He loves you, too. You know that.
No, I'm not a boy.
You are, but you're rotten in computers and sports.
And you challenge him. He hates that.
How does this look?
Cool.
If you ring a third time, I'll break your finger.
- Understand? - But...
Go home!
- How was it? - Great.
Me?
I'm just running down to see Itai.
Don't be long. Have you seen the time?
- I'm Sarah. - Who gave you my address?
Itai.
- What do you want? - To say sorry.
It's fine!
Daddy thinks you're not Jewish,
that you're Christian, and you've never read the Torah,
that you were starving in Ethiopia and you came here to eat,
and lied to Israel.
Great! You came just to tell me that?
Listen to this.
Don't you ask a girl to dance?
Now, you haven't missed the entire birthday.
Where's my present?
Close your mouth. They say you're "black".
They're wrong, you're red.
Nothing works in this country!
Are you OK?
Can't you arrive slowly, like the Messiah!
- Do you still lead the controversies? - Yes.
Is Sarah's father still on the jury?
If you win the controversy,
it means that you've read, and know the Torah?
That you're Jewish?
Can I participate?
Everyone can. But not before 6 weeks.
Yes, yes, yes!
I'll let you know the subject to prepare.
Thanks, Rabbi.
Can I say something?
- I'm in a hurry. - You're out of gas.
No, that's not good.
Interpret, Schlomo,
don't repeat like a parrot.
Interpret.
Put some Schlomo into it.
Let's start again.
Silence, please.
The subject today is:
"What color was Adam?"
In the image of God, white!
Silence!
We'll start with...
Michael Leibovich. Please.
Adam was created in God's image.
And the beautiful color chosen was white.
We were all white in the beginning.
After the flood, Noah and his sons emerged from the Ark.
Noah cursed the descendants of his son, Ham,
along with his grandson Canaan:
"Cursed be Canaan,
"the lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers."
Genesis, 9, 25.
Kush, Ham's eldest son,
inherited another curse:
Some of Ham's descendants would have black skin.
And so it was:
Kush became black and from him were born the "Kusheems",
the black people of Africa.
The descendants of Ham became slaves and black.
Are Adam and God
the same color,
white?
Michael said...
No...
In the beginning was the Word.
God created Earth and us, giving life to the Word.
God believed in Man,
in each one,
entrusting him with the Word, on condition that
each give a different, marvelous and profound life to the Word.
In interpreting it.
As for Adam... his name comes from "adama", "earth", in Hebrew.
God created Adam with the earth, from clay and water.
He gave him spirit, something marvelous like the Word.
That's how Adam was born.
Adam is the color of clay: Red.
Like the Sioux. Red in Hebrew is "adom".
So you see, Adam is neither white nor black,
he is red.
But does he feel alright,
alone and red in this new world?
That's when God thought of Eve...
But Adam didn't understand
what God wanted, what He was expecting of him.
What was he supposed to do on Earth? What was he supposed to become?
Why all these trials?
But he knows he can't go back,
he knows he has no choice,
that he's here because God wills it,
and he must become,
and God is disguised as the moon,
and watches over and protects him.
Hello, sir.
I'm Schlomo.
I don't want to see you with him again.
This boy is the devil.
How dare you compare God to the moon!
If I ever see you with my daughter,
you'll have problems.
Understand?
Good-bye.
Yes?
- Yes, young man? - I'm guilty.
I'm not Jewish.
What? Guilty of what?
I'm not Jewish!
I've been lying from the start, to everybody.
Hold on. Wait a minute.
Sit down!
Even you're starting to believe it!
You're as Jewish as we are!
More than us, do you understand?
More faithful to the Torah, it's written everywhere.
Don't believe what they say!
It's shameful the way they treat you.
I don't know everything, I read, I listen.
- I... - Shut up!
Did I get flak as a Rumanian immigrant?
Did they refuse my blood for fear of Aids?
How many suicides in your community?
12 a month! Too many.
And it's our fault!
No other group of immigrants has had that.
Hang in there, son,
I know it's hard.
