel because of my political stance against the occupation of Palestine, only to find that my national identity is inescapable in Germany. This tension is unsettling - especially given that in Israel, left-wing views like mine often mark you as a traitor. In many ways, I’ve come to feel like an asylum seeker, caught between two worlds. The New Jews is my search for a new identity, shaped by my experiences and those of other Israeli expats in Berlin. We share a complicated relationship with both our Jewishness and the German context. On the one hand, Germans often show an almost obsessive interest in Israel and Jewish people, treating us with a politeness that can feel overbearing. On the other, there's still latent racism and historical baggage that makes real intimacy difficult, and these dynamics come through in both personal relationships and the political landscape.
In the film, the use of rotoscope animation serves as a reflection of the fragmented, fluid identities we inhabit. It mirrors the uncertainty and detachment we feel in our new environment, while also critiquing the performative nature of identity in today’s digital world. Our interactions often start online - whether in social media or dating apps - where our identities are manipulated and curated, leaving us searching for authenticity behind the screens. Through dark humor and stark interviews, I explore how Jewish identity is fetishized in Germany, revealing the deep-seated fantasies and misconceptions many Germans still hold about Jewishness. These interactions, often absurd and uncomfortable, highlight the unresolved tension between two histories - Israeli and German - that continue to shape our experiences today. The New Jews was shot in 2018, five years before the October 7th attack and the devastating war that followed in Gaza. As Jewish filmmakers, we faced accusations of being provocative and even anti-Semitic from both Jewish and non-Jewish critics in Israel and Germany. For this reason, the film has not been released until now. The time has come to hear the voices of Jewish-Israelis in exile, voices that have been silenced for too long.