A Manifesto for Jewish Filmmakers

There are two simultaneous wars against the Jewish people: one on the physical battlefronts of Gaza and Lebanon, and one on the battlefronts of the internet and media. IDF soldiers are trained, strong and capable, but we also need to unleash another powerful army: a battalion of Jewish filmmakers.

During the Sundance Film Festival last January I launched the Jewish Filmmakers Network in order to strengthen the community of Jewish filmmakers and content creators. What began as an alliance of like-minded creatives quickly turned into an army of filmmakers using their creative skills to fight Jew-hatred. Since Oct. 7 we have held “Filmmakers Against Antisemitism” events in Los Angeles, London, New York, Park City (Utah), and are planning more in Israel and elsewhere.

In a world where there is such a relentless barrage of antisemitic content, A Manifesto for Jewish Filmmakers can refine and focus our ideas for using creativity to counter the negativity.

The forces of antisemitism are currently so strong that our community is experiencing collective trauma, with anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish rhetoric being conveyed across the majority of news outlets and social media. A good place to start is to focus on guiding principles for Jewish filmmakers.

Context is important. Whereas the Nazis destroyed visual records of their acts, the Palestinians used Go-Pros and Facebook to share their atrocities. Hamas fired the first shots, and now is the time for Jewish filmmakers to shoot back. Instead of guns and rocket-propelled grenades, we can use creativity and cameras to win people’s support.

Storytelling is at the core of Jewish values and tradition, since the entire code of Jewish law is initially conveyed through the narratives of the Torah. The essence of Passover is reading the Haggadah, the book whose very name means “telling the story.” Right now we need to tell our story in every way possible so that it wins people from supporting Hamas to supporting humanity.

Jews created Hollywood but no longer have power over its messaging. In “The Kid Stays in the Picture,” Jewish dominance of Hollywood was so strong that Fox was referred to as “the goyish studio.” Whilst we now lack studio power, our creativity and talent is as strong as ever, and we must use creativity to share our messages. This means dispelling the myths of colonization, apartheid and oppression, overturning the blood libels that the IDF targets innocent people, and countering the fake claims attributing Palestinian attacks to Israel. We have to promote the truth of Israel as the only democracy in the Middle East — a truly inclusive society, which has the most ethical army in the world whose conduct is based on Torah values of kindness and compassion.

We are referred to as the People of the Book, but today we must also be the People of the Film. That means creating as much content as possible to fight the antisemitic propaganda and vastly disproportionate criticism of Israel; whether we are doing it through satire, factual content, short-form films, or memes, and posting across all social media channels.

Today’s pencil is the camera. The most effective way to spread our message is through storytelling, and anyone with a cellphone is carrying around a mini film studio in their pocket. 

Today’s pencil is the camera. The most effective way to spread our message is through storytelling, and anyone with a cellphone is carrying around a mini film studio in their pocket. We may not be soldiers on the battlefront carrying loaded rifles aimed at enemy targets, but today we can all be pro-Israel, pro-humanity filmmakers. We can broadcast globally through social media and achieve massive visibility.

The aim is to produce material at both volume and speed. There may be vast teams of anti-Semitic filmmakers fighting against us including Iran-sponsored content-creation groups, we might be outflanked and outnumbered, but our people’s logo is the Star of David and this is not our first time fighting a Goliath.  

As the narrative around Israel changes, we need to iterate and develop our aims. One goal of the Jewish Filmmakers Network is to gather Jews for in-person gatherings. Many people in the entertainment industry are not regular shul-goers, and plenty of their friends have revealed themselves to be pro-Palestinian. It is incredibly helpful to have a Jewish community space where we can be together.

Another idea is to help one another create content. People often wait for the magic green light of Hollywood to get permission to make something, but there is so much we can achieve on minimal or zero funding. We have collaborators ready to join together in the cause. We need writers, actors, directors, producers, editors, composers, distributors, and there are many more roles that must be filled. I am part of We Make Movies, the largest independent film community in Los Angeles, and its ethos — as the name suggests — is to join together and make your movie. Jewish filmmakers and content creators need to fight the vast army of antisemitic content creators and more, and we have the ability to do so.

How can we measure the efficacy of our efforts? The aim is to “move the needle” on undecided voters. We are not aiming to change the minds of those who hate Jews, nor are we preaching to the choir on our side. Rather, we are aiming to reach the many people who have not yet decided whether they are pro-Hamas or pro-Humanity, and win them over. Today’s call to action is asking people to be “pro-Humanity” rather than pro-Jewish or pro-Israel — being “pro-Humanity” is a universal, nonpartisan call to action, and in line with supporting the higher goals of the Jewish people.

The next principle is to bring in non-Jewish allies. It is good to remember that not everyone hates us, that we do have friends beyond the community, there is a bigger world beyond the highly vocal antisemitic rallies that pose as “we don’t hate Jews, it’s just Israel we have a problem with.”

Finally, there is a tremendous value in creating contacts between Israeli filmmakers and Hollywood, both to help our extended family in Israel, and create content that continues to showcase all the things that make Israel such a profoundly special and unique place.

There are some great industry professionals there promoting the cause. Companies have Jewish affinity groups like Disney’s Shalom. Creative Community for Peace galvanizes industry members to use the arts for pro-Israel and pro-Jewish messaging. The Jewish Writers Initiative, led by Emmy-winning showrunner David Sacks,  is a collective of professional screenwriters to create funny and entertaining pro-Jewish/pro-Israel content. Jew in the City is a Hollywood bureau for the positive representation of Orthodox community. Emmy-winning director Jeremy Kagan (“The Chosen”) is one of the leaders of the charge at the Directors Guild of America to establish its Jewish committee. Shalom Hollywood is a new group for young professionals, and there is so much more. 

It is entirely possible that we will not beat antisemitism since there is a bigger spiritual perspective at play, and we begin every Passover seder meal with the words “in every generation they rise up to kill us.” But as Ethics of the Fathers 2:16 says, “it is not your responsibility to complete the mission, but you cannot refrain from starting it.” The Rabbis also teach “it’s not the talk that counts, but action.” Now is the time for action.

We need soldiers in the creative battle. If you are professional, start contributing to Jewish content. If you want to get started, we’ll help you. Join our Facebook group, come to our events. Or just find a friend and make something. “I don’t have the budget” doesn’t count. Anything is possible, and we are stronger as a community.

This may be a lifelong battle, but we are in it. Chazak ve’Ematz, strength and fortitude. Ready, aim fire – or in our case, lights, camera, action. Start shooting today.

Marcus J Freed is an actor, and founder of the Jewish Filmmakers Network. Their Facebook group is at https://www.facebook.com/groups/jewishfilmmakersnetwork, and Marcus is @marcusjfreed on Instagram.