The I.D.F. - A Civilian Look | New Releases

The I.D.F. - A Civilian Look

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General Information
Israel, 2011 \| Documentary, 3 x 45 min. Directors: Chaim Yavin and Anat Tzom Ayalon Producers: Shula Spiegel and Dana Eden
Synopsis
The IDF is a concept on which all Israeli generations were raised on. The connection between the army and the people is an almost symbiotic one. Chaim Yavin, Israel's Walter Cronkite, the series' presenter and director, reevaluates the IDF's place in Israeli society and presents various viewpoints surrounding this issue. Part 1 – Left, Right, Left The almost symbiotic connection between the IDF and Israeli society is under threat of dissolution. Israeli society is divided and fragmented, riddled with disagreement. And yet, everyone should be answering the draft call. Naturally, political rifts find their way into the military system. Although the army fulfills its functions, including the controversial ones, there is an ongoing crisis surrounding it: Dissenters from all sides of the political spectrum, draft-dodgers, orthodox religious people and those who commit insubordination or who are simply disinterested. Part 2 - Half the People's Army The IDF has always held a key function in the vision of the country's founders – that of a melting pot. The army recruits new immigrants as well as earlier inhabitants. It was the supposition that in the army true integration would be achieved. But what is the picture in the IDF today? Is the army a springboard for the underprivileged or does it broaden the gaps? Is the IDF still a melting pot? Should it continue in its efforts in fields such as education and conversion to Judaism or should it concentrate mainly on its military functions? Sיhould the IDF continue on being a Jewish army or transform into an Israeli army. What obligates the soldiers – law or faith, law or Zionism? Part 3 – For Security Reasons The IDF is the largest organization in the state and its power is rising. There are those from "The Old Guard," for whom the IDF and its ethos are sacred, untouchable and beyond reproach. But is this ethos not actually defending a powerful organization that has expanded excessively until the state cannot longer hold it? Are we not creating an army that is a nation in itself – a state within a state? Whatever happened to the concept of a "small, smart army"? Is it even possible to discuss the army in the casual way that one would discuss any other organization?


Credits
Directors: Chaim Yavin Producer: Shula Spiegel, Dana Eden Screenplay:Chaim Yavin, Anat Tzom Ayalon Cinematographer: Elad Asulin Editor: Anat Tzom Ayalon Sound designer: Cobi Eizenman Original Language: : Hebrew Subtitles: English


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