A film by Ilana Goldberg
This
upbeat documentary depicts the social space of a kosher Middle Eastern grocery
store in the traditionally Sephardic section of Brooklyn. Serving the local
Syrian Jewish clientele, it has now also become a kind of social headquarters
for expatriate Israelis as well as other Middle Eastern customers. Impromptu
interviews with customers reveal their nostalgia for other places and times,
as well as their ambivalence about life in America.
The vividly polyglot customers – Hebrew, English, Syrian and Egyptian Arabic as well as snippets of other languages are heard – paint a portrait of the complexities of multicultural life in a diaspora setting and the compromises necessary to forging a new identity in a new place. Of interest to classes in anthropology, Middle East and Jewish studies.
Honorable Mention, Student Category, Judah L. Magnus Museum, 1998
Middle East Studies Association, 1998
24 min. Video or DVD. Sale $195. Video rental $55.
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