PROJECT TREATMENT

Fire Within is a documentary film that explores the efforts undertaken by the Jacobs International Teen Leadership Institute (JITLI) to foster understanding… one heart at a time, one neighbor at a time. Based on leadership potential determined by stringent guidelines and fierce competition, 30 teenagers (10 Israeli Arab Muslims from Segev Shalom, 10 Israeli Jews from the neighboring community of Sha’ar HaNegev, and 10 American Jews from their American sister city, San Diego) are selected to participate in JITLI’s unique program. The film documents the entire two-week JITLI program, which naturally divides itself into two segments – Spain and Israel, and observes the interaction and activities of the entire group. The objective of Fire Within is to reveal how the teens break down prejudices and stereotypes of each other, build trust, solidify friendships, and then explore current and future economic, social, and political issues that affect them.

Fire Within endeavors to draw the audience into the group experience, and vividly portray the challenges and triumphs through the eyes of the youth participating in the program. The intimacy is emotional, truthful, stimulating. The honesty is daring, brutal, thought provoking. The look is up-close, personal, vivid, consuming. Due to the nature of the program, Fire Within engages the participants 100% of the time. The cameras are rolling almost every minute of the day allowing the most intimate and intense moments to be captured. When a dispute or incident occurs, the participants involved are interviewed either on the spot or after they have had time to digest their experience.

In addition to being with the participants at every moment while traveling together in Spain and Israel, the filmmaker interviews each of the teenagers and their families at their homes prior to the program’s commencement. Due to how similar the teenagers sometimes act and look, it is important for the audience to understand how different the participants are from each other and to get a sense of their family life. These interviews also reveal the expectations and mentality of the participants prior to meeting the other participants. Closing interviews are also conducted after the participants have returned home from the program and a year later to get a sense of how the program has affected their views and souls.

Primary focus is given to six of the 30 teenagers as we delve into their intellectual and emotional challenges, and watch their personal evolution throughout the program. Each of the youths experiences astounding emotional transformation as they confront their own fears, prejudices and allegiances, all the while adhering to a rigorous and demanding schedule. What transpires is inspiring; they find that what divides them is secondary to what unites them as human beings, and they walk away with mutual respect, tolerance for one another and friendship they never thought possible. The transformational reconciliation that takes place between each of them in a two-week period is remarkable, and instills new hope that peace is possible in a troubled region divided by clashing cultures and a long history of animosity.

Once the groups of teenagers are introduced to each other for the first time, the Israeli Arab Muslims to the Israeli Jews, the Israelis to the Americans, they set out on a two-week journey of discovery and understanding, which begins in neutral territory unfamiliar to all of the participants. The first segment of the program takes place in the southern region of Spain, which serves as a backdrop for the participants to learn about co-existence on a personal level by sharing living accommodations, gathering for meals and traveling together. The participants approach the program appreciative of the opportunity and eager to learn about each other, which is not to say they don’t need help stumbling across the cultural barrier at first. Every night one Israeli Arab, Israeli Jew, and American Jew are grouped together in a hotel room, and rotate each night with different people so everyone has no choice but to get to know each other.

Touring through the southern areas of Toledo, Cordoba, Seville, Granada and Malaga, the teens explore significant ancient sites, carefully selected as they stand as monumental evidence of a Golden Era in the region’s history when Jews, Muslims, and Christians co-existed peacefully. It is during this segment, which also emphasizes leadership and educational activities, that the teenagers form powerful bonds of friendship and trust, despite their differences or any preconceived prejudices they may have had. The week in Spain does wonders in forging strong friendships and memorable moments as cultures mingle. As the segment draws to a close, the teens have begun to identify themselves as one with each other, unified as a team; and the experience begets the hope that perhaps co-existence on a global scale is possible.

Their arrival into Israel, marking the second segment of the program, begins to remind the participants of their differences. What follows proves to be a challenge as re-entry into the familiar hotbed of divided ideals forces them to confront what lies beneath the surface. Tensions mount as various guest speakers in Jerusalem, Haifa, Ka'abiya, Tel Aviv, Sha’ar HaNegev, and Segev Shalom raise difficult issues and bring the underlying emotional struggle to the surface. Powerful debates and experiences challenge the strong bonds of friendship of a group which now starts seeing themselves as Muslims, Religious Jews, Secular Jews, Americans, Israelis, and Palestinians versus the fun loving group of teenagers that roamed through Spain as friends.

