Defamation (2009)

Intent on shaking up the ultimate 'sacred cow' for Jews, Israeli director Yoav Shamir embarks on a provocative - and at times irreverent - quest to answer the question, "What is anti-Semitism today?"

Director:

Yoav Shamir

Writer:

Yoav Shamir

Stars:

Yoav Shamir, Abraham Foxman, Bob Wolfson

6 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yoav Shamir	...	Himself, also narrator and interviewer
Abraham Foxman	...	Himself
Bob Wolfson	...	Himself - ADL Regional Director
Notav	...	Herself
Adi	...	Herself
Yaiv	...	Himself
Reuven	...	Himself
Perlin	...	Herself
Ov	...	Himself
Noah Klinger	...	Himself - Journalist
Joel Levi	...	Himself - ADL Regional Director New York
Dov Hikind	...	Himself - Assemblyman
Benjamin Lifschitz	...	Himself - Reporter
Abraham Hecht	...	Himself (as Rabbi Hecht)
Gianfranco Fini	...	Himself

Storyline

Intent on shaking up the ultimate 'sacred cow' for Jews, Israeli director Yoav Shamir embarks on a provocative - and at times irreverent - quest to answer the question, "What is anti-Semitism today?" Does it remain a dangerous and immediate threat? Or is it a scare tactic used by right-wing Zionists to discredit their critics? Speaking with an array of people from across the political spectrum (including the head of the Anti-Defamation League and its fiercest critic, author Norman Finkelstein) and traveling to places like Auschwitz (alongside Israeli school kids) and Brooklyn (to explore reports of violence against Jews), Shamir discovers the realities of anti-Semitism today. His findings are shocking, enlightening and - surprisingly - often wryly funny.

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Plot Keywords:

jew | israeli | anti semitism | author | auschwitz | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Israel Denmark USA Austria

Language:

Hebrew English

Release Date:

2009 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Defamation

Filming Locations:

Jerusalem, Israel

Box Office

Budget:

€1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,725, 20 November 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$11,410, 13 December 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

CINEPHIL,Knut Ogris Films,Reveal Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Uri Avneri: None of them fights anti-Semitism. They fight criticism of Israel. These are two totally different things. There's hardly any anti-Semitism in the US. It's a myth.

User Reviews

A Great Look at the Realities of Anti-Semitism

This film really hits the mark with regards to anti-semitism. For all intents and purposes, it does not exist. Racism against Jews is nothing compared to racism against blacks, Latinos or Arabs.

The Anti-Defamation League really show their true selves in this video and do not even seem to notice. Complaints sent to them seem to be largely about Jewish folks not getting days off for holidays. That is not anti-Semitism. That is a work policy.

Interestingly, Norman Finkelstein is shown raw here, too. Finkelstein is a great scholar and critic of the Jewish lobby. Here is shown making statements that do not present him in a favorable light. While his underlying point is correct, he comes off like a ranting lunatic, which hardly helps his cause.