Ask two questions on this video, due Wednesday 2/16.
JEWS LEAVE BRITISH DETENTION CAMP FOR PALESTINE aka JEWISH REFUGEES IN DETENTION CAMP video newsreel film
JEWS LEAVE BRITISH DETENTION CAMP FOR PALESTINE aka JEWISH REFUGEES IN DETENTION CAMP video newsreel film
Hey guys – it’s been awhile – let’s have some fun.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know if there was supposed to be audio or not, but my video was silent.
Just a few observations that struck me at the beginning of the clip: The women, not to judge, were not so Tzniut (modest) while exercising by our standards (what are our standards? and who is us?) The women and men were exercising together, which has not been allowed at the MJBHA past elementary school. It did not seem that many of the young men and women were observing the laws of Shomer Negiah. Many of the men were not covering their heads.
This is a very small sample population, so I don’t want to draw any conclusions from the short clip, but what was the level of religious observance of the refugees of the Holocaust? Was this kind of interaction between men and women tolerated amongst the Orthodox? To what extent is this physical exercise/education “British Style”? – was it imposed on the Jews by the British? Did Jews exercise this way, and with guys and girls together, before coming to Cyprus?
This came up in class, but to what extent is Tzniut an issue of Hashkafa and to what extent is it an issue of Halacha? Are there any objective standards for Tzniut that transcend generations and geographic locations?
It seems strange and out of place that these women in the beginning of the clip are suddenly doing exercises... I'm using the word 'suddenly' because from the looks of it (no offense), these women are doing exercise for the first time in a long time. What was the videographer's intention by inserting women doing exercises into his mini documentary? Was it to symbolize the refugees' return of strength (a celebration)? Or were they trying to prepare for something more? To fight?
ReplyDeleteAlso in some frames, the soldiers seem to have a generally friendly attitude toward the refugees - does this appear because this is the day the refugees will be released or were the soldiers this friendly from the start? What was the general attitude toward the refugees from the very beginning?
~Rose L
Nathan -
ReplyDeleteLet me nudge you away from halakha for the moment and redirect you toward your sensitivity to the imposition of the "British" style of exercise. Why is this an imposition? Could it just be a nice thing to try?
Rose -
Attitudes are always tough to decipher since, as an institution with many faces like the military does have, they can often have conflicted manifestations. Barb wire fence next to smiling solider. How do you think these messages, confused that they are, resonate in the post-Holocaust camp culture?
By the way, you both focused on gender issues and to some extent issues of audience and ethics (how did the British envision their relationship to and with the refugees). Why do you think that you were both attracted to this similar mode of questioning?
ReplyDelete1.In the first half of the video, there appears to be a lot of exercise going on. I came up with three possible reasons:
ReplyDeletea. it is forced upon the refugees.
b. they have to be in shape in order to live under such conditions.
c. exercise gives them something to do in their free time.
Do any of these possibilities make sense?
2. Is the boat at the end heading towards soon to be "Israel"? I think so because, the passengers keep looking and pointing forward.
Let's start by asking the most basic of the questions, yet quite relevant. The W quintet (who?what? where? when? and why?). It's post World War II, the Jews have returned to their homeland after experiencing a true living hell. Many survivors of the cruel,inhuman and excruciating painful, both mentally and physically, NAZI concentration Camps. As well, many who've indirectly suffered from the Holocaust, losing relatives and friends. The war survivors came to Israel to start a new life freely, regardless of them being considered Jews.
ReplyDeleteThe video clearly shows barbed wired fences, distribution of rations, and uniform soldiers carrying guns. If one needs further elaboration... essentially the Holocaust survivors and escapees are coming to the holy and spiritual land of Israel to re-experience, literally to some extent, NAZI concentration camps, and the wretched living conditions of the ghetto - exactly what their trying to escape. How can, in this video, the refugees be relatively happy to return to something they wanted to get away from?