Those idiots, they refuse to understand what you experienced!
- But... - It's OK.
What do you want to do later?
Are you in school?
Good, that's important.
After high school, if you're looking for work, come see me.
I'll get you a job with the police.
We need people like you, honest, courageous.
Mommy, I'm going to be late.
Mommy, I love you.
- What happened? - Where were you? Look at the time!
I'm old enough to do what I want.
What you want? Under my roof?
Stop, he's upset.
Stop defending him! The police...
I'll go if you want!
- Don't talk to me that way! - Leave him! Stop, Yoram!
Why the police?
My son's no thief!
I'm not your son!
It's better you go.
A kibbutz is a good thing. We used to go there on holiday.
You'll love it.
Grandpa lived there. Yoram was born there.
Will you call?
Every other day? More often if you can?
Come on, you'll be late.
Have you forgotten anything?
Joseph Aaron Harrari
Founder of the kibbutz, hero of Israel
That's my grandpa!
He defended our land and was wounded 5 times!
Can I call you Mandala?
My cow's name was Mandala.
She was a beautiful Ethiopian cow. She fed my whole family.
I promised I'd never forget her.
Schlomo, telephone!
I bet you can't stop thinking about me.
Hey? Are you there, Red Skin?
Maybe I'll leave Itai for you.
No, don't get your hopes up!
Have you met anyone?
- Anyone? - Anyone...
like a girl, Red Skin!
Long hair, narrow waist, big boobs,
batting eyelashes
and saying silly things to get guys' attention.
A bitch, you know!
Oh yeah, yes!
Really? What's her name?
- Mandala. - What?
It's an Ethiopian name.
The jerk has a girlfriend!
Is anything wrong?
No.
They say you're working hard.
- Did the director say that? - Yes.
He's very happy.
Maybe you're working too hard.
Or maybe not discreetly enough.
Did you come to say that?
The director called to tell you
I should be careful and work less?
Is that it?
I came to see you.
I hear you've got a girlfriend?
Who told you?
Sarah. She calls sometimes to get your news.
What did she say?
That her name was Mandala.
Mandala, this is Grandpa.
Nice to meet you.
It must cost a fortune to take her to a restaurant.
Did you have a cow in Ethiopia?
Yes, I did.
That's good.
"An Arab was killed and 10 others wounded
"during a riot after terrorists attack a bus."
Should we give back land
we consider our own,
the land of our ancestors?
We were deprived of it in our wanderings
and had no other to call our own.
And now we finally have it back and we love it...
This tree provides shade. We planted it 50 years ago.
But the tree over there,
it was there before we got here.
I think we should share the land,
like the sun and the shade,
so others can know love, too.
Even if we risk being pushed to the sea and dying?
Love doesn't come without risks.
And it's difficult to decide how others should love.
Thanks for coming.
Do you believe in God?
When my feet ache
or when there's war here or elsewhere.
Like any left-wing guy, I guess.
I'm not all that nice with Him.
I only call when I need Him.
Never "How are You?" A simple unselfish phone call.
Yes, hold on.
Schlomo, phone for you.
I don't believe it! You're back and you don't even call?
- I just... - You don't love me anymore?
Just kidding! How was the kibbutz?
- Great, I loved it. - I hate it.
It's so cheesy, the land, the cows, the chickens,
"look at the exploits of our parents."
Are Ethiopian men allowed to marry whites?
What? Why?
Just curious, that's all.
Just to see if you could marry a white woman one day.
Dunno. Want me to find out?
Forget it. It's alright.
How's Mandala doing?
We write, she lives far away.
You write letters, too?
Yes... not beautiful, short, telegraphic.
I said to him: "Can Ethiopians marry whites?"
Isn't that clear? Does he need a drawing?
He said: "Want me to find out?"
Do I need to send him a fax?
He exasperates me... That Mandala's such a bitch!
Yes, we can marry whites.
But...
But?
But the day she marries an Ethiopian,
the white woman becomes black.
Put my mask on.
You're younger.
