TO DIE IN JERUSALEM (TV)
Summary
This documentary film follows the parallel stories of the family of a Palestinian suicide bomber and the family of her Israeli victim.
On March 29, 2002, 18-year-old Palestinian Ayat al-Akhras entered a Jerusalem grocery store and detonated a bomb strapped to her body, killing herself, security guard Haim Smadar, and 17-year old Rachel Levy. Rachel's mother Abigail and Ayat's mother Um Samir describe their similar experiences hearing about the incident and learning, after several harrowing hours, that their daughters were dead. Rachel's father Levy describes the grim process of identifying her body, while elsewhere Ayat's sister Sammar vows to kill 30 more Israelis in Ayat's name as Abu Samir describes life in the Dheisheh refugee camp in the West Bank. The Levys explain that Rachel was "a second mom" to little brother Kobi, and Ayat's friends recall how the otherwise dedicated student seemed "distracted" toward the end of her life, though most mistook it for anxiety over her upcoming wedding. Forensic pathologist Yehuda Hiss notes how the girls' fatal injuries were eerie "mirror images" of one another's, and both families agree that Ayat and Rachel looked uncannily alike.
Abigail contacts Ayat's family for a conversation, explaining that she is "not free" in a country filled with metal detectors and frequent violence, though rhe Samirs argue that resistance to occupation is not the same as terrorism. Um recalls her daughter's anger over being prevented from worshipping at the al-Aqsa mosque, swearing that she would have stopped Ayat from committing her final act had she known of her intentions. Journalist Roni Shaked discusses the rising numbers of female suicide bombers, and Abigail journeys to HaSharon Prison to talk with would-be suicide bombers arrested before committing their crimes. Young Thawrah Hamur describes her arrest, swearing that she acted of her own free will and pointing out that fundamentalists, like those of Hamas, would never approach a young woman at her father's house. She swears that there is "no such thing as Israel," but Abigail argues that they all believe in the same God and must learn to resolve their differences over the land. Abu states that there are "no winners in war," and Abigail, growing more religious after her daughter's death, seeks Rachel's blessing to take Kobi on a trip to America, a voyage on which Rachel was planning to accompany them.
In 2004, Shaked calls the Samirs and floats the idea of a meeting with Abigail, though Um points out that strict curfews prevent her from traveling over the border. Unsure of what she would say to her daughter's killer's family, Abigail tells her support group about her intentions, causing some of her friends to wonder if she is seeking revenge. Abigail states that the Samirs must come to her, though by 2006, she agrees to travel to their home and is escorted into Palestine by Minister Mitri Raheb. The film crew is detained and questioned by the police, and Abigail tells Raheb that Um must "stand up" and create change by publicly denouncing the righteousness of suicide bombings. Unnerved by the crew's arrest, Abigail heads back to Israel, passing Dheisheh on the way, and the mothers eventually decide to converse via satellite television.
Abigail is taken aback to see that Abu has accompanied his wife to the sit-down, preferring to talk only "mother to mother," and the women soon begin debating the meaning of oppression and occupation, with Um stressing that her people have been living in harsh conditions for decades, prompting Ayat's fury. Um states that she did not know of her daughter's plans; when Abigail swears that her daughter never would have committed murder under any circumstances, Um argues that Rachel "had it all" and was never pushed to such extremes. Abigail declares that they must both stand up against their respective political leaders and denounce all violence, instead solving the problem through conversation. Um denounces her ideas as "far away," stating that the Israelis desire "surrender, not peace" from the Palestinians. The conversation ends on an uncertain note, though not before both women admit that they are haunted by thoughts of not just their own daughters, but of the other girl.
Details
- NETWORK: HBO
- DATE: November 30, 2006 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:15:01
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:91725
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/Documentaries; Israel-Arab conflicts; Bombings; Murder; Mothers and daughters
- SERIES RUN: HBO - TV, 2007
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- John Priddy … Executive Producer
- Ed Priddy … Executive Producer
- Sheila Nevins … Executive Producer
- Sara Bernstein … Supervising Producer
- Hilla Medalia … Producer, Director, Writer
- Adnan Taha … Associate Producer
- Jan Thompson … Associate Producer
- Keren Rattenbach … Co-Producer
- Issar Shulman … Music by
- Abigail Levy … Interviewee
- Um Samir … Interviewee
- Kobi Levy … Interviewee
- Amos Levy … Interviewee
- Abu Samir … Interviewee
- Guy Levy … Interviewee
- Yehuda Hiss … Interviewee
- Roni Shaked … Interviewee
- Thawrah Hamur … Interviewee
- Ayat al-Akhras
- Rachel Levy
- Mitri Raheb
- Haim Smadar