Also, a few times over the course of the video, the videographer shoots a church. considering the persecution of the Jews - not the Christians - what relevancy does the Church have? what is it trying to portray?
~~~~~~~~Jonny Levi~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three things that sort of stood out and summarized this video for me were as follows:
ReplyDelete1) How the residents at the camp adapted it into a home
2) The strong amount of physical exercise
and
3) The friendliness between the camp residents and the soldiers (or guards).
My first question is why were the camps made so homey. I understand needing a place to sleep, food to eat, clothes to wear, but the people almost make it seem as if they plan, and don't mind, staying in these camps for a long period of time. Personally, if I was just rescued from a torturous concentration camp, the last thing I would want to do is settle down in ANOTHER camp, even if it was less threatening (huge understatement). So, my first question is why? Why did these people settle down instead of trying to do all they possibly could to get out of another confined space and on a boat to Israel (or Palestine)? Even if it was next to impossible, why would they settle for settling down in a camp, when previously tortured in one? Which leads me to my next question...
Why was there so much physical exercises going on? Weren't these people suppose to be weak and starving? Weren't they in to much emotional and physical pain to be doing 50 jumping-jacks? Also, from the video it looks like the guards were friendly, if not close friends, with the other inhabitants of the camp. How was THIS possible? Were these guards fellow Jews that volunteered for these positions, because if not, I don't understand how a group of people coming from being beaten and humiliated by a group of soldiers ( SS officers, Nazis) could be so trusting a friendly with them. Maybe under normal circumstances, but weren't these people mentally unstable from these horrible experiences? This video makes it look as if these people forgot about the horrible thing they just went through, and their reason for being at this camp in the first place.
okay no idea why my name came out like that but previous post from Eliana Ely
ReplyDeleteI noticed something strange. There is a blurb next to the video that explain things that are going on and it flows the video describing what the camera is seeing. I am assuming, however could be wrongly, that the blurb was included to whomever the newsreel was presented to. So, after reading said blurb I noticed something stranger. It desribes the last scenes “Cyprus in horizon. S.C.U. two types looking to sea, Cyprus on horizon. C.U. woman's face. C.U. mans face. C.U. woman's face.” And then says as a note.
ReplyDeleteNote healthy condition of all pictured
Why must it note this? Was this not true of all camps? Or was this a nice bit of British propaganda depicting life as all “hunky-dory” when in fact it was not?
Leading to my next question, why is there such a lack of religious people depicted in the newsreel? I saw two stereotypically religious men. Was this a choice of the cinematographer or actualy what was going on in the camp?
Also as an aside; a silent newsreel? That seems odd.
First point on the video, come on… this cannot be serious. A large potion, if not most of the people under British control are Holocaust survivors. These people are basically in captivity. The video here, however, are having the times of their respective lives. The people here look much more like they are having a vacation in Jamaica than like prisoners. This is an advertisement, not an expose. What was the purpose of this video? Who was it shown to, and who created it? What is the agenda? Was it made by a British government trying to save face on a global stage? Was it made by an American trying to show how great the allied powers were? Why was this video made?
ReplyDeleteMy second point draws from the first. What were the living conditions of the people shown in the videos? Were they all as plump and healthy as they seem? If they just survived the holocaust, shouldn’t they all be bone thin? Were the British benevolent enough leaders to allow these Jews to gain 30-70 lbs in a few years, but not benevolent enough to let them live on their own? The British really did not seem to consider The Other in most situations (see colonial Africa), so what’s the deal over here?
One thing that really struck out at me was the way everyone was dressed. Jews were wearing the same thing in the camps, officers were wearing the same thing, and nurses too. Was there some alterior motive for countries to dress Jews in a certain way?
ReplyDeleteThe second thing I noticed was that whenever there was a shot of the Jews in the camp, it was usually with a group of people. Were the Jews more united in the camps? If they were more unified, were families stronger or weaker?
