Land for the Nomads 2012
Distributed by Ruth Diskin Films Ltd., P.O.Box 7153, Jerusalem, 91071, ISRAEL
Produced by Lipika Pelham
Directed by Lipika Pelham
DVD , color, 55 min.
Jr. High - General Adult
Activism, Social Relations, Politics, National Identity, Israel/Palestine, Human Rights, Bedouin
Date Entered: 07/24/2013
Reviewed by Malcolm L. Rigsby, Department of Sociology and Human Services, Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, ArkansasLand for the Nomads is a docu-narrative by Pelham. She comes to Israel to interview the proclaimed human rights lawyer Shlomo Lecker and seeks to document his story. Her focus is to find out in his own words who he is and why he does what seems so diametrically opposed to his Israeli citizenship and Jewish identity. Lecker, upon agreeing to be the subject of the documentary, changes the topic—he wishes to focus on the land and the people of Palestine. These people are the Bedouins, who since the creation of the Israeli state and particularly since the 1967 war have suffered the ever-encroaching Israeli state. As Bedouins, they have lost much of their identity that is tied directly to their way of life. As a people of Palestine they no longer have the ability to freely roam the lands of their forefathers, and since 1967 have continually been pushed from the nomadic way of life and have found themselves isolated in small encampments which hardly serve the needs of a human. For several years, Shlomo Lecker has been the Bedouin’s lawyer. He has taken it upon himself to champion the Bedouin tribe of East Jerusalem using his legal knowledge and skills in the Israeli legal and court system.
The question is, what drives Lecker to do this often very unpopular thing? Is it wealth, or notoriety, or because he is a true humanitarian seeking a better life for the underclass? One questions whether Lecker simply wants his own personal satisfaction in seeking to feed what some may call narcissism. To the Bedouin, both young and old he is reported to be a miracle worker and is held in the highest of esteem.
Perhaps as an undercurrent, Pelham is successful in her original mission to analyze Lecker. Regardless this debatable point, the film portrays a uniquely told story of one group of Bedouins living near Jerusalem and their quest to remain a people and maintain their autonomy free of Israeli settlements.
A film clip is available on the distributor’s web site.
Awards
- Platinum Remi Award - WorldFest Houston, 2012