Exile: A Myth Unearthed 2011
Distributed by National Film Board of Canada, 1123 Broadway, Suite 307, New York, NY 10010; 800-542-2164
Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, Alegria Productions, Amythos Media, and T.A.M.I. Productions
Directed by Ilan Ziv
DVD, color, 104 min.
Sr. High - General Adult
Judaism History
Date Entered: 04/03/2015
Reviewed by Alexander Rolfe, Technical Services Librarian, George Fox University, Newberg, ORThis documentary argues that the notion of a Jewish exile from Israel/Palestine in the wake of the destruction of the Second Temple is mistaken, in spite of its popularity. They use archaeological findings at Sepphoris to show that what happened to Jerusalem was not what happened to the rest of the Holy Land. They also visit Jewish catacombs in Rome to discuss the widespread Jewish diaspora that was alive and well before the supposed exile.
The second part examines the origins of the myth, finding that it’s a conflation with earlier Biblical exiles from the Holy Land as well as an over-identification with Jerusalem (from which the Romans did exile Jews). As Europe became Christianized, both the Christian and Jewish narratives viewed the destruction and exile as God’s judgment, adding power to the myth.
The documentary has a political thrust, and seems to want to say that Jews should not relocate to the Holy Land. It considers the irony of Safuri (Sepphoris)—which Israel depopulated shortly after forming the state of Israel. The documentary points out that those Palestinians may well have been the descendants of the Jews of Sepphoris, who did not rebel and were not expelled by Rome. The film concludes with a call to be like the Jews of Sepphoris (lose one’s religion and Jewish identity, presumably) and heed the warning of what happens when you follow “blind faith in a single narrative” (get destroyed like Jerusalem did under the Romans).