You've got all your life in front of you.
And you've got to find your mother.
You're not allowed to die before.
Hello.
You come home at this hour?
At least call after an alert to say you're alive!
God damn it.
We've got to save money, Yael.
Cut down on expenses.
Let's go somewhere else.
To France or Canada...
You have two sons, you know what that means.
I know, two future soldiers.
They'll go to war like you.
You think I want that?
- Then let's go. - Who will stay?
The right-wing fools who want war? Who'll vote for peace?
They're your children.
This is my country.
Several years later - 1993
- Yes to peace! - No to the occupation!
Things will be better now, darling.
Let's try!
I'm black. You don't see it anymore.
I don't give a shit!
For me, you're...
You're red.
I've got to go.
Forget it.
The river dried up months ago.
The little water left in the river bed is filthy.
It's the source of the dysentery sweeping the camp.
This camp was built just 8 weeks ago.
Today it's home for 90,000 refugees.
The world is pouring in medicine as fast as it can,
but it has failed to prevent that kind of disaster
from these people left behind in Ethiopia.
They came in the hope of recovery from the diseases
due to months of starvation and dehydration.
The doctors are doing their best,
yet illnesses, so easily prevented, kill children every day.
There is overcrowding,
and many are too weak to respond to treatment
like vaccination and intensive feeding.
By common consent, many who are dying could've been saved
if aid teams had been in position at the border
and waiting as they came across.
The Sudanese protest they must feed
thousands of Ethiopians as well as their own.
The U.S., the one country able to respond,
is ready to feed the Sudanese,
but is reluctant to do the same for the Ethiopians.
You want to go to Sudan?
What camp? She's no longer at Um Raquba.
You know there's a war on?
I've got to find her.
I can't wait my entire life.
You won't find her! Do you want to commit suicide?
- No, I... - You don't understand!
You haven't understood a thing about our history.
We're condemned to live!
We came out of Ethiopia like our ancestors from Egypt.
Snatched from the clutches of death.
We'll have 40 years of suffering and questions.
So what?
My son was butchered
before me like a dog
by our own guides and their henchmen.
He tried to save his wife
from being raped.
They killed her three days later.
Amongst others.
My wife
died of a broken heart in the camp.
Do you think I can ever forget their eyes, now gone forever?
Do you think I can ever forget my son, my daughter-in law and wife?
No.
But I only have one option:
To serve those who survived.
You, for example.
Look at this.
This is all I could rescue: The Torah.
Go now.
- What's your name? - Schlomo.
You're cute.
You too.
Do you dance?
I don't know how.
Come on.
I've got to confess something:
I'm not Jewish.
But I feel Jewish.
In a way, I am.
I'm not Jewish,
but I feel Jewish.
That's OK, baby,
I really like you.
But if you want to go any further, you've got to pay.
Yes, of course...
Lie down.
Baby,
I'll be back.
You touch my sister?
You touch her?
I've got the cash.
I don't give a shit about your story!
Do you hear? I don't give a fuck about your past!
Or your troubles! "We were simply extras in 'Operation Moses'..."
I don't give a fuck! What about us?
What about us?
We're not even in the film. Left behind there!
Dead!
A simple statistic! Do you hear?
I know you hear me!
Answer me!
He's my son!
Please!
Leave him alone, it's not his fault.
He's my son.
It'll be okay.
I'm not Jewish.
You've known all along, haven't you?
We lived in a small village in the north.
Aleka and Kidane, my father and mother.
I had a sister, Tirunesh.
Beautiful, a real princess.
And a big brother, Menelik.
He made me laugh so much.
We had a little bit of land and a cow:
Mandala.
The army sent my father to fight
against the Eritrean rebels.
He never came back: Dead.
A year later,
the drought killed Mandala.
We left for the south, heading for a camp.
We set out on foot... hundreds of kilometers.
My sister was the first to die
of disease and exhaustion.
A mound of earth,
a cross in the middle of the desert.
I don't remember where my little Tirunesh is buried.
But one day...
One day, I'll find her.
