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Filmmaker Renen Schorr’s documentary is a partially scripted video diary of a lifetime of letters between grandparent and grandchild. The letter correspondence between Rabbi Heller of Safed and Renen, his Tel Avivian grandson that began in 1965 and lasted all the way to 1990, provides an intimate look at the deeply special relationship between the two, whilst also highlighting crossovers and clashes between Tel Aviv and Safed, the sacred and secular, art and tradition, and past and present.
The film comprises interviews, archival footage, and some scripted scenes. It opens on a dramatised version of Safed, circa 1900: a Jew walks the city’s dark alleyways carrying a torch as he wakes up fellow worshippers for morning services. From that moment, Schorr’s story begins to unfold, in which he examines his own personal awakening journey. He looks back to his past and inwards, at his own autobiography that features several highlights paralleling milestone moments in Israel’s collective history.
In his final letter, the grandfather – who had sought to bring Schorr into the folds of religion, in the hopes that he follows in his footsteps – asks his filmmaker grandson to make a film about him, thereby stepping into his world and enshrining his legacy.
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All rights are reserved to the Jerusalem Cinematheque – Israeli Film Archive (RA) and the rights holders of the works. Any use of works on the website for non-individual and non-personal purposes is strictly prohibited without prior, written permission.
For more information about the rights holders, please visit the relevant collection page, or contact the Jerusalem Cinematheque – Israeli Film Archive (RA) offices.
We have the utmost respect for all rights holders’ copyright and put great efforts to track down any and all intellectual property owners for the purpose of seeking and obtaining permission to use their materials featured on the website.
Any and all materials are used in accordance with clause 27a of the 2007 Copyright Act. If you believe that your rights as intellectual property and copyright owners of any material featured on this website have been compromised, then you may contact the Israeli Film Archive via email with a cease-and-desist notice, requesting that the material in alleged copyright infringement no longer be used. When contacting the archive, please state the merit to your copyright ownership claim, as well as your full name, email address, and telephone number, with a link to the relevant webpage.
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