Behikvot Hahatiha Hahasera (The Quest for the Missing Piece, Israel, 2007)

Director: Oded Lotan.

Producer: Claudia Levin.




Male circumcision as a concept was virtually unknown to me until my early twenties when I crossed some American guys' path in Europe and learned to my big surprise that a great deal of the planet’s male population had their willies snipped after they were born. The whole idea of having your most private organ mutilated for (as I was told then) hygienic reasons only incensed my imagination and produced horrific images of sharp scissors swaying at my manhood like a set of ruthless shark jaws. I’ve never been particularly squeamish but this concept just seemed too disconcerting. The premise of Oded Lotan’s documentary „The Quest for the Missing Piece” is exactly the opposite – when he moves to Germany he soon realises that most guys there have something he hardly knew existed, namely foreskins. He then decides to set out on a quest to find his missing piece – the foreskin which was taken away from him shortly after birth.

Oded Lotan is a Jewish gay man who lives in Israel with his German husband. The main reason why it is possible for a gay couple to live openly in Israel, especially in Tel-Aviv is that despite all, this is a secular, modern society and no beard-shaking ultra-Orthodox rabbies have the power to prevent secular Jews from living accoding to their sexuality or their beliefs. It is explained early on in the film that circumcision is an ancient ritual which is a commandment from God in Judaism, thus establishing a link between God and the circumcised (no hygienic reasons are given in any holy Jewish scripts, I must add). So why does an overwhelming majority of people in Israel who are not particularly religious still practice this old tradition? The answer is simple: everybody else does it, it’s a Jewish tradition – brit milah or the Convent of Judaism. If it isn’t done, your friends and relatives will be all over you accusing you of all possible sins, so it’s easier just to fit in, not to stand out. The film even shows a couple of immigrants from Russia in their mid-twenties serving in the Israeli army who’ve had enough of being ridiculed by their comrades in arms and decide to go through with the procedure just to fit in and be accepted as real Jews. That’s what one can call integration by circumcision!

There is, however, resistance to this ancient practice also among Jews in Israel. The documentary takes us to an almost secret meeting of a group of people who call themselves Parents for Intact Children which consists of parents who have refused to circumcise their children as well as pregnant women seeking advice on how to avoid the procedure for their soon-to-be- born ones. The arguments voiced here echo the statement made by the American Medical Association in 1999 – the procedure is medically unnecessary, it inflicts pain and is done without the child’s consent and therefore not recommended as long as it isn’t intended as therapeutic. But there is obviously such peer pressure in the Israeli society that these people still find that they have to hide away from the public eye in order to discuss these matters.

It is evident that circumcision in Jewish culture isn’t just a question of removing a piece of skin from your penis. Brit milah is a tribal ritual which puts you into the fold of the chosen people. It brandishes you, if I may say so, as a Jew. The psychologist who is interviewed by Oded Lotan only confirms it – you may remove all the external signs of Jewdom but you will never be able to restore your foreskin, you become a Jew for life. Since circumcision here is a question of identity, another question begs to be asked – when so much of your Jewish heritage and identity-bearing culture is so rigid and defies modern, secular logic, is it possible to be a gay Jew, i.e. to have both your Jewish and gay identities at the same time? Would Oded and his beloved circumcise their children if they ever were to have any? But our inquisitor only asks the questions and makes no attempt to answer them, thus leaving all doors open.

"The Quest for the Missing Piece" is a rather humorous, semi-animated documentary which touches upon subjects which aren’t in themselves perceived as particularly light-hearted. It deserves credit for attempting to create a debate both in Israel and among the Jewish diaspora worldwide about modernity versus tradition in the Jewish culture and putting question marks to the notion of only one proper Jewish identity. As the film isn’t very graphic in its depiction of the circumcision rituals, only the most squeamish of you should skip it – for the most part it's kosher!

Yossi & Jagger (Israel, 2002)

Director: Eytan Fox.

Pricipal cast: Ohad Knoller, Yehuda Levi, Assi Cohen, Aya Steinovitz.







