Offer Avnon | Der Rhein fließt ins Mittelmeer

This personal documentary, "The Rhine Flows to the Mediterranean Sea" („Der Rhein fließt ins Mittelmeer“) is a cinematic offer for viewers who have some knowledge of the Holocaust (the Shoah, השואה) and may have some sort of connection to it, be it through biographical background, personal interest, the current political debate concerning Israel, Zionism and antisemitism or even irritation because of the frequent broad political mis/use of it.

The film does not attempt to deliver any “ready-made” insights or to teach any “lessons”, but rather offers a chance to experience the ongoing possible presence of this traumatic event, which continues to influence perspectives, narratives, morals and values.

"Is there something to learn from the Holocaust?" As an Israeli who chose to emigrate to Germany, I search for the cognitive presence of the Jewish Holocaust and its possible influence on us.

The interview segments provide a textual framework for the images, which develop a certain autonomy. The subjective character of the film derives from the strong bond between us and our history.

As personal and emotional as the subject may be, its political significance becomes more apparent as the film progresses and the scenery changes from Germany and Poland to my hometown of Haifa, where Jews and Arabs live side by side