And Thou Shalt Love (Hebrew: ואהבת, translit.V'ahavta) is an Israeli short film. It was directed by Chaim Elbaum as part of his studies at the Ma'aleh religious film school. The film tells the story of a Hesderyeshiva student dealing with being gay, based on Elbaum's own experiences.
The hero is torn between his love for his God and his desire to be a full partner in Torah and Yeshiva life, and his sexual orientation. The recognition of his attraction to men creates a difficult conflict for the hero, both with his faith and his identity. The film touches on the loaded subject carefully and does not suggest any solution to the dilemma facing the protagonist.
The film examines Ohad's confrontation with himself, his God and his environment.[2]
Ohad, the protagonist, is serving in the Israel Defense Forces as a Hesder student. He has not told anyone about his sexual orientation. He feels that his sexuality contradicts his religious identity and he turns to an anonymous religious call center called "Atzat Lev" (a name that is a variation on a real organization called "Atzat Nefesh"), which claims to treat homosexuality with the help of conversion therapy. Following the phone calls, Ohad begins by saying the "Tikkun HaKlali" and fasting for forty days and believes that if he completes the period, he will stop being attracted to men. The painful rubber band on his wrist is also supposed to help him deal with the forbidden feelings.
Towards the end of the forty days of fasting and prayers, Nir, beloved of Ohad, returns to the yeshiva from the army. The encounter overwhelms Ohad with strong feelings and difficult questions towards himself and his God. Following the meeting with Nir, Ohad realizes that he has not really changed, and the forty days of correction were of no help. When Nir finds out about Ohad's feelings, he is unsympathetic and retorts "You should leave the yeshiva". Later, Nir does not allow Ohad, who is a Cohen, to bless the blessing of priests ("Cohanim"), since "how can you pray if the Torah says that this is an abomination?". Ohad decides to remove the rubber band from his wrist and goes in to say the blessing of the priests, a step that shows he is at peace with the situation.
Critical Responses
According to research, the film signifies the emergence of New Israeli Religious Queer Cinema at the beginning of the third millennium. This genre is notable for being driven by religious filmmakers who are also members of sexual minorities, aiming to foster tolerance and acceptance of homosexuality within Jewish Orthodox communities in Israel. In this sense, the film represents the dual challenges of combating negative representations of religious communities and addressing the heightened stigmatization often directed at religious LGBTQ+ individuals.[3]
Awards
The film received positive reviews immediately upon its screening and was shown at several film festivals in Israel and around the world. The film won the following awards:[4]
First Prize, Best Fictional Film, Ma'aleh Graduating ceremony, 2007
First Prize, Best Drama, Jerusalem Film Festival (Wolgin) 2008
Audience Award, International Student Film Festival, Tel Aviv, 2008
First Prize, Best Short Film, The Jerusalem International Jewish Film Festival 2008
Bronze Pheonix Award, Warsaw International Jewish Film Festival 2009
First Prize, Best Israeli Short Film, FilmIsReal Amsterdam, May 2009
.svg){kind=small}