Homosexuality is an explosive subject in most armies around the world. In some cases, just as explosive as the conflicts many of them are involved in. Different armies don’t necessarily share the same level of discussions when it comes to this topic – while different sections of the British army have quarrels regarding their possible participation in this or that Pride parade, the US army still (at least, officially) finds it a valid reason for an immediate discharge. However, the question of gay men in the military is by no means anything new. Nor has it always been a taboo. In ancient Greece, there even existed an army unit which went under the name of the Sacred Band of Thebes which exclusively consisted of homosexual couples. It was considered an elite force and the reasoning behind its formation was that lovers would fight more fiercely at each other’s sides. But while homosexuality in ancient Greece was nothing that people in general frowned upon, the attitudes changed, arguably, with the advent of Christianity when not just homosexuality but any sexuality at all was suddenly considered a sign of impurity of soul and body.

The plot of „Yossi & Jagger” revolves around an Israeli army unit on the border with Lebanon. Yossi, the platoon commander is a serious looking man in his late 20’s, demanding of his subordinates, but reasonable. One of these subordinates, Lior, is very much the opposite of his commanding officer – cheerful, somewhat childish and with the looks and behaviour of a rock star, hence the nickname „Jagger”. An ordinary army unit with the same palette of professional soldiers and recruits from all walks of life as in other such units. Nothing extraordinary on the surface. Only Yossi and Lior have a secret that they closely guard – they are lovers. While Yossi finds it unimaginable to change the way things are with Lior, the latter is growing tired of the secrecy in which their love is kept. Lior is looking forward to leaving the army and taking Yossi with him – to a life where they no longer will have to hide their relationship, where they can book a hotel room in Eilat with a kingsize bed rather than joining two single ones. But while Lior is adamant that Yossi must quit the army and embrace the freedom of civilian life, the latter isn’t quite prepared to leave his whole previous life behind him. Things get even more complicated when Yaeli, a young female soldier (yes, also women serve in the Israeli army) decides to conquer Lior at any cost. This doesn’t go down well with another soldier, Ophir, who’s been in love with Yaeli all along. Rather than realising that Lior has no interest in Yaeli’s advances, he sees in him a competitor. Yaeli also tells Yossi of her intentions seeking his advice since she sees him as Lior’s close friend. Neither of them can tell the truth – the Israeli army isn’t very different from other armies, also here homophobia is an institutionalised part of the daily routine. But fate has another solution in store for all the parties involved. A colonel arrives, and after indulging in pleasures of the flesh with another female soldier, he announces that the unit is to set up an ambush later that night. Needless to say, things don’t go exactly according to plan.

Eytan Fox’ first long feature film „Yossi & Jagger” is in many ways a continuation of the theme which he started exploring in his debut short film „After” (aka „Time Off”) which came out in 1990. Although, the ban on homosexuals in the Israeli army was lifted already in the mid-eighties, it still must have been a controversial choice for a young filmmaker to challenge the issue of masculinity (read: men’s sexuality) in the army in a country where the military plays such a vital role in its existence. The short film received a Jury Award at the Munich International Festival of Film Schools, but would probably not resurface later was not for the international success of „Yossi & Jagger” which convincingly put Eytan Fox not only on the world map of the gay-themed cinematography but also did a great job presenting Israel in a completely different light – can Israel be such a monstrous place as some claim if you can get away with making a film about a gay love affair in the army and then proudly show it around the world? Wouldn’t that just make them look weak and ridiculous in the eyes of their enemies? That may be so – we all know what the mainstream Arab world has to say on homosexual relationships – but I will claim that one’s strength is only real if it can withstand any attempts of being ridiculed. And it looks to me that Israel has passed the test.

However, another question arises in this connection. Were the ancient Greeks correct in their assumption that homosexual couples fighting side by side would make fiercer warriors or is there any substance to the claims that homosexual relationships in the army would demoralise the soldiers’ readiness for combat? Actually, this debate reminds me of another one – that from the world of sports. Every now and then it emerges in the news that a football coach has banned his players from having sex the night before an important game, if not for a whole week prior to the event. While I for one have the feeling that such practice would rather make the players more frustrated than single-minded in their footballing efforts, I honestly believe that when it comes to gay men in the army, the whole question is simply discussed under false premises. All armies are comprised of individuals whose attitude towards service and whose performance are determined by their professionalism and motivation. This applies to all, regardless of their sexuality. To believe that gay men can’t be „real” soldiers and that their sexuality would jeopardise an army’s performance is to say that gay men can’t be professional. And this doesn’t even deserve a comment.

