SHEKEL screens emotional films with people with disabilities

US Ambassador Thomas R. Nides attended the premiere screenings of four films produced with the involvement of people with disabilities from west and east Jerusalem, as well as from Morocco, through the new Community Cinema initiative launched by the organization SHEKEL – Inclusion for People with Disabilities, at an emotional evening at the Jerusalem Cinematheque on March 21. 

The Community Cinema initiative was launched four months ago with the support and partnership of the US Embassy. Nides was joined by Kim Notali, director of the US Embassy’s American Center in Jerusalem, and deputy director Felicity Aziz. The screenings were part of SHEKEL’s annual All Rights Reserved Event in memory of filmmaker Gideon Drori, whose son Uri had special needs and took part in programs run by SHEKEL. Every year, Drori’s widow, Osnat, awards prizes to outstanding SHEKEL staff members. This year’s event was hosted by singer Neta Elkayam.

Nides gave a heartfelt speech, saying, “The disability community is quite close to my heart. As a young kid of 25 years old, I was honored to work on Capitol Hill on the Americans with Disabilities Act. At the time, I had no idea how important that act would be, not only for Americans with disabilities but for the world. 

“And when you step back and understand what happened in America in 1990... it changed how Americans not only treat people with disabilities and how they thought about people with disabilities and made life easier for people with disabilities. We created laws to make sure we protected people with disabilities because that’s what it was all about. 

“At SHEKEL, you’ve taken the idea of what we did with the Americans with Disabilities Act and took it even one step further. You’re about taking care of people with disabilities and, more importantly, making sure they live independent lives. Doing things like these films and the singers that just sang and the piano players that just played, that’s what this is about. That’s what SHEKEL is all about. This is what you’re doing to make people’s lives better. 

“It’s not just about the lives of the people with the disabilities, it’s about the lives of the families of people with disabilities. 

“I am honored... to be part of this on behalf of the US; and on behalf of the American people, we salute the work of SHEKEL and the men and women who dedicate their lives to help people with disabilities make their lives better.”

Clara Feldman, SHEKEL’s founder and chair, said, “We believe this project is important on so many levels, as it provides inclusion for people with disabilities across borders and cultures. SHEKEL realized a long time ago that the disability community is borderless, and has long understood the importance of sharing knowledge and experience relating to inclusion of people with disabilities with other countries and cultures. 

“We began a tradition of partnerships and sharing knowledge in the early ‘90s, following the fall of the Iron Curtain, when we embarked on inclusion training in Russia. We have since partnered with other European countries, and we have learned a great deal from each other. 

“Today, as Israel normalizes relations with the Abraham Accord countries, we wanted to connect the disability communities, and we reached out to a wonderful Moroccan organization, Chams Tensift for mental health,” which collaborated on the Community Cinema project.”

SHEKEL’s CEO, Offer Dahary, said that SHEKEL developed the project with a view to broadening horizons and perspectives of people with and without disabilities. “In today’s world, video has become a major artery of communication. We feel it is crucial that people with disabilities be given the opportunity and the tools to express themselves and their experiences as included, vital, contributing participants of this conversation.”

Which films are on display?

ALL FOUR films were moving and showed diverse facets of the special-needs community all around the world, but it also emphasized mutual issues and experiences. Participants in the project in both west and east Jerusalem meet once a month to study filmmaking techniques and to socialize. The program was taught and led in east and west Jerusalem by Husam Abu Diab, a graduate of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in screen arts, with Talya Schwartz as project manager and creative partner.

The Moroccan film Poetry Born in Darkness is a portrait of a man with schizophrenia, who has learned to manage his issues and live a productive life. He has become a poet and helps others who have schizophrenia. 

Rachmiel – His Own Way tells the story of a young man in Jerusalem who is on the autism spectrum. Born into the ultra-Orthodox community, he discusses how he is trying to understand his sexual orientation. The film follows his attempts to achieve his dream of finding a job and how he struggles to find his place in the world. 

The other two films are concerned with those living with blindness. Aedil is about a man who went blind when he was young and has become a musician and teaches music, encouraging others to find a way to express themselves, in spite of their disabilities. 

The film Eden Sees Differently is a portrait of blind singer Eden Taharani, who appeared on The X Factor and whose performance on the show went viral on social media. She is also an influencer who posts makeup tutorials for those with visual impairments. Taharani performed at the event, accompanied by musicians from SHEKEL and the Feuerstein band. 

The evening opened with a musical rendition of the Idan Raichel song “A Love Like This” by singer Lilach Machloff and pianist Imri Gilad. Both are members of the Israel Integrative Orchestra, which is a partnership between SHEKEL and the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. The orchestra was launched four years ago with support from the US Embassy.

In video remarks, SHEKEL president Lihi Lapid, an author and activist who is the wife of Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid, praised the organization’s staff and filmmaking project. ❖