We’re excited to announce Docu Nation Season 2: Resilience — a carefully curated new series of outstanding Israeli documentary films for you to stream online from the comfort of your home.
The Jewish people, both in Israel and the Diaspora, are no strangers to existential anxiety. Yet over the past year, this feeling has often deepened profoundly, and for many the nightmare continues — bringing with it overwhelming sorrow and distress.
But in our ancient sources lies an encouraging reminder: the Hebrew word for ‘crisis’ (משבר) originally meant ‘birthing stool’ — the place where new life begins.
In this series, we have chosen Israeli documentary films that explore growth through crisis — stories of resilience, inspiration, and hope.
These are recent Israeli narratives that remind us it is often darkest before the dawn. They are films that inspire us to rise each morning with faith in the goodness of the world — and in the belief that what is broken can still be mended.
In Docu Nation, you watch a series of award-winning Israeli documentary films with English subtitles — then meet their creators in exclusive, live online discussions. The films illuminate fascinating aspects of contemporary and historical Israel. After each screening, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about the creative process and the films’ subjects directly from the filmmakers.
Docu Nation is available exclusively to members of our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. All of the funds earmarked for this project go directly to Israeli documentary filmmakers. To gain access to Docu Nation and to support Israeli filmmakers at this difficult time, please join our Community today, at any financial level:
For this series, we’re partnering once again with renowned documentary filmmaker Yonatan Nir, who will host the discussions with the filmmakers and also share two of his own films.
How it works:
Each film — with English subtitles — will be available to watch for seven days over a weekend. On that Sunday, you can join our live webinar, conducted in English, with the filmmaker. We will send out a reminder for each event.
We begin on December 12, 2024 and will present a film approximately once every two weeks, so the entire series will run until the end of March 2025.
Already a Community member? We’ll email you when Docu Nation: Resilience start with all the information you need to enjoy the series.
UPCOMING FILMS:
Children of Peace – Maayan Schwartz
2022 | 58 minutes | January 9-16
“Children of Peace” follows the lives of individuals raised in a utopic social experiment — Naveh Shalom, the only community in the world where Palestinians and Israelis chose to live together. Born from a dream to challenge nationalities and histories, this village founded in 1970s Israel faced internal and external challenges as they raised a new generation. Now grown, these “Children of Peace” navigate political turmoil, war, and societal segregation. Watch the trailer.
Box For Life – Uri Borreda
2017 | 60 Minutes | International Holocaust Remembrance Day | January 23-30
Noah Klieger is the last living survivor of the boxing team of Auschwitz and the oldest active journalist in the world. He’s survived many of the defining events of the 20th century, and some of the events he may have even steered a bit. 91-year old Klieger is a Jewish Forrest Gump. Watch the trailer.
That Orchestra with the Broken Instruments – Yuval Hameiri
2020 | 79 min | February 23-March 2
A broken string, fractured echo chamber, rusting valves. One brilliant conductor, three gifted composers, and 100 musicians meet for four days of rehearsals. They speak different languages and their instruments are broken. An orchestra of professional and amateur musicians, young and old, prepare, against all odds, for a one-time-only concert for the Mekudeshet festival. Watch a group of Jerusalemites and their determined attempt, even if it’s just for one night, to create harmony out of a discordant city. Watch the trailer.
39 Pounds of Love – Dani Menkin
2005 | 70 minutes | February 6-13
’39 Pounds of Love,’ directed by award-winning filmmaker Dani Menkin, is the powerful and heartwarming story of Ami, a remarkable man who, despite being almost entirely paralyzed, moves and inspires everyone he meets with his incredible spirit and courage. We follow Ami on an extraordinary journey across the United States in pursuit of a doctor who once said he wouldn’t live past childhood. Against all odds, Ami proves that love, determination, and the human spirit can transcend any physical limitation. This critically acclaimed film, an Israeli Academy Award winner, was shortlisted for the Oscars and sold to HBO for US distribution. Watch the trailer.
In her Footsteps – Rana Abu Fraiha-Asyag
2017 | 75 Minutes | March 6-13
‘In Her Footsteps,’ directed by Rana Abu Fraiha-Asyag, is a powerful documentary exploring identity, belonging, and family through an extraordinary burial request. Rana’s parents left their Muslim Bedouin village for the Jewish town of Omer, seeking a new life. Years later, her mother’s terminal illness led to a groundbreaking wish: to be buried in Omer’s Jewish cemetery.
This unprecedented request defied both Arab Muslim and Jewish traditions, sparking debates about identity, femininity, and the true meaning of home. ‘In Her Footsteps’ is a poignant story of love, courage, and breaking boundaries. Watch the trailer.
The Essential Link – The Story of Wilfrid Israel – Yonatan Nir
2017 | 71 Minutes | March 20-27
Wilfrid Israel, the owner of Berlin’s largest department store and a member of one of Germany’s most prominent Jewish families at the time of Hitler’s rise to power, was one of the great saviors of Jews during the Holocaust. Though he helped rescue thousands of Jewish children through the Kindertransport operation and secured escape for hundreds of his employees and their family members from Nazi Germany, little is known about Israel’s personal life and heroic endeavors. Why did his story remain untold? What was there to hide?
The previously unknown story of this extraordinary man becomes very personal, as filmmaker Yonatan Nir takes us on an adventure in search of the mysterious hero and the real reasons for his disappearance from history. Watch the trailer.
PAST FILMS:
Dolphin Boy – Yonatan Nir & Dani Menkin
2012 | 72 minutes | December 12-19
Dolphin Boy tells the story of Morad, a teenager from an Arab village in the north of Israel who disconnects himself from humans following a violent attack. As a last resort before hospitalization in a mental health institution, Morad is taken by his devoted father to be treated with dolphins in Eilat. Morad starts speaking again after months of silence, but he erases his past and refuses to go home to his awaiting mother. Filmed over the course of four years, this powerful documentary is about the devastating havoc that human violence can wreak upon the soul, and about the healing powers of nature and love. Watch the trailer.
On This Happy Note – Tamar Tal Anati
2021 | 65 Minutes | December 26 – January 2, 2025
Anat Gov, one of the most influential playwrights in Israeli theatre, is preparing for her death. She asks Arik Kneller, an artists’ agent, to be the executor of her will. Arik struggles to accept the humor and serenity with which she faces her upcoming end. Anat, consciously accepting her nearing end, wishes to leave a spiritual legacy: there can be a happy ending. Almost a decade after her death, her loved ones try to fill the void left by her words with their own. Through excerpts from her plays and footage of her family and political world, a new script is written: one in which the line between the play and reality is blurred. Watch the trailer.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
-
-
- When does Docu Nation start?
The first film launch is scheduled for December 12th and the first live interview is scheduled for December 15th. - Does the series cost money?
Nope, the series is included in your ToI Community membership – there is no additional cost. If you still need to sign up for the ToI Community, our reader support group, click here. - Do I need to register for Docu Nation?
If you’re a ToI Community member, you will be sent an email before each session with a link and the date/time information. - How long is each film?
Each film is between 50 and 90 minutes. Each live discussion will be around an hour. - If I sign up for the ToI Community after December 12th, can I access previous films and discussions?
You can only watch the films during the 7-day period scheduled for each. We do, however, record every webinar discussion with the filmmakers, which you can watch at your convenience, even if you sign up after the series starts. - Where can I send any questions for Docu Nation? We are happy to answer any additional questions you may have. Just email us.
- When does Docu Nation start?
-
-