Ron's World

Category: Reporter Packages

  • Ron Jacobsohn Talks to Israeli and Palestinians Film Critics about Omar

    Some might say its serendipitous others might believe its art imitating life but fact is that both Israel and the Palestinian Authority choose as their representative to the Oscars this year a movie based on the same story, about a relationship between a Palestinian collaborator and his Israeli operator at the intelligence services.
    When the Academy published its short list of movies for the Foreign Language category they choose to advance the Palestinian movie, Omar, and not the Israeli one, Bethlehem. So just before the Oscar nominations are announced this week, we wanted to find out from movie critics from the Israeli and Palestinian side, how come the Palestinian movie resonated better with the Academy members.

    Ron Jacobsohn, JN1 Correspondent:
    Some might say its serendipitous others might believe its art imitating life but fact is that both Israel and the Palestinian Authority choose as their representative to the Oscars this year a movie based on the same story, about a relationship between a Palestinian collaborator and his Israeli operator at the intelligence services.
    When the Academy published its short list of movies for the Foreign Language category they choose to advance the Palestinian movie, Omar, and not the Israeli one, Bethlehem. So just before the Oscar nominations are announced this week, we wanted to find out from movie critics from the Israeli and Palestinian side, how come the Palestinian movie resonated better with the Academy members.

    Alon Garbus who manages the Tel-Aviv Cinematheque says it was very natural for him to screen Omar in his facilities.

    Alon Garbuz, Manager, Tel-Aviv Cinematheque:
    It’s not the first time we are showing a Hany Abu Assad film, we had some years ago “Paradise now” that was a commercial success and now Omar is the same story like Bethlehem, so Bethlehem was in our neighbor “Cinema Lev” and we took Omar so we will not become rich from these films but I feel good with this film.

    The Culture & Lifestyle editor at The Times of Israel, Jessica Steinberg, explains that— how the story is told is what makes each of the two movies unique.

    Jessica Steinberg, Culture & Lifestyle Editor, The Times of Israel:
    Bethlehem is a story about a Shin-Bet fisker so to speak and his collaborator who he has brought up from let’s say youth, and the relationship between them and feels very close to him and feels very emotions about him which is ultimately really take shim down a certain path in the movie. And the story, which unfolds, which of course is in some ways more Israeli, because the main character is a Jewish Israeli, whereas the other characters are Palestinians. From the same perspective, Omar is essentially 100% Palestinian, but of course there are some Israeli Jewish characters.

    Tamer Nafar who writes about movies for Qadita – The Arab Culture Website believes that it is easy to play the game of the Israeli movie versus the Palestinian one but the end of the day its about the art of filmmaking and the academy seems to like how Hany Abu Assad makes movies.

    Tamer Nafar, Qadita – The Arab Culture Website:
    In a way of course I believe that Hollywood is you know, like it’s a politics game but I think they picked Hany for the second time because I think he is bringing layers, that is the most.. It’s not all black and white, and I think Hany is part of the… you know, there aren’t many artists who are blessed with the talent to find the balance in between being an artist and being a guy with a message and at the same time entertain.

    Garbuz admits he was quite surprised when he saw two movies where made on the same article published in Ha’aretz Newspaper a few years ago.

    Alon Garbuz, Manager, Tel-Aviv Cinematheque:
    Those movies are based on the same story that was published some years ago in the Ha’aretz Newspaper and they were impressed in a different way, if Bethlehem is a little bit balanced so Omar is telling you the truth in your face.

    Steinberg tries to explain why the academy decided to favor Omar over Bethlehem.

    Jessica Steinberg, Culture & Lifestyle Editor, The Times of Israel:
    I would say that Omar, a love story can sort of grab’s you and they are very beautiful young people in Omar and that is something that really moves that movie forward a lot.

    Tamer Nafar, Qadita – The Arab Culture Website:
    And for me to walk out of this movie and feel sympathy with that “collaborator”, I think that’s genius, that’s genius when you give, when you put light on and you break stereotypes. I think it’s very important, very necessary. I believe that the gate is open for us to believe, not just seeking for things, but just doing it and I truly appreciate Hany for what he did.

    So what are the chances of a movie from Israel or The Palestinian Authority winning an Oscar?

    Jessica Steinberg, Culture & Lifestyle Editor, The Times of Israel
    I would say that generally, the films that came out of these region do not end up winning the Oscar, it could happen one day, I don’t think.. I mean, you could say that, yes eventually it will be a film about the situation that will win that Foreign Film Oscar or you can say it’ll be something completely different, light, easy, about people and not about necessarily about politics. So, my guess is as good as anyone’s.

    Ron Jacobsohn, JN1 Correspondent:
    Israel has been nominated ten-times for the Foreign Language Oscar over the years but has never won. If chosen, this would be the Palestinian Authorities second Oscar nomination, with both movies directed by Nazareth born, Hany Abu Assad, who has lived in the Netherlands since the early nineteen-eighties.
    For JN1 I am Ron Jacobsohn in Tel-Aviv.

  • Ron Jacobsohn Discovers the True Meaning of Tu Bishvat

    Ron Jacobsohn Discovers the True Meaning of Tu Bishvat

    Little known fact is that the Jewish calendar traditionally has not one but four new years days, each with a different purpose. One for counting the years of the reigns of kings in ancient Israel, animal tithe to the priestly class similar to what we know today as the new tax year, one to commemorate when the world was created and lastly the date for determining the age of the trees. So this year we wanted to find out how Tu Bishvat, which is the New Year for the Trees, is actually a lot more important to the Jewish calendar than people know.

