The production is over

By Avi Abramov on Tuesday, December 23 2008, 15:26 - Sderot's team - Permalink

When I started this production I was disconnected from the local reality, from the feelings of Sderot's people on the one side and especially from the people of Gaza.

While working, I started understanding there's another side of the coin here. Over Face book, I made some friends, had fun and laughs with them, suddenly I was communicating. A sympathy to the other side developed: here are young people, like me. They have the same needs and dreams.

I also learned about what it means to live in Sderot: I used to visit here as a student in Sapir College, but I wasn't so connected to the people, to the life they have. I didn't know about waking up in the middle of the night to rocket alarms. During the first 'Red Color' alert I had while working on Gaza/Sderot, I would consider if to run to the nearest bomb shelter or just keep walking, assuming 'it won't happen to me'. In one of our last days in the office, a rocket fell a few hundred meters away, just as we were leaving to the parking lot. And last Wednesday, as I was visiting Sason at his grocery store, a rocket was whistling over our heads before a loud boom was heard - the rocket fell in a nearby shopping center. These are things I didn't feel before. What a mess…

Now the production is over, I feel I've entered a vacuum. In a few days I must go to mandatory reserve army service. I will serve as an infantry soldier doing routine security missions such as patrols and manning checkpoints somewhere at the west bank.
I feel this situation is absurd. I've just spent three months working on a project where I felt a door opening. Some form of communication was developing; we were starting to look at each other in the eyes.

Now this illusion is over… Last Thursday, the official ceasefire is over, the rockets came back hard, the army is talking about a big operation inside Gaza and I'm going to be a reserve soldier, going back to the reality of being an Israeli citizen.

One thing is for sure: I'll keep talking to my new friends.

Avi Abramov
Line Producer
"Gaza-Sderot" Alma Films

3 comments

1. On Tuesday, December 23 2008, 19:03 by Or- Istanbul

What touches me most is that I had similar, though sure cannot be the same feelings, while only watching the videos of Gaza and Sderot everyday as:People of Gaza especially, I didnt know before this, had so similar feelings and dreams of lifes despite the political camp they represent may be, unwillingly. And by watching and beeing so closely everyday with people of Gaza and Sderot, I had suddenly a terrible big sorrow as this truce is in danger now, extensive launches will may be resume, I dreamed hopelessly the videos to continue and may be so people of both camps could realise at last their common human needs, realise being treated only as political camps elements but not as a human beings etc etc, and may be could transmit their awakness to their leaders etc etc, may be these people could cause their leaders to give up their extreme dangerous stubborness, becoming aware that already their people are no more expecting these etc etc.

2. On Tuesday, December 23 2008, 19:44 by Or-Istanbul

And sometimes my hope of peace overcome all. Both sides people are not at all stupid, they want to go on peacefully their life, regardless that their complaints were politically or unpolitically made. What they need have to do only I think is to realise their common needs and feelings and trust the other side people and transmit their expectation of peace to their leaders.

From Gaza side I think, the leaders may be could feel DIFFERENTLY PROUD and not submissive by prolonging the truce as claiming that they do not want people to be killed, AND the other camp leader too may prolong the truce and be willing to agree with them and lift the blockade, by announcing that they do not act at all by fear or by submissiveness, but with the PROUD aim of to improve both sides people, so simple! They could FEEL and ANNOUNCE their PROUD about!.OR may be they can find other solutions to agree but still with the truce and anounce THEIR PROUDNESS to their people.
And if not so, I am still optimistic, these leaders will not be able to stand long time, people are not stupid and will not submit endlessly to these conditions, so will not support endlessly any not open minded leader, who will not bring them security and better life conditions.
So both sides leader need to provide absolutely these two conditions if they want to survive.

3. On Thursday, January 15 2009, 15:23 by Shalom

Let's hope this operation will get rid of the Palestinian will to send missiles once and for all. It will take them years to rebuild their destroyed city, but hey, this is what they do the best: Most of the buildings in Israel were built by Palestinian workers, at least in the past 20 years or more.

PREVIOUS

Express Yourself

3 comments

NEXT

Catégories