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WHY WE SHOULD ALL WATCH "THE ROAD TO RECOVERY" July 20th Congregation B’nai Shalom at 6:30 PM one of two WORLD PREMIERES – both in the Bay Area Most of the post-October 7 documentaries fall into two categories: They show us graphic images of the atrocities and interviews with survivors who describe the violence they experienced that day in vivid detail. Or they detail the rise of antisemitism and hate crimes targeting Jews in the United States. Enter Udi Ben Seadia, a 70-year-old writer, playwright, theater director and self-proclaimed Israeli lefty, who has written and directed a different kind of documentary . Fresh, honest and filled with contradictions, the film focuses on Ben Seadia’s pain and inner dilemma, his doubts and his trepidations after October 7, as he decides after a six week pause (during which he is devastated and mourns along with all of Israel) to volunteer once again to drive Palestinians from the West Bank to life-saving programs at a hospital in Israel. (Road to Recovery , founded in 2010 by Yuval Roth, has Israeli volunteers like Ben Seadia ferrying 1,500 Palestinians patients a year to Israeli hospitals.) In his film, Ben Seadia literally takes us along on his journey – driving and conversing with a Palestinian father, whose toddler is being treated for cancer; talking with friends who berate him for spending time saving Palestinians instead of caring for Israelis, his “own people”; discussing his volunteering with his wife, who is skeptical and dismissive; and analyzing his actions with a psychologist, a historian, a doctor and the founder of Road to Recovery. He shares his feelings along the way, as he grapples with his decision, often mirroring Tevye of the Fiddler on the Roof --“on the one hand” and then later “on the other hand.” Here is a Q and A with Udi Ben Seadia: Q: Tell me a little bit about the film. How did you conceive of it? A: I volunteered bringing Palestinians from the border checkpoint to Israeli hospitals through Road to Recovery. I started three years ago and then the October 7 tragedy happened. I was shocked. This tragedy caused me to ask the question: is bringing Palestinians patients into Israel a good thing? In the film, I’m looking for answers and I’m not sure there’s a clear cut answer. I meet different people with different perspectives in the film – the people I meet reflect my inner dilemma. I ask myself: is this doing any good? Is it meaningful? Can it change a painful situation? Is Israel a safe place to stay or would I better off on an island in Greece? And I visit a friend on that island. In the film, I encounter and listen to many antagonists, including my wife, who used to take patients from Gaza to Israeli hospitals. But after the tragedy, she stopped. Q: This film is not part of any genre that is now typically post-October 7th. How is it different? A: It’s my story. You have to stick to your authentic experience. You speak your truth. I’ve been a lefty for so many years and things are not better and I’m getting older. I asked myself, “Where do we go from here? Is there any hope for reconciliation with the Palestinian people.” Since the organization (Road to Recovery) exists, the situation didn’t become better, it only got worse. I do positive things with the idea that these people need to go to the hospital and someone should take them. You hope it can create bridges. For me, it’s now Machmoud and Tahani, not something abstract. I feel a lot of sympathy and we share the same sense of humor. Q: Your film is so personal. What changes in YOU does it reveal? A: It’s good for me to articulate the questions. Out of agony and pain, you create a story. Part of me asks if one day, I’ll be able to have coffee with them (Machmoud and Tahani) and one day, I’ll not worry about sirens and alarms. The problems we face are complicated but I support a dialogue with Palestinians. They suffer as well. They have a natural desire for a normal life. Q: How would you describe the film’s process or its effect on you? Cathartic? Emotional? Probing? A: I’m not sure. It feels like I’m alive – a good way to cope with what has happened. I’m hoping that people who watch the movie are with me emotionally and not just intellectually. My last stop (in the film) is at a friend living on Aegina, a Greek island, where I ask myself, maybe I can stop worrying about all these unresolved issues. Maybe I should go to a peaceful Greek island. But I speak Hebrew. I create in Hebrew. The only place I can live a meaningful life is in Israel. Nadine Joseph is president of the board of the East Bay International Jewish Film Festival

A gallery of photos from past film festival and events.