What about your brother? Where is he?
My mother sent me for water in the camp.
We had been there for several months.
Water was at the other end of the camp.
She gave me three coins.
I took the can and went. I paid up front.
They took the money and wouldn't fill the can.
They said: "You didn't pay."
The spring belonged to a gang. I cried.
I asked them to give me back my money.
People started to defend me against the gang.
A fight broke out. All of a sudden! Violent!
Everyone was on edge.
Then I saw my brother...
in the middle of the fight.
I don't know how he got there or when.
He came to defend me. I tried to get to him, but I couldn't.
The Sudanese soldiers showed up and began hitting everybody.
The crowd dispersed.
Everyone moved aside.
My brother was on the ground. Dead.
Stabbed for a can of water...
For 3 cents.
It was my fault.
It wasn't your fault.
You were only 9 years old.
Your mother didn't send you away, Schlomo.
She never wanted to punish you.
You loved him, she knew that.
Then, why? Why?
Why did she forbid me to return?
To save you. So that you would live.
Cry, you're allowed.
Come on, I have a doctor friend.
He'll look after you.
I know you, don't I? Are you French?
This is François Buchman, French from Strasbourg.
He worked for the Red Cross and Doctors of the World.
We met in Um Raquba and became friends.
He's been in Israel for 10 years.
Come in.
Don't move. It'll sting a bit.
I was the one to bury
Hana's real son in the Um Raquba desert.
His name was Solomon... Schlomo.
He was only nine years old.
You were born a second time that day.
It took me a while to accept it.
Forgive me.
My God!
Look at you. They really did a number on you!
There were 5 of them. Nazis!
It was that Jewish nose of yours.
Sarah, listen.
I'm going abroad.
I want to become a doctor.
You're running away.
You're running away!
You don't want to see me fall in love with someone else
or be here when I marry.
I won't wait for you.
None of our family ever ducked out of the army!
What's wrong with you? You're a coward!
We all did the military before college.
You're an ingrate. Israel saved your life!
I could never shoot anybody. Never!
Why didn't anybody say anything to me?
- Stop! - We knew you'd be furious.
But I'll defend my country. I'm not a coward.
Really? Just how?
Differently. With words.
You'll go far. Very far!
- Another minister. - He won't die!
He's seen enough death.
The country will die.
Yoram, defend your family.
My family lives in a country,
amongst other families who've made a home here!
If the foundations are shaky, maybe it's our fault. We failed.
He'll go to Paris.
Forgive me for coming.
I have a secret, Schlomo.
I've got to get it off my chest.
You know, the truth is...
I didn't want you.
I didn't want to adopt you.
I was against it.
Really against it.
I was afraid,
afraid for Dany and Tali, for our family.
Yoram was all for it. Completely!
He was a real bulldozer.
As though he knew you already. Every day, he said:
"Yael, all those Falasha orphans,
"we can adopt them all, or at least one."
Every day, Schlomo.
And I refused, determined to defend my family.
Yoram won and I don't regret it for one second.
Not one second.
You're part of the family because of him.
Go on now.
We've looked at the anatomy of the bone marrow this morning
and now we'll look at pathologies.
Radicular pathologies, the nerve endings...
Notice the sciatic nerve...
You're Jewish? A black guy?
I've also been uprooted. I'm from Marseilles. Know it?
I had a real slap in the face when I got to Paris.
Where are your parents?
The guy's tall, 1.86 meters,
blonde with blue eyes. He's studying law.
Does it bother you I'm telling you all this?
Do you miss me?
I miss you.
I left him, a jerk obsessed with money.
I'm in love with my lieutenant. Are you OK?
I miss you, my love.
You must have changed.
You must have become a real man.
Yitzhak Rabin,
the Israeli Prime Minister, has been assassinated...
Why, my love?
Why did they kill him?
Congratulations. We were very pleased to have you here.
Here is your diploma.
- Are you OK, Qes? - Where are you?
I'm at the airport. I'm coming home.
I got my diploma. I'm a doctor.
