These short films, originally broadcast on Israeli television, confirm that Israeli and American teens have much in common. Israeli parents, too, nag about tests and homework. And Israeli kids have the usual adolescent insecurities and jealousies. But there are also critical differences, and through these films we see young people struggling with the very real repercussions of the Arab-Israeli conflict in their lives.

Many of the problems facing Israeli teens are universal and would not be unfamiliar to an American high school student - the frustration of playing for a basketball team on a losing streak, the tedium of an after-school job, the existential questioning of God's existence.

Inevitably, though, suicide bombings and other forms of violence intrude here. They are a fact of life, and change life forever for these young people. In diverse ways, we see the conflict viewed from their perspective. Refreshingly, we also see young Jerusalemites who are willing to consider again and again what it means to be a part of a city that is thousands of years old, a city today infused with the energy of countless waves of newcomers.

These films are the voices of young Jewish Israelis. As they struggle to make sense of their relationship to their own history, their faith, and their Arab neighbors, they leave us with no simple answers. But they offer an undeniable sense of optimism, and a belief in themselves and their country.

Sharon Newman is an attorney and a member of Congregation Bet Ha'am. With her husband Perry, she is raising her children to value their Jewish identity - and to enjoy subtitled movies.

2004 MJFF Program Book edited by Abby Zimet