“Your Fortunate Eyes” and “Life in Stills”

See a slice of Israeli history at the Dwares JCC

Last April, the Alliance JCC screened Life in Stills, a documentary by Tamar Tal that focuses on the work of the legendary Israeli photographer Rudi Weissenstein. Erin Moseley, Director of Arts & Culture and NextGen Engagement, shares that people were so moved by the film, which was screened as part of Israel@65, that they kept asking to see the accompanying exhibit, “Your Fortunate Eyes.” The Dwares JCC, together with its partner, the Jewish Federation of Cape Cod, made it happen.

“Life in Stills,” the documentary that won the hearts of its viewers, as well as an Ophir Award (the Israeli Oscar), is returning to Rhode Island for an encore presentation. Ben Peter, the grandson of Rudi and Miriam Weissenstein, will introduce the film and answer questions after the screening at the three locations – Newport Public Library (Feb. 4, 7:00 p.m.), Dwares JCC (Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m.) and Falmouth Jewish Congregation (Feb. 6, 7:00 p.m.). This time, viewers will be able to witness the magic of the photos in person. The exhibit will be displayed at the Dwares JCC gallery (401) from February 5 to 28. Visitors will also have a chance to purchase the historic photos, postcards, books and posters.

The documentary is set in Israel. It centers on a struggle to preserve a cultural landmark – the Pri-Or Photo House in Tel Aviv. Its humor, tone and attitudes are distinctly Israeli. And yet, “Life in Stills” depicts a universal story – a shifting relationship between a grandmother and a grandson. Throughout the time span of the filming – seven years – that particular relationship evolves tremendously. In fact, viewers might find themselves drawn not to the drama of the many conflicts, ordeals and obstacles that Miriam, Rudi’s widow, and Ben, their grandson, overcome together, but to the transformation their union undergoes during those difficulties. Tal shares that she was able to capture the dynamic of the familial relationship only after Miriam became used to the camera and allowed herself to ignore it.

In addition to bringing worldwide publicity, fame and exposure for the shop, the documentary brought something much more important for its two stars – an unbreakable bond that was forged during the filming. Ben shares that he was able to connect with Miriam through their collaboration. He says, referring to their mutual struggle against the authorities, Miriam’s gradual deterioration and their family history, “We shared a lot of experiences that got us even closer.” Thanks to Tal’s role of a protector, Ben reveals that he and his grandmother were able to have intimate conversations: “I completely trusted her [the director’s] sensitivity and wisdom.”

Just as Rudi’s photos illustrate the transformation of a culture, Tal’s documentary depicts the change in the nature of a relationship. Possibly referencing Rudi’s “Working Hands” series (exhibited in Tel Aviv in 1963), the film opens with a shot of Miriam’s weathered hands doing what they did best – sorting the numerous negatives ensconced within their drawers. Seeing these hands, we know that they must belong to a hard worker – someone who refuses to be defeated by old age and someone who clearly cares about what she does. Upon “meeting” Miriam, we are proven right. Tal says, “Miriam was a great inspiration to me – her passion for life, work and art.” However, the documentary doesn’t sugarcoat; it exposes the woman in all her glory – “warts and all.”

Yes, she is dedicated (refuses to allow Ben to take a day off, claiming that it would be “running away from reality”), opinionated (hates the way the images appear online: “Her legs are crooked and where’s the head?”) and blunt (answering her grandson’s inquiry whether she likes his new apartment, “I wouldn’t live here.”). But Miriam is also extremely funny (not feeling well, she rejects an offer of water: “I was invited for lunch and he gives me water!”), sarcastic (“Are you the tax man?” to someone asking too many questions) and oblivious (incredulously exclaiming, “Do they hear me?” after Ben patiently chides her for her acerbic and loud statements about the customers).

In the documentary, we see Miriam in one of her roles as the boss. It is she who addresses the visitors to the shop, using her characteristic charm to ask them to sign a petition against the forced relocation of the Photo House. Miriam says, “I have a big problem. Mayor Huldai wants me to leave so he can build a six-story building, and I’m fighting to have more than 2,000 signatures by people interested in telling Mr. Huldai to retire.”  It is she who proudly introduces her grandson to the customers, “He is the co-owner.” It is she who shares the story of the shop with a curious visitor – after all, she’s been at the same place for 70 years, so she must know a thing or two about it.

However, Ben is aware that Miriam is so rooted in the past that she doesn’t see the necessary need to move into the future to preserve it. Because she’s not invited, she’s reluctant to allow Ben to attend an exhibition in Holland, causing him to call her “unreasonable and over-emotional.” However, when she is invited to Frankfurt to celebrate Rudi’s 100th birthday, she hesitates, saying she’s a wreck. Also, at the Photo House, she doesn’t want to offer enticements, such as classic photos, taken on the famous bench for ten shekels in honor of Tel Aviv’s 100th anniversary. Complaining that the customers will never leave, Miriam prompts Ben to explain that they are the reason the shop exists.

He also has to justify the importance of a website, a project about which Miriam says, “I wouldn’t waste five minutes on it.” Driving to the meeting that will ultimately seal the fate of the Photo House, Ben instructs Miriam to say that she’s worked for Tel Aviv her whole life and the city should respect that. Not as diplomatic, Miriam utters later, “I have to listen to them? I should jump out the window!” Recognizing that educating his stubborn grandmother on communication is useless, Ben answers her question, “What should we do?” with a suggestion to buy Miriam a hearing aid and take her to an eye doctor.

As the film progresses, we witness Ben’s evolution from Miriam’s grandson into her parent. We see him encouraging her to make a funny face to lighten the mood, putting drops into her eyes, pushing her wheelchair the way a parent would push a stroller, and calling her on her own shtick. When Miriam is being especially difficult, Ben reminds her that she’s always referring to herself as an old rag. He says, “I remember, but do you remember?”

While Miriam aggravates and baffles Ben, she also provides a gateway to the stories that he longs to learn more about. Ben is hesitant to approach his grandmother for a talk about his family’s past; he admits to his boyfriend that he hasn’t found a way to connect with her. Ultimately, he does find it. We see the grandmother and the grandson share a bed and seal their bond during a trip to Germany. Lying side by side, they look at ease with each other. Ben says, “You calm me.”

In one of the most poignant moments of the documentary, it is he who is doing the calming when they discover that Miriam’s apartment was broken into while she was away. Finally locating the negative of, arguably, the most important photo in the Israeli history – the one Rudi took on May 14, 1948 at the official Declaration of the State of Israel – Miriam brings a smile to the viewers’ faces with a cry that the thieves broke the negatives’ box.

The negatives’ scanning is still a work in progress. Ben shares with the Voice readers that the archive comprises about one million photos, and that they too can “save a piece of history” by going online (pri-or.com) and saving a photograph – a mitzvah that costs only $5. He believes that preserving the images is crucial since they capture the history of the people of Israel. Ben says, “It’s extremely important to have a past, if you want to have a future, and I think it’s those images that help us build our collective and individual identity.” He discloses that, even though this year is the last one for “Your Fortunate Eyes,” he is working on a new project that will introduce a different side of his grandfather’s work. Ben promises that, while the photos will not be as historically important, they will be fascinating and fantastic and “no less important to our understanding of the past.”