| Censored Voices (2015) |
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| Student Handouts > World History > Middle East Conflict > Middle East Conflict Books and Films |
Censored Voices (2015) is a documentary film, in Hebrew with English subtitles, featuring soldiers' comments on the Six-Day War (1967) recorded at various kibbutzim one to two weeks after the war ended. These recordings were largely censored by the Israeli government until recently. The film's director, Mor Loushy, did "quite a detective work" and was able to track down several of the soldiers who appeared in the original audio recordings. Alongside the commentary is rare footage of the war itself (Israeli television news did not exist until the year following the war, making footage difficult to come by).
Censored Voices is appropriate for a high school World History class. There is no nudity, and profanity is limited to a few f-words from soldiers. The martial violence shown is not gratuitous.Although the film does a good job of setting up the basic premise of the Six-Day War, educators should give some background on the founding of the Israeli state in 1948, and how Israel's neighbors in the Middle East saw themselves as its enemies.
The Six-Day War gave Israel control over the Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights, and West Bank. The overall premise of Censored Voices is that the brutality of the occupation set the stage for the current, ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.This film had its American premiere at the Other Israel Film Festival, hosted by the Manhattan JCC. Censored Voices was enthusiastically received by the packed audience. Applause came during the film, when interviewees Elisha and Amitai Shelem remark that they are not a free people while the Occupied Territories exist. Mor Loushy (below, right) answered questions after the screening. Loushy was most impressed by how the soldiers featured in the film accurately predicted the current hostilities between Israelis and Palestinians. 
Censored Voices will be released by Music Box Films in limited U.S. theaters on November 20, 2015.Related Vocabulary and Content Terms: Arabs, ceasefire, civilians, Egypt, evacuate, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, Israel, Jericho, Jerusalem, Jordan, Judaism, kibbutzim, Lebanon, Lion’s Gate, Middle East, military strength, nationalism, occupation, Occupied Territories, Old City, Sinai Peninsula, Suez Canal, Syria, Temple Mount, West Bank, Western Wall Creators and Stars of Censored Voices: Amitai Shel, Amos Oz, Avishai Grossman, Avner Shahaf, Avraham Shapira, Dagmar Mielke, Dan Cogan, Daniel Sivan, Danna Stern, Elisha Shelem, Ethan Goldman, Hilla Medalia, Ilan Lotan, Itai Raziel, Jean Tsien, Jenny Raskin, Jeremy Chilnick, Knut Losen, Markus Aust, Melanie Andernach, Mor Loushy, Morgan Spurlock, Neta Zwebner, Nick Fraser, Pinchas Levitan, Ran Tal, Stefan Korte, Yoss Appelbaum, Yossi Limor |
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| Student Handouts > World History > Middle East Conflict > Middle East Conflict Books and Films |
