Early Zionist Films

Avodah (1935)

50 minutes
Israel, B&W
Director: Helmar Lerski

This documentary celebrates the pioneering labors of early Jewish settlers in Palestine. With a soundtrack by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, the film records the technological and agricultural accomplishments of the pioneers and glorifies the idea of a socialist Jewish state. It is interesting for the historical footage, which includes shots taken at the Jaffa port, in Tel Aviv, and on various kibbutzim of the time; Strasbourg-born director Lerski’s expressive style creates an almost mythic image of the Jew in Palestine, toiling and triumphing amidst the sweeping desert landscape. Preserved by the Israel Film Archive.National Center for Jewish Film

Purchasing & Rental Instructions: http://www.brandeis.edu/jewishfilm/Catalogue/ordering.htm
Contact Info (phone, fax): 
Telephone: (781) 899-7044
Fax: (781) 736-2070

66 minutes
USA, B&W, English and Yiddish versions
Producer: Palestine-American Film Company
Director: A.J. Bloome

An early travelogue on Palestine, focusing on Jews living and working in the Holy Land featuring the last appearance of Cantor Joseph (Yosselle) Rosenblatt. Locations featured here include Jerusalem sites (the market, Hebrew University, the King David Hotel, the Jewish Agency); the Judean Hills, Mikve Israel Agricultural School, pioneers working in fields; Rishon le Zion, Rehovot, Nes Ziona, citrus picking and packing; Jezreel valley and settlements; Tiberias and Lak Kinneret; Bedouin dwellings; Tel Aviv and Jaffa beach and street scenes and the Maccabiah Stadium.

Purchasing & Rental Instructions: http://www.brandeis.edu/jewishfilm/Catalogue/ordering.htm
Contact Info (phone, fax): 
Telephone: (781) 899-7044    
Fax: (781) 736-2070

50 minutes
Israel, B&W
Director: Yaakov Gross

This historic documentary incorporates rare footage of pre-state Israel from four early films preserved in a joint project by the National Center for Jewish Film and the Israel Film Archive. Director Gross captures wonderful scenes of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Rishon LeZion, and Old Jaffa as well as rural settlements and activities throughout the land.

Purchasing & Rental Instructions: http://www.brandeis.edu/jewishfilm/Catalogue/ordering.htm
Contact Info (phone, fax): 
Telephone: (781) 899-7044    
Fax: (781) 736-2070

48 minutes
Germany, B&W, silent with German and English subtitles
Produced by the German Zionist Union

Created in 1936 in an effort to inspire German Jews under Nazi rule to make Aliyah, Hatikvah: The Hope is both a documentary on the earliest period of Zionist history and an artifact from it. The film was made three years after the Nazi rise to power, at the narrow juncture in history when flight from Germany was both imperative and still possible. The unique footage focuses on some major personalities in the Zionist movement, the constructive work carried out in Palestine by the first waves of immigration, and the religious life of Jews from a Perse spectrum of backgrounds.

Purchasing & Rental Instructions: http://www.brandeis.edu/jewishfilm/Catalogue/ordering.htm
Contact Info (phone, fax): 
Telephone: (781) 899-7044    
Fax: (781) 736-2070

57 minutes
Palestine, B&W, English and Hebrew
Director: Juda Leman

This is one of Palestine's earliest sound films and part of a larger campaign to encourage settlement and investment in "the Jewish homeland." This documentary emphasizes secular accomplishments with cinematographic and editorial skill. Punctuated by evocative close-ups, this part documentary, part-travelogue, part-message film shows Palestine as a land of opportunity, the place for fulfilling an ancient dream. Preserved by the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House.

Purchasing & Rental Instructions: http://www.brandeis.edu/jewishfilm/Catalogue/ordering.htm
Contact Info (phone, fax): 
Telephone: (781) 899-7044    
Fax: (781) 736-2070