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Israelis and Palestinians dance together in ‘Dancing in Jaffa’
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Slated to run until Wednesday at IFI auditorium in Thamrin, Central Jakarta, the Tolerance Film Festival aims to promote religious tolerance in Indonesia. (Shutterstock/-)
A
s an acclaimed dancer, Pierre Dulaine is capable of many things. But one of his hardest missions is perhaps getting Jewish and Palestinian children in the port city of Jaffa in Israel to dance together.
In just 10 weeks, Pierre will try to implement his “Dancing Classrooms” program in several schools in the city where the two communities lead separate lives. His inspiring experience is documented in Dancing in Jaffa (2013).
Aside from showing how difficult it is for Pierre to start a dance class, the documentary also focuses on several children who participate in the course, such as Noor, Alaa and Lois, who hail from very different backgrounds and later befriend one another as the story develops.
From the beginning, the children are required to dance with the opposite sex. Some of them refuse and choose to leave the class, while others cover their hands with their jacket before touching their dance partner. The Jaffa-born Dulaine is unique as a teacher because he is able to inspire the children and teach them more than just how to dance. He teaches them about the values of trust, tolerance and fair competition.
(Read also: Amid anti-Semitism, govt to ensure rights of local Jews)
"If you change the children, you change the parents, you change the world" #ballroom #dance #respect #dancinginjaffa pic.twitter.com/Bw6tlkWwbJ
— Dancing In Jaffa (@DancingInJaffa) August 10, 2014
Dancing in Jaffa was one of the movies screened during the opening of the Tolerance Film Festival on Sunday alongside the historical film BESA: The Promise, which follows the Muslims of Albania who saved around 2,000 Jews from the Holocaust during World War II.
Slated to run until Wednesday, the festival is hosted by the French cultural center Institut Francais d’Indonesie (IFI) in Central Jakarta to commemorate International Day of Tolerance that falls on Nov. 16.
For three days, visitors are invited to watch a selection of films with the theme of tolerance at the center, such as In Line for Anne Frank, The Bottle in the Gaza Sea, Of Many, My 100 Children, and Where Do We Go Now?
“Indonesians have a lot of curiosity about issues surrounding Israel, Palestine and Jews. But unfortunately, I think prevailing media outlets only give one view on these issues; there are no other versions,” said journalist Monique Rijkers who initiated the event.
“I hope in the future people can truly understand that nothing is impossible. Tolerance is built from within. We are equal, we enjoy the same sun, no matter where we are.” (kes)