Bellies are full after a phenomenal traditional Bedouin feast in a small Bedouin village in Northern Israel. Our group of 30 teenagers sits in a circle, smiling and joking. They are friends by now, although many would not believe it possible. The dinner host, a young Israeli Arab Muslim from the University of Haifa, poses a simple question. “What is your identity?” What ensues is a reality check. Despite their closeness and one-ness as a group of friends, they are divided by the way they define themselves:

“I’m Sarah Fink. I’m an American Jew from San Diego.” “I’m Mitch from San Diego. I’m a Jewish South-African American.” “I am Yarden Rappaport from Kibbutz Bror Hail. I’m a Jewish Israeli.” “Ehhh, I’m, ehhh, Yuval Marcipar. Israeli.” “I’m Hiba Abu-Salem and I am a Palestinayim.” (group stirs) “I’m Izzadin from Segev Shalom. I’m Palestinian Muslim living in Israel.” (whispers) The last person defines herself. “I am Jalal Al-Tarabeen. I am 1948 Palestinian and Israeli citizen.” After an uncomfortable silence, the group bursts into debate. The issue is that for the first time in their friendship, the Israeli Jews and American Jews find out their new friends, Arab Israeli citizens, define themselves as Palestinians. Palestinian. Just that word evokes so many emotions. Things heat up. Hands are eagerly raised. Yuval – Israeli. “How can you call yourself Palestinian? You are Israeli citizen. You born in Israel. Doesn’t matter that your parents born in Palestine. My parents born in Chile. Now am I Chilean? No. I’m Israeli and I fight and die in the army to protect your rights.” Jalal – Bedouin. “It is part of my heritage. My history. Mitch calls himself a South African American. And what rights do you fight for? Not mine. We don’t have equal rights in Israel.” Sarah – American. “Mitch was born in South Africa. And South Africa is a country. Palestine was never a country. Just a British mandate. An area. There must be another reason you call yourself Palestinian that you don’t want to share with us.”

The debate continues. Heated yet civil. Gary Jacobs, the program founder speaks up, “Friends. Remember. The idea of JITLI is not to convince people that you’re right and they’re wrong but to understand each other’s views.” Applause. The teenagers don’t retreat. They have invested too much of themselves in this program, their new friendships and their future. They want to understand. It’s late. When the discussion finally does come to a close, the strength of their friendship shines through. Muslims hug Jews. Americans hug Israelis. Boys hug girls. Friends hug each other. In the morning they find out a suicide bomber killed 3 and injured 40 not far from where they were sitting the night before - while they were trying to understand each other. They break up into groups to discuss how this makes them feel.

The participants battle with the significance of the Old City in Jerusalem, endure racial profiling from security guards, meet with controversial members of Parliament, listen to the plea of a dead soldier’s father, converse with Israeli Arab university students, have an identity crisis in a Bedouin village in the north, react differently to a suicide bombing that same night, struggle with the issue of equal rights, bask in the hospitality of each other’s home life, and inspire their leaders, families, and communities around them.

On the night of the American’s departure marking the end of the experience, the promise of a peaceful future is visible in the eyes of the participants as tears stream and hugs are unending. Armed with new confidence in their future, they return to their respective communities, ambassadors of tolerance, trust, healing and peace, representing what is possible, knowing that they have the power to effect change.

Fire Within examines the complexities and simplicity of human relationships through the eyes of the world’s youth, the leaders of tomorrow, who personally demonstrate the potential cross-cultural tolerance and acceptance, transforming the way we perceive each other. It is inspiring to watch as these teens undo years of societal prejudices in a period of only two weeks. The transformation is particularly noticeable in the case of the Israeli Arab women in the group, whose indoctrination had lead them to believe their opinions, leadership ability and role in society is less important than that of their male peers. By the end of the two-week program, these women blossomed into self-confident, vocal participants, clearly motivated by what they had learned to become valuable leaders in their society. The power of the program was evidenced by the general consensus of the group, so eloquently stated by one departing teen, “This changed my life, I’m ready to go home and change the world.”

As these teenagers grow they continue their new friendships and expand their experiences to include their family, friends, and even the mayor’s of both communities. The participants will undoubtedly inspire them to do away with the apartheid that permeates their lives. The experience begets the hope that, on a local level, the sight of Arabs in Sha’ar HaNegev and Jews in Segev Shalom will no longer be a strange one, and that perhaps co-existence on a global scale is more than just a lofty aspiration.