Have you ever been to Israel? Have you felt the energy? Have you been with the people? Have you celebrated the simultaneity of cultures and spirits whirling together in a cloud of religious fervor that breathes life into the Jerusalem milieu? Have you walked on the heights of Masada, floated on top of the Dead Sea, explored the depths of the caves at Qumran, wondered at the lives of the Essenes, tried to hail a taxi on the Sabbath, delighted in the taste of fresh figs for breakfast, had rocks thrown at you by young Palestinian boys, bargained for rugs in the Old City, partied late at night with young people on Ben Yehuda street, stood on the shores of the Galilee, looked over the heights of the Golan, sat in the Knesset, talked at length with Palestinian cab drivers, attended lectures at Hebrew University, visited Bethlehem … … touched the rock on which Abraham was tempted by G_d while Muslim men prayed all around?
The Spirit has experienced all of these things, and has also witnessed the mutual feelings of hate that are exchanged across the borders of Israel and the Palestinian areas. And it is in this context that the Spirit viewed Steven Spielberg’s film Munich.
What is most compelling about this film is that it is not a polemic for the state of Israel and its militant, respond to violence with violence policies. Nor is it a pro-Israeli but dove-ish look at that policy in order to try to dissuade the powerful American Jewish population from supporting the more conservative Israeli leadership. Rather, Spielberg, whose credentials are unquestioned because of his work with Schindler’s List, has created a movingly balanced film which asks many questions of all of those who are responsible for their involvement in this never-ending struggle.
A key scene in the film comes when Avner, played by Eric Banam, whose mission is to kill all those responsible for the 1972 killing of the Israeli Olympic team, is posing as a member of a German communist faction staying at a safe house which is also occupied by several members of the PLO. He becomes engaged in a philosophical conversation with one of the young Arabs (played by Mousa Kraish). Passionately, this young man is able to tell a doubtful but somewhat shaken Avner that the bottom line for his people is that all he and his people have ever wanted is a home to call their own. A concept he is sure neither Avner nor anyone else could ever understand. The irony of this statement is not lost on Avner nor on the audience as, later in the film, Avner’s mother describes the feelings she had as she escaped Europe and the holocaust and finally found a home in Israel. Spielberg treats this young Arab with the respect he deserves for the courage and sincerity of his convictions, sincerity that parallels Avner’s own. Spielberg asks, doesn’t the young Palestinian have a right to a home? Doesn’t the Jew? And, if finally Avner must come to grips with what it means to come home and be a Jew, Spielberg leaves that question unanswered as well.
Ultimately, this film is about real impact of revenge both on the nation of Israel and on the individual lives of those who were the instruments of their decision to pursue that revenge. As a national policy, it’s clear that all these missions of revenge accomplished for Israel was escalation of the violence – and therein lies a lesson for our times as we pursue the war on terrorism. As for the individuals involved, their usefulness for the state ended when their mission ended. They were thrown away like so much spent ammunition.
Revenge is as distasteful as the act that created it. As someone once said to the Spirit, if it feels wrong to do it in the first place, that should be a pretty good indicator not to do it. But Spielberg leaves us with that question as well. Distasteful or not, wasn’t it necessary to avenge the senseless deaths of the 1972 Olympians?
Have you ever been to Israel? If you had, you would know that in the middle of Jerusalem, you can feel the spirit of God, Allah, Yahweh, pulsing in joyful energy. The teeming throngs of people feel it, that’s why they fight for it. That’s why films like Munich evoke such important questions. Because God is at the center of all of the questions that are asked about that region.
UPDATE: The Spirit was unaware of this reaction when writing the above, but it indeed goes a long way to prove the point that raw nerves were touched and stray questions were left unresolved.
Entries (RSS)
[...] There is little that can be added to all of the rhetoric being thrown maliciously around from both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese war. And I have written extensively about the inequities on both sides of this fight. [...]