The Moledet Reel Collection features ultrarare footage of the earliest days of Hebrew filmmaking. Yerushalayim Segal, a pioneering local producer, was a staunch supporter of Nathan Axelrod’s film body-of-work, with whom he then produced a series of newsreels between 1927 – 1934.
The film lab was set up in Tel Aviv. Axelrod was behind the camera and had come up with a range of original hacks for printing the films, including constructing a system of mirrors that would capture outdoor sunlight and reflect it into the room. Meanwhile, Segal was in charge of fundraising for the lab, and was producing all kinds of adverts and reels that were then sold to cinemas. The ads, a curious novelty at the time, had huge audience appeal, and many would turn up to the cinema a lot earlier so that they didn’t miss a single one. Segal also designed the typeface of the company logo, that featured a sketch of biblical matriarch Rachel’s Tomb.
Indeed, Segal and Axelrod managed to capture numerous milestone moments in the evolution of local Jewish life: the founding the city of Netanya, building Beit Hanan agricultural village (‘moshav’), Tel Aviv’s annual Purim fancy dress parade (‘Adloyada’), the inaugural Maccabiah Games, poet Hayim Nahman Bialik’s funeral, a wedding at the Palestinian village of Abu Kishk, and many others. In 1935, Axelrod started Carmel Reels, which spelt the end of Moledet’s operations. Yerushalayim Segal then retired from the world of filmmaking.
The Moledet Reels, that started in the days of British Mandatory Palestine, are an important historical document, providing precious insights into the mood and development of Jewish life in the land at the time. The collection features reels, adverts, and rough footage used to edit the films. A such, it serves as a rich source of often surprising information to scholars, filmmakers, students, museums, various organisations, etc.
The collection was purchased by the State of Israel and housed in the Israel Film Archive that is responsible for its management, scientific preservation, and long-term accessibility to the general public.
