My Neighbourhood

Mohammed El Kurd is a Palestinian boy born and raised in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah. At age 11, Mohammed comes home from school to find half of his home taken over by Israeli settlers and his grandmother hospitalized. Forced to live under the same roof as the settlers, Mohammed quickly develops deep feelings of animosity towards Israelis. Yet when Israeli activists begin arriving in the neighbourhood to join Palestinian residents in protests against the evictions, Mohammed is surprised. “These are Jews?

Rifka El Kurd is Mohammed’s grandmother, and has been living in the El Kurd family home in Sheikh Jarrah for over half a century. She first arrived in the neighbourhood as a refugee in the 1950s, after her family had been displaced from Haifa in the 1948 War. Rifka hopes the protests in the neighbourhood can help her regain her home, yet she is wary of Israeli participation in the struggle. “If you want to hear the truth, I don’t really trust them,” she says. “You’re telling me they will leave their people…their religion and join us? It’s not logical.”

Zvi Benninga is an Israeli medical student who grew up in West Jerusalem. When he hears about the evictions taking place in Sheikh Jarrah, he and his sister Sara begin attending protests regularly. He believes the evictions and settlements are destroying the moral fabric of Israeli society and making a pluralistic future in Jerusalem impossible. Before long, Zvi and Sara convince their parents, who are initially uncomfortable with the idea of challenging the Israeli authorities, to join the protests.

Joseph Dana is a freelance journalist based in the Middle East and Africa. He has written for Le Monde Diplomatique, The Nation, GQ (Germany), London Review of Books and the Mail & Guardian among other publications. Dana also files radio reports about cultural, business and political issues in the West Bank and Israel for Monocle 24 in London. Spending half the year in Africa and half in the Middle East, Dana is currently working on a memoir about identity politics and family history in Israel/Palestine.

Nadav Greenberg worked with Just Vision from 2013-2013, most recently serving as the Media and Public Relations Manager. He was responsible for formulating Just Vision’s outreach and press strategy in the US and internationally, and liaising with communities who wish to learn more about Just Vision’s work. In this capacity, he has spoken before audiences across the United States, Israel and beyond, especially in conjunction with Just Vision’s newest documentary films, Budrus and Home Front: Portraits from Sheikh Jarrah.

Geeta Gandbhir has over nineteen years of varied experience in the fields of film, television and animation. She has been nominated for three Emmy Awards, and has won two, and her films have won one Academy Award and three Peabody Awards. Recently, her film "God is the Bigger Elvis" with director Rebecca Cammisa was nominated for the 2012 Oscars.

A graduate of the The George Washington University, Jesus has written for the National Geographic Channel and has worked for Agence France-Presse, International Jewish Monthly magazine, and Safeworld Productions: A Ted Turner Documentary Film Company. He also provided production assistance for JWM Productions on "Besa - The Promise" a documentary film about the Albanian Muslims who saved Jews during the Holocaust.

Irene worked with Just Vision from 2008-2013, most recently serving as the Strategic Projects Coordinator, where she worked to expand the reach of the organization projects that tell the stories of nonviolent resistance and community organizers. Her work focused on transporting these projects into new media and mediums that transcend barriers to their impact.

Rebekah has over twelve years of producing, directing and editing experience in film and television. She worked on films that aired on Al Arabiya, the Discovery Channel, and PBS. Rebekah lived in the West Bank for eight years where she worked with Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers to produce films (Swish, Swish) and documentaries (A Good Samaritan).
She also taught filmmaking at Al Quds University and Dar Al Kalima College. Rebekah has managed several youth media projects in the Middle East including a Palestinian-Israeli video exchange project.