Don't come home, Schlomo.
There's a big trial against the Ethiopians
who passed themselves off as Jews.
It's all over the media.
Everyone's accusing them of being liars and traitors.
They want to send them back.
Non-Jewish Russians, too.
Qes, where is my home?
Stay in France!
You won't die!
Don't die!
Don't die! Not you!
Don't touch my child!
You'll all end up in the sea, in hell. Kike!
Don't treat them, got that? Our men first!
Understand, kushee?
I don't understand...
You were lucky.
Stop crying, he's alive.
You were born under a lucky star. You always survive.
A star named Mandala.
I want to have a child.
What? Are you crazy? With who?
I don't care. A family.
I passed the exam in Technion.
I'll be a computer engineer.
I didn't tell Daddy.
He thinks I'm studying philosophy.
Can I have a word with him alone?
Tell her you love her. She's crazy about you. 10 years is long enough!
Otherwise, I'll kill you!
Schlomo wants to talk to you.
To our beautiful Polish bride!
May I?
You're sad they didn't come?
Your father renounced you, tore his vest, proclaimed you dead.
You look good for a corpse. It gives old guys like me hope.
Imagine when they resuscitate you...
Here comes the sunshine!
Sarah, with time, it will get better.
When you have a child, they'll come running back.
Especially if it's a boy!
Your mother will sew up the vest and all will be forgotten.
I love you!
Down the hatch, guys.
One more time. Let's go!
Tell her tonight.
I'll lose her, Qes. Not tonight.
I just barely found her again.
I'll tell her soon. I'm too happy.
Tell her!
Sarah! Stop!
No, you can't stop me.
I've waited 10 years. Look at my lingerie.
Sarah, listen!
Okay.
I have to tell you a secret.
Alright, then.
Want to swap secrets? I'll start.
I didn't sleep with half the guys I said...
Not even a quarter of them. I wanted to make you jealous.
I slept with two.
OK, just one. So?
When you left, I wanted to forget you...
prove to myself I didn't love you. It didn't work.
What's your secret?
Did you jump every French girl's bones,
including the Eiffel Tower?
"Yes, Schlomo, yes!"
You won't leave me... no matter what I tell you?
Are you joking?
What is it?
I'm listening!
It's not that...
It's just...
I wanted to say...
Itai's letters... I was the one...
Those love letters,
it was me... when I was thirteen...
Is that it?
Are you sure?
I knew that, you ass!
I fell in love with your letters first.
Not you! Idiot!
Dad and I are setting up a company.
A start-up! The bank and the army approved it.
We set up a research contract with them.
Mazel Tov! And what about the baby?
He's doing well.
His idiotic father hasn't called since I got pregnant.
You didn't give him a choice.
Hang up.
Tali, I've got to hang up.
- Well? - I took the test.
I'm pregnant!
No, I don't believe it.
You have 30 seconds to tell me it's not true.
I knew it.
I felt it.
It was too good to be true.
I cut myself off from my family.
For you.
I left my father, my mother, my brother.
For you!
They all renounced me. Everyone!
For you. Think that was easy?
Have we known each other for 10 years?
10 years of lies!
You didn't trust me!
I couldn't care less if you were Jewish or not,
white, red or black.
I loved you.
You, Schlomo, you!
Asshole!
Hello, Yael?
Can I see you?
Hello, Sarah.
Can I come in?
I'm not asking you to forgive him.
I understand your anger, Sarah.
Try to imagine Schlomo's trauma.
A mother who loves her son so desperately,
she's willing to send him away,
and never see him again, ready to lose him...
to save him.
And a man who loves his wife so much, you,
that he dares not tell his secret for fear of losing her.
Isn't that love?
Don't leave him, Sarah.
Don't leave him.
It's amazing how many mothers love you.
You've got to promise me something.
Doctor, doctor...
Red Skin, listen, he's talking.
Say daddy.
Daddy...
I'll keep my promise.
I'll call you. I miss you.
Mommy...
I love you.
Subtitles: Cinematyp Studios Ltd.