Yerushalayim Segal (1898-1993) a filmmaking trailblazer and pioneer in Israel/Palestine, was a translator, film distributor, cinematographer, director, and producer. Born in Siberia, Segal and his family moved to Palestine when he was 15. At first, he worked in the Galilee settlements, doing all manners of manual labour and land work before joining the British Army’s Jewish Legion in 1917. In the 1920s, he settled in Tel Aviv with his wife and son. There, he found work as a scribe and porter but soon transitioned into film work, including motion picture distribution and subtitling.
In 1927, as the local film industry was slowly but surely gaining traction, Segal started Moledet Productions. The company specialised in adverts and documentaries including newsreel shorts, until its closure in 1934. In the early days, Segal was in charge of all things from directing and cinematography to production management and fundraising. Later, fellow filmmaker Nathan Axelrod came on board, which meant the work could now be divvied up between the two, leaving Segal with the financial side of things whereas Axelrod assumed all newsreel directorial and shooting duties. The company’s logo, designed by Segal, featured a sketch of biblical matriarch Rachel’s Tomb.
Though he was not one for titles or honorifics, Segal’s contribution to the emergence and rise of Hebrew film cannot be stated enough. And indeed, the imprint of his work echoes in the shaping of local motion picture culture in the country’s earliest years. Over time, and well into his twilight years, Segal continued to work in film subtitling.
A founding member of the Haganah Jewish resistance organisation, Segal took part in defending several Tel Aviv neighbourhoods during the 1929 Palestine riots. Alongside his film work, Segal spent his life volunteering with the police and the civil guard.
