FIRE WITHIN Beyond Conflict: Focus on the Middle East

This documentary is the product of the annual international exchange program of the Jacobs International Teen Leadership Institute (JITLI), which chooses 10 Israeli Jewish, 10 Israeli Bedouin and 10 American Jewish teenagers to interact together in Spain and Israel for two weeks. We follow the project as the teens and their chaperones meet in Madrid and become acquainted through seminars, rap sessions, cultural exchange “show and tell” meetings, leisure activities and trips to famous sites in the southern region of Spain and throughout Israel.

This is an earnest look at real teens from three interrelated cultures who are encouraged to interact on their own terms in a supportive environment. The kids are allowed plenty of space and time to open up on-camera, permitting a fascinating glimpse into the various cultures involved. The viewer is given an unusual opportunity to hear youth from Israel speaking honestly about the situation in their homeland and about relations between Jewish and Arab communities in the region.