Here is a musical tribute to the film by the popular Israeli singer Ivri Lider (in English)

Ha Buah (The Bubble, Israel, 2006)

Director: Eytan Fox.

Principal cast: Ohad Knoller, Yousef Sweid, Daniela Virtzer, Alon Friedman.



Since the advent of story-telling, people of all nationalities have been fascinated and easily touched by accounts of unhappy love. Even more fascinating have always been the tales of impossible love, love that cannot be. The Israeli filmmaker Eytan Fox’ latest film „The Bubble” is about that. And then it is also not. The title of the film refers to the „bubble” that is Tel-Aviv set against the background of the political realities of Israel. The country’s cosmopolitan and unofficial capital city doesn’t have much in common with Nablus, a city in the Palestinian West Bank which also features in the film. It doesn’t have much in common with the tense and hateful atmosphere at the Palestinian checkpoints. Actually, it doesn’t seem to have much in common with anything surrounding it. The „bubble” of Tel-Aviv allows people to have a lifestyle which isn’t much different from what you may expect in any Western city. Teenage girls looking for Britney Spears’ records, a lifestyle magazine editor looking for a sexy cover for his next issue, trendy people sitting in trendy cafes discussing trendy things over cups of cappuccino and other similarly trendy drinks, while those at home are watching the local edition of Pop Idol. It is this „bubble” that also has the potential to lull one’s mind into a false sense of reality.

The film evolves around the lives of three young Israelis who share a flat and, for the most part, try to stay out of politics. Yelli, the camp owner and manager of „Orna & Ella”, a hip cafe, rarely leaves the city and prefers not to think about the „crap that surrounds them”. Noam, a soft and easygoing employee of a slightly avantguard record store, seems to be equally unwilling to engage in long political discussions and contemplations. Lulu, the only female of the lot, is on the contrary linked to the Israeli Left, although her political activities seem to be confined to „raves against the occupation”. Yelli and Noam naturally don’t object to participating in these. Lulu and her political friends make t-shirts with the rave’s logo, put up posters and hand out booklets advertising it in the neighbourhood. Their main concern seems to be that there are never any actual Palestinians participating and that the police might come and spoil all the fun for them again. The closest they come to an actual confrontation is when they get into a scuffle with some not so Palestinian-friendly locals who try to prevent them from handing out the leaflets. In other words, predictable products of the „bubble”.

The opening scenes of the film take us to a checkpoint on a road to Nablus where we also find Noam doing his reserve duty. A group of Palestinians is being thoroughly checked before entering Israel, among them a pregnant woman who suddenly goes into labour and gives birth to a stillborn child despite the best efforts from Noam and the doctor who eventually arrives in an ambulance. The woman is comforted by a young man who later turns up on Noam’s doorstep in Tel-Aviv with his ID which the latter obviously dropped during the ordeal on the border. His name is Ashraf, he’s Palestinian and he’s gay. And he hasn’t just come to hand back the ID, he has come to see Noam. Without a permit to live in Israel and despite the initial hesitation from Noam's flatmates he stays. He soon gets a Jewish name and a job at Yelli’s cafe. Having grown up in Jerusalem with Hebrew, he doesn’t have an Arabic accent which makes it possible for him and his newly found friends to conceal his identity. The sky is light blue and the air is sweet. But it cannot last. For he has become part of an equation which was never meant to be.

At one point, Noam and Ashraf watch a play called Bent about two prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp who have a love relationship which can never become physical or visible to the surrounding guards. They find a way of being together on another level, a metaphysical one, a level where no one else has access. This is also where our couple arrives in the end. And it couldn’t have been much different for them, not in today's Israel.

„The Bubble” is a political statement about the bubble that bursts when confronted with the political realities of today’s Israel set against the background of a beautiful and awkward love story involving an Israeli and a Palestinian, the impossible love story in a divided world where no such things as compromise or other colours than black and white exist. „The Bubble” is also a beautiful film about people, gay and straight, inhabiting that strange city, Tel-Aviv, shown through the eyes of people who really care about them. The film's premise may have its flaws and the fatal chain of events may seem somewhat construed, but its strong message and emotional impact will not leave you untouched.