Review of Dancing in Jaffa (2013) by Terry R — 09 May 2014

I thought this was a extraordinary movie. It was about dance, but much more than that. It showed an honest look at how the Palestinians live and are treated by the people who displaced them. As a Jew, I'm embarrassed by how the Palestinians have been forced from their land, cannot find work, cannot travel freely and for a culture (the Jews) who have been displaced from the beginning of time, it is ironic that the Israelis are treating the Palestinians like vermin.

The mother of one of the Israeili-Palestonian children mentions that she overstayed her allowed number of days to visit her family over the border and was punished with not being able to see them for 10 years.

However, there was a slight ray of hope in this movie, as Pollyann-ish as it may have seemed, and it was heartbreaking and heart warming to see the changes that came over the children as they learned to dance, interact with each other and shine.

I have no illusions that this alone will change attitudes, but it was an honest start. Pierre Dulaine should be commended for trying to bridge this ever-growing gap between cultures who must learn to live together or continue hating one another.

I silently wept through much of it.