Grapevine: See it at Smadar

FOR MANY years the fate of the Smadar movie theater in the German Colony hung in the balance, with announcements every now and again that it was about to close. It wasn’t so much for lack of patrons but often because costs exceeded income. Of greater significance was the fact that potential closure stemmed from a feud between two sisters who had inherited the cinema.

Even after Smadar was taken over by the Lev Cinema chain, its deficit threatened its continued existence, especially during COVID when patronage dropped to an all-time low after cinemas were permitted to reopen

In January of this year, the Lev group said it was pulling out. But Lev Smadar is still there, and last week it screened Rabbi Capoeira, a documentary co-directed and co-written by Barak Heymann. It tells the story of two haredim: a young man named Miki Chayat and a woman named Revital Ben Moshe. They opened the first gym in Bnei Brak, where they teach gender-separated classes in capoeira, a combination of martial arts and graceful dancing invented 500 years ago by slaves in Brazil who were seeking freedom.

Listening to the gentle tones of Chayat’s voice on screen and when speaking to the audience after the screening, it’s hard to imagine that he’s a martial arts champion. But that’s the whole point of the exercise. As a yeshiva student, he suffered various forms of abuse which robbed him of his self-confidence, and he didn’t want other boys to go through that.

His brother, who served in the army, came home practicing capoeira after a post-army trip to Brazil, and Chayat went for it hook, line, and sinker. So much so that he became an expert and conquered all his hang-ups. When he talks to boys who are afraid of their own shadow, he is the gentle persuader who convinces them that they can do a somersault or can jump high in the air or can dance with the right rhythm. Chayat teaches in Bnei Brak and has classes once a week in Jerusalem.

Revital Ben Moshe didn’t want to spend her life keeping house and looking after her kids. She wanted to do something more meaningful – and she has.

The audience at Lev Smadar loved the movie and loved Chayat, asking him endless questions. Some may have even gained a new perspective about haredi Jews.

Rabbi Capoeira is being screened in Lev cinemas all over the country and is well worth viewing.

Morocco-Israel relations

■ A SHARAKA delegation from Morocco, which came to Israel within the framework of a flagship program that promotes coexistence and tolerance in the Middle East through education about the Holocaust, was hosted at the Friends of Zion Museum.

That this large cohort of young Moroccan civil society leaders chose to come to Israel is a courageous statement in support of Israel-Morocco relations and Jewish-Muslim coexistence. Many of the participants had already visited Poland and toured the Auschwitz death camp and had participated in the March of the Living. The program, which includes expert lecturers on the Holocaust, genocide, and extremism, was constructed with the assistance of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, which is sponsored by the Foundation for Remembrance, Responsibility and Future. It is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Finance.

At the FOZ Museum, members of the delegation met with Israeli influencers who are also active in advocating tolerance and in the global fight against antisemitism. The meeting sparked conversations about tolerance, accepting the other, and what it means to be an influencer in today’s world. The Israelis said it was very important and moving to hear the Muslim Moroccans say they are Zionists and that they love the State of Israel.

FOZ director Nir Kimhi said the museum serves as a Zionist platform for the fight against BDS and antisemitism and is often engaged in increasing awareness about the historical support of non-Jews in the State of Israel. Kimhi thanked the Moroccans for what they have done and are doing. Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Shikli gave the group a briefing on Israel today and thanked them for coming to Israel at this particular time – some risking their lives as they report non-stop about their experiences in Israel, including their visits to the sites of terrorist attacks.

Trip participant Faisal Marawani said that he feels like a Zionist and that the visit to Israel only strengthened his connection to and love for Israel. The evening concluded with the Israelis and the Moroccans dancing together.

■ FEMINISTS IN the Hazvi Yisrael congregation were delighted when the new rabbi, Avishai Zruya, in his maiden sermon in his new capacity, spoke of the importance of Miriam’s Well and the direct and indirect role that Miriam played in the leadership of the Children of Israel.

Miriam first ensured that her younger brother Moses would live after Pharaoh had decreed that all male children born to the Hebrews should immediately be killed. He then compared women to water, saying that water, which covers so much of the Earth and is a large part of the human body, is essential to life, and that women give life.

Presumably, he will say something to delight male congregants in the weeks to come.

Knesset Museum project makes progress

■ FINALLY, AFTER years of delay, there are signs of work in progress in the Knesset Museum project on King George Ave. The sidewalk outside the building that was the initial site of the Knesset has been dug up to enable new infrastructure, the boards around the scaffolding have been removed, and new white window and door frames have been installed on the ground floor. Hopefully, the project will be completed by Tu Bishvat, when the Knesset celebrates its 76th anniversary.

Bibigate: It's just a fence

■ BIBIGATE IS not Watergate. It’s an addition to the metal railed fence that protects the prime minister’s private residence, which has also become his official residence. It also reduces the width of the sidewalk and thus makes life very uncomfortable for his neighbors, but the decision was made by the Israel Security Agency, not the PM.

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