Itgaber - Le triomphe sur soi
Eyal Sivan
France, Israel | 1993 | 170 min
Language : Hebrew
Subtitle : English
Yeshayahu Leibowitz was born in 1903 in Riga, Latvia. He fled from Russia in 1916 and sought shelter in Berlin during the Weimar Republic. As the Nazis rose to power, being a committed Zionist, he left Germany and headed for Palestine. Over the years he has become a controversial figure due to his strong beliefs that Israel should leave the occupied territories. A moving portrait of a man and his ideas.
“Judeo-Nazis do exist” is just one of the many controversial thoughts of philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz that have caused outrage in Israel. Born 1903 in Riga, Latvia, he fled from Russia in 1916 and sought shelter in Berlin during the Weimar Republic. As the Nazis rose to power, being a committed Zionist he left Germany and headed for Palestine where he settled down with his wife. Being a staunch advocate of the rights of the Palestinians and believing firmly that State and religion should be separate, over the years Leibowitz has become a public figure for all those who do not support Israel’s policy regarding the occupied territories and the suppression of the human rights of the Palestinians. For nearly three hours, Eyal Sivan questions a man who believes in God and supports the youth that refuse to serve in the army (he promotes the organization of “mass insubordinations”) while never ceasing to declare that Israel marches on a self-destruction path and it should finally surrender the occupied territories. Itgaber is a moving portrait of intellectual dignity and a precious reminder that we “should not be afraid of those who mock us”.
