YA RAYAH: A MIZRAHI FILM SERIES
Co-presented by the Jewish Film Institute
By and about Mizrahi and Arab Jews, Ya Rayah (“oh you, the one leaving”) is an outstanding film series that will take you on a journey through the rich reality of our Mizrahi and Arab Jewish life, culture and history. Through a lovingly curated series of monthly screenings and Q&A’s, we will explore the wide range of Mizrahi experience from longing to anger and loss, all the way to the joy of reclaiming Mizrahi and Arab Jewish cultures and narratives.
Our first three films will be about today’s Mizrahi and Arab Jews, their deep yearning and return to the culture that was taken away from them. We will then explore the rupture and loss that Mizrahim experienced upon going into exile in the 20th century. The third chapter of our series will explore our diasporic life and way
Chapter i: Yearning & Return
1 – Ziyara by Simone Bitton
THURSDAY, MARCH 21 | 6:30 – 9:00 PM
In Morocco, Ziyara – the visit to the Saints’ tombs – is a popular tradition shared by both Jews and Muslims. As part of a cinematic pilgrimage to her Jewish roots, director Simone Bitton embarks on a road trip across Morocco to meet with the caretakers of her own memory: the Muslim guardians of the country’s Jewish cemeteries.
2 – In Your Eyes, I see my Country
by Kamal Hachkar
THURSDAY, APRIL 18 | 6:30 – 9:00 PM
Neta Elkayam and Amit Haï Cohen live in Jerusalem, creating music that revisits their common Judeo-Moroccan heritage. In Your Eyes, I See My Country follows them as they journey for the first time to Morocco. In life as on stage, they grapple with this dual identity and attempt to heal the wounds of exile carried by their parents.
3 – May God Be With You by Cleo Cohen
THURSDAY, MAY 16 | 6:30 – 9:00 PM
The granddaughter of Jewish Arabs who emigrated from Tunisia and Algeria to France interviews her grandparents about the course their life has taken: Are they more strongly connected with Judaism or with their Arabic background? Do they feel African or European? And how do they hope to see their descendants forming their own identity?
CHAPTER ii & iii
Coming Soon!
Stay tuned for updates on the rest of the Mizrahi Film Series which will be shared here.