Aaron Zuckerman
1. One of the first scenes is a limp Israeli flag hanging on the top of a flag pole. Who has ever seen a scene like that in a movie? Typically flags are shown billowing in the wind, portraying a country full of life and vigor, but here there is no billowing flag. What can be said about that scene, and its vast implications?
ReplyDelete2. “The people here look much more like they are having a vacation in Jamaica than like prisoners.”(Joey Eleff), I disagree. These prisoners look like they are in army boot camp: they’re sleeping in tents, doing jumping jacks, traversing on ropes, jogging information, secured by wire fences, and have guards to act as drill instructors. Why would the British allow this video to be taken (it is clearly posed) if it shows such bad treatment to a people that just went through a horrible tragedy?
In most societies during this time the men would be in charge of everything and they would be doing the work, exercising, and building the community. While woman would be very family oriented and they would be taking care of the children,cleaning, and making food. Even on film they would mostly show the men during this time accomplishing thing sand doing work. oddly in this documentary we see the woman more often than the men. The woman are acting exactly like the men in this case they are working out, carrying things, playing with the men and they are all together through out parts of the film. They even dress lighter and do not have that much clothing on. Why in this society's culture were the woman excepted as the men where? Did everything change around after the holocaust?
ReplyDeleteTowards the beginning of the clip, the barbed wire and padlock within the British detention camp are recurring motifs (assuming they were filmed purposefully by the "camera-man") or undeniable realities. If indeed, they were purposefully included in many of the frames towards the beginning, then to what extent was the "camera-man" attempting to invoke raw memories of the Holocaust? Who was filming and what was his/her purpose? Was the scene of the padlock being unlocked meant symbolic as well-as complete Jewish liberation? This symbolism is somewhat undercut by the presence of armed British soldiers marching behind the newly-liberated. Assuming, however, that the barbed wire was just a reality--what was their purpose? Were the Jews being held captive? Or were they perhaps being protected? In the case of the former, why were they being held captive? In the case of the latter, from whom and why would they need protection? Did the barbed wire perhaps have an entirely different purpose, or did it just happen to be there?
ReplyDeleteSecondly, the title of the film is Jews Leave British Detention Camp. However, if not for one image of a bearded Jew in front of the ship bound for Israel (and perhaps a few other images like some women covering hair and/or others that I missed), I would have never guessed this film was of Jews. The absence of kippot or tzitzit for men, the lack of modest clothing for women (they're wearing very short shorts), and men touching women when they hoist them up on the ropes, all suggest that these individuals are not very religious. And yet they are the ones who leave for Palestine with such excitement. For such seemingly less religious Jews, what was the appeal of Israel? It's interesting to note that the image of the Israeli flag only appears once within the camp scenes. The absence of Israeli flags from peoples' homes only compounds the question of what significance Israel had to these individuals.
1)If their is no state of Israel yet, then how is there an "Israeli" flag?
ReplyDelete2) Anyone viewing this film, and not knowing the title wouldnt necessarily think these people are Jews just as Nathan and Rose mentioned above. These people arent exactly dressed in typical Jewish garb. Is there a reason for this, or is this just how they were at the time? Or were those the clothes provided and they just had to comply with what was given to them?
-Julia
1) The people in this video all seem to look happy and satisfied in the camp.They are playing games and excercising. Was that how they really felt? Were they really happy they were in this camp? Or did they want to escape and have complete freedom?
ReplyDelete2) Now when we see an Israeli flag we think of what Israel is today. In the video there is an Israeli flag hung on the pole. What did the Israeli flag mean for them? They dont see the same state of Isreal that we see today.
What I found very unique about this video was there was no noise. The reason for that could have been trying to sneek out so couldn't have noise or maybe just didn't have noise at the time. Also why were they climbing on poles? What were they trying to accomplish?
ReplyDeleteMy second question is on the boats they were showing babies. Why were babies so important for the video?