A conflict that now seems as old as the world (and perhaps it is, as old as the world). The mother of all of humanities’ travails for most, the one reliable litmus test for some, a Gordian knot that will probably never be resolved for the rest of us. What is zionism? Most importantly, how does the idea of Zionism today differ from that of seventy years ago? How much has the concept been distorted? Filmmakers Joseph Dorman and Oren Rudavsky take a substantial look at the evolution of zionism in this new documentary headed for a theatrical release on March 4th.

From the film’s official press release: “the debate over Israel, triggered by the latest war, or terrorist attack, or national election – is often guided by emotion rather than substance, by fear or anger rather than a thorough understanding of Zionism and its history. Incorporating interviews with writers, politicians, activists, the young and the old, Israeli and Palestinian, together with rarely seen footage culled from archives all over the world, the film focuses on several critical moments in the history of Zionism: its origins in Europe; the early relations between Jews and Palestinians in turn of the century Palestine; the 1948 war known alternately as the War of Independence and the Nakba; the euphoria of the Jewish People and the devastation felt by Palestinians after Six Day War of 1967; the messianic West Bank Settlement Movement and the idealism of the Peace Movement; and the colliding forces among Jews, and between Jews and Palestinians today.”

This is a preview article. The full review will follow shortly.