     

  • Ron Jacobsohn Talks to Ronit Tirosh about Ariel Sharon

    Ariel Sharon was known as a brave general and a great leader but only very few people know his very humane side. One of those people is former MK Ronit Tirosh who was hand picked by Sharon to join him when created the Kadima party and until his last days was considered on of his close confidants.

     

  • Ron Jacobsohn Reports from the Hospital as Ariel Sharon Dies

    Ariel Sharon, the eleventh prime minster and one of the founding fathers of the state of Israel has passed away after being in a come for almost eighty years.
    Sharon’s son, Gilad, probably summed it up best when he said: “he passed exactly when felt it was time to pass”.

     

  • Ron Jacobsohn Talks to the People Behind the Effort of Legalizing Cannabis

    Ron Jacobsohn Talks to the People Behind the Effort of Legalizing Cannabis

    In this very pastoral Jerusalem neighborhood houses the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies, which got a lot of media attention recently for an in-depth survey the conducted on the probability of the legalization of cannabis in Israel. And it looks like the report is going to boost a new bipartisan initiative at the Knesset which just might make Israel one of the growing numbers of countries who decided legalize cannabis.

    Ron Jacobsohn, JN1 Correspondent:
    In this very pastoral Jerusalem neighborhood houses the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies, which got a lot of media attention recently for an in-depth survey the conducted on the probability of the legalization of cannabis in Israel.

    Corinne Sauer, is the executive director of the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies, who has recently published a very comprehensive study about Israel’s public opinion about legalizing cannabis.

    Corinne Sauer, Director, Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies:
    We decided that it would be good to make a study and really find out how Israelis felt about cannabis for medical and recreational use. The survey is actually a copy of a same survey that was done by the PEW Institute in the United States and when it comes to the medical marijuana actually the results are the same and that is that three-quarters of Americans and three-quarters of Israelis are in favor of using cannabis for medical reasons. Now, when it came to recreational use, there was a big difference because the Americans supported 52% and in Israel we only found 26% percent of people that supported it.

    First time Knesset Member, Dr. Tamar Zandberg, has been very active since she’s been elected, for the left-wink Meretz party, making headlines for the new bill she is trying to pass to decriminalize cannabis.

    MK Tamar Zandberg, Meretz:
    Criminalization of cannabis is not only stupid and not only not right, but it also cost a lot of money, both from taxation and law enforcement that is actually not needed. I support legalization because it’s the right thing to do but I hope that it would give another argument for people who worry and here, you know, all of a sudden we discover 1.6 billion Shekels that can suddenly come to the governments budget and that might be a good reason to do sodz.

    Zandsberg’s very unlikely bedfellow for the decriminalizing of cannabis is ultra-right religious Likud Knesset Member, Moshe Feiglin, who also serves as the Knesset’s Deputy Chairman. At a recent rally in Tel-Aviv’s Rabin Square Feigling was very vocal about letting everyone know that the Jewish tradition has no prohibition against the use of cannabis.

    MK Moshe Feiglin, Likud, Deputy Chairman of the Knesset: Judaism is about freedom, it’s about free choice, to choose life, this what Judaism is all about. When you have simple medicine like that you won’t use it, I just can’t understand that. I can’t live that. The establishment fighting against it, I have no doubt that at the end what is happening all over the world will behappening in Israel too. Its about the freedom of the people to feel better, talking about healing people who can cure themselves from pain and more than just pain so why not? I can’t understand that, can you?

    Dr. Bareket Shif-Keren is in the forefront of the physicians who believe in prescribing cannabis to patients who need it. Today to get an appointment with the daring doctor you will have to wait over 7-months. Although, she is probably the only Israeli physician, who openly speak out about her views, she is a representative of a growing number of doctors who secretly think she is right.

    Dr. Bareket Shif-Keren, Achiclov Hospital:
    Fact is if that if more and more people get cannabis because they are pain patients or patients who need it there is going to be cannabis in every household, cannabis in every household is like legalizing, that’s why the ministry of health is kinda holding this process and my colleges, the doctors, they don’t feel that they can take the responsibility of so many people using cannabis they think that cannabis may be harmful and the thing is, that there is not enough evidence that it isn’t harmful. The only thing that I can say is look at countries in which cannabis is legal and see if you compare the time before it was legalized to the time after the legalization there is no difference.

    and there is one more aspect of legalizing cannabis, which the JMS study looked into.

    Corinne Sauer, Director, Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies:
    Right now, if Israel was to legalize marijuana, and tax it in the same level as cigarettes and alcohol, the government will get an extra income of around a billion shekels a year. With that, I will also save on law enforcement and on police and all courts expenses, so the total of the extra income the government will get will be around 1.6 billions shekels a yeardz.

    Ron Jacobsohn, JN1 Correspondent:
    It looks like the report is going to boost a new bipartisan initiative at the Knesset which just might make Israel one of the growing numbers of countries who decided legalize cannabis.
    For JN1 I am Ron Jacobsohn in the Katamon neighborhood of Jerusalem