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To.Die.in.Jerusalem.WS.PDTV.XviD-SYS
.release date [ 11/03/07 .res [ 624x352
.air date [ 11/01/07 .fps [ 29.970
.genre [ Documentary .region [ NTSC
.link [ http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/todieinjerusalem/index.html
Two daughters lost in conflict: one a suicide bomber, the
other her victim. Two mothers searching for answers. Two
nations divided by the land they share. TO DIE IN
JERUSALEM looks at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
through the eyes of two mothers who lost their daughters
in one deadly act of violence. Directed by Hilla Medalia,
the documentary recounts the heart-wrenching story of two
teenage girls - 17-year-old Israeli student Rachel Levy,
and her killer, 18-year-old Palestinian suicide bomber
Ayat al-Akhras - who died together in a Jerusalem market
in 2002. The horrific incident ignited international
outrage and set in motion one mother's journey to meet the
mother of her daughter's killer. More than four years
later, they finally met in an emotionally charged
encounter that underscores the deep roots of the
Israel-Palestinian conflict.
On March 29, 2002 Ayat
al-Akhras walked into a Jerusalem supermarket and
detonated a concealed bomb, killing herself, Rachel Levy
and a security guard. The suicide bombing triggered
worldwide attention because the two girls bore an uncanny
resemblance to each other: Both were attractive,
intelligent students with a dark complexion and long brown
hair who could be mistaken for sisters. Newsweek featured
the two teenage faces on a striking cover that triggers
memories to this day.
As part of her quest for answers,
Rachel Levy's mother, Avigail Levy, is determined to meet
Um Samir al-Akhras, the mother of her daughter's killer,
face to face. Despite the fact that the two live just a
few miles apart, it takes more than four years for the
meeting to occur. After many failed attempts, they finally
meet via satellite video conference in a heated and often
confrontational face-off, illustrating the tension and
resentment that persist on both sides.
"The film
doesn't suggest a solution to the conflict, but it
unabashedly explores the difficulties, fears and gaps
between opposing sides," says Medalia. "However, as
Avigail Levy and Um Samir al-Akhras agree to meet, a
channel of communication begins to evolve, and with it,
new hope for a better future."
While Rachel Levy and
Ayat al-Akhras shared many similarities, their lives and
ideologies couldn't have been more different. Levy lived
in a Jerusalem neighborhood remarkably western in style
and culture, with an atmosphere of openness, freedom,
independence and abundance. In contrast, al-Akhras lived
nearby within the bleak and crowded confines of the
Deheisheh refugee camp, where death, fear, checkpoints and
humiliations are commonplace. Embittered by the oppression
she felt her people suffered at the hands of Israeli
"captors," al-Akhras gravitated towards extremist groups
in the camp and enlisted to become a suicide
bomber.
The impact of the suicide bombing remains as
powerful today as when it happened. Both families remain
hurt and broken. Avigail Levy continues to struggle daily
and can't comprehend how an 18-year-old girl could decide
to end her life - a life filled with promise - and murder
an innocent person.
While Um Samir al-Akhras cries over
the loss of her child, and doesn't support her daughter's
actions, her feelings are tempered by pride that Ayat was
willing to die for what she believed was a worthy cause:
the liberation of Palestine.
Contrasting the lives and
deaths of Rachel Levy and Ayat al-Akhras, and their
mothers' views and ideologies, TO DIE IN JERUSALEM offers
a unique personal perspective of a longstanding conflict
that is all too often overshadowed by political issues,
revealing the complex obstacles to reconciliation.
We know who we are, where we came from, and why we're here. Do you?
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