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Three religious leaders, a Muslim, a Christian and a Jew who live in the Galilee, Israel, all have a deep and intimate connection to the mythological story of the Binding of Isaac. Each has shared his deepest insights on this tragic narrative with his community and disciples.
This is the moving documentary intertwining three theological and personal odysseys, beginning with a 3800 year old biblical legend and culminating in a timely and relevant manner, capable of touching the heart of every parent and child throughout the world. For centuries these three religious movements have spilled each another's blood, despite the fact that all three foster scholarship, religious rituals and liturgy based on the model of the ideal believer, our father Abraham, who was asked to sacrifice his son as proof of his love and faith in God.
The story’s basic components are identical in all three religious narratives. God demands the sacrifice, the faithful father complies with His command, father and son walk for three days, the son accepts the verdict with love, the knife is raised to slaughter, only to be foiled at the last moment by an angel and finally, a different sacrifice is chosen.
From this point, each of the film's protagonists takes the story's message and factual interpretation to a different place: the duty to offer sacrifices to God, the obligation to die for His glory and the prohibition to kill – "Do not lay a hand on the boy."
We will embark on an exciting journey with these three inspiring religious leaders:
Sheikh Jamal Sawad - Sunni Muslim leader from the village of Ras El Ayin, Galilee. As an only son, Sawad's mother consecrated him to God and up until his later years, he lived the life of a monk.
 
Abuna Attalah Makhouli – a Greek Orthodox priest from the Kafr Yasif village in the Western Galilee. Abuna is true to his own conscience and even stands up against the Greek Orthodox establishment while holding aloft his own banner of education and love. Much like Abraham, he pays a high price for his convictions, to the point of losing his own children.
Rabbi Yehuda Gilad – Dean of the Maale Gilboa Yeshiva and Rabbi of Kibbutz Lavi in the southern Galilee. Rabbi Gilad fights for his own unique approach within the National Religious Zionist stream - "Divine morality and human morality are one and the same – this is what we should learn from the Binding."
Each of these believers is obsessed with the binding in a unique way and each of them makes relentless efforts to disseminate his own understanding of the Binding, at times paying a high price for his path and convictions. We will follow them during their personal journeys and experience the lessons and ideas each of them derives from the religious texts and prayers, while confronting relevant challenges from within their own communities - in the synagogue, mosque and church.
The film unfolds the binding as an epic universal tale. It presents the common denominators and the difference between the three religions in order to find common ground and mutual understanding.
The documentary’s scope is universal and relevant to international audiences as it transcends boundaries and cultures.

Production Stage
The necessary research has already been conducted.
A few filming days have already been carried out.

Secured Finance              
Producer’s investment (out-of-pocket): 12,000 Euros
Required Finance:         141,000 Euros
Estimated length:         60 minutes

English Trailer:              https://vimeo.com/102865150

Producer
Mr. Moshe Alfi has produced numerous documentaries, TV programs and web-series. He is highly interested in religious, current affairs, political and historical topics.

The Samaritans (Shomronim) are often mistaken for Jews. But they are not.
For 3,600 years, the Samaritan’s tradition and religion have almost been frozen in time and preserved in a time capsule. They trace their origin back to the ancient Tribes of Israel which have lived in the Shomron area in the Land of Israel and have never left it since they have entered it after leaving the biblical Egypt. For instance, the Samaritans have the most ancient and complete Torah book in the world.
The Samaritans have experienced many trials and tribulations. There are records of 1.2 million Samaritans in the 4th century AD, in comparison to 141 Samaritans in the beginning of the 20th century. Thanks to the support of Yitzhak Ben Zvi, Israel’s second president, their number has steadily grown to 800 people in 2018.
The film is a journey to the world of preserving ancient tradition, religion, culture, rituals and beliefs. They also have their own language, writings and poetry. Its believers act according to these ancient guidelines in the third millennium while facing ongoing challenges and conflicts. They are constantly torn between their wish to devotionally preserve an ancient tradition in the face of the rapidly changing world around them.
They are also torn between countries: their believers who reside in the city of Holon are considered Israeli, whereas in Mount Gerizim close to Nablus in the West Bank they are considered citizen of the Palestinian Authority in every aspect. They completely depend on both governments and have to navigate carefully between them in order to survive.
They are also torn between their wish to marry within their Samaritan community and their wish to grow by bringing non- Samaritan wives to their community.
The film unfolds the journey of several characters with the Samaritan community in order to experience its deep religious and spiritual world on the one hand, while unfolding its numerous challenges and conflicts on the other hand. It will show their daily battle to survive while wishing to grow in numbers against all odds.
The film also reveals the rituals during the Day of Atonement and three pilgrimage festivals (Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuot)
 
Production Stage
Research has been conducted and the main characters have been located and have consented to be filmed.
The first filming days are planned for October 2018 in Israel, and during November 2018 in New York and Cincinnati, USA, where there flourishing Samaritans communities.    

Estimated Length       
60 minutes

Committed Funding Partners
The New Fund for Cinema & Television, Israel
Yeshiva University, New York
Total secured funding: 36,000 Euros
 
Required Funds           
 96,000 Euros
 
 Producer
Moshe Alfi’s family, the film’s director and producer, has produced numerous documentaries, TV programs and web-series. He is highly interested in religious, current affairs, political and historical topics.