Contrary to my expectations, last night’s screening at the Syracuse JCC catered to one of the most diverse crowds of any event yet. The ages ranged from 11 to about 75. There were Jews and non-Jews, peaceniks and staunch Zionists, Israelis, Americans and a mix of other nationalities.
I never would have guessed that it would be a crowd in the medium-sized metropolis of Syraucse, NY (as opposed to a small community like Eugene or a huge community like Manhattan), where what I always hope will happen at the screenings actually did. There was a big debate during the Q & A where the almost the whole audience chimed in with their varying opinions on contemporary Israeli politics. It started out with a young Israeli in the crowd who found it offensive that some of the punks in the movie chose not to join military service, when he himself was about to join up and, in his words, “protect their families.” It went from there, with a whole range of ideas represented.
I was glad to be at a point where I can remove myself enough from my movie to successfully moderate such a discussion without taking things personally.
Syracuse, New York: A Forum for Diverse Political Ideas. Who knew?
PS Big shout-outs to Mom and Dad Nord who were the best “roadies” ever during the upstate NY leg of the tour. I love you guys!
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