VisionTV honours Israel's 60th Birthday with documentary My Israel


Toronto, April 04, 2008
Ralph Benmergui: My Israel explores the Jewish state in all its complexity Doc series airs May 5-7, as VisionTV honours Israel’s 60th birthday “Use your judgment. And don’t take sides.” – Ralph Benmergui’s mother offers advice on the eve of his trip to Israel It is a thoroughly modern country with roots reaching back more than three thousand years. A wealthy and powerful nation that nevertheless fears for its very existence. In *Ralph Benmergui: My Israel, a world premiere documentary series produced for VisionTV, one of Canada’s most renowned broadcast journalists immerses himself in the fascinating complexities and contradictions of present-day Israel. The five-part series, filmed on location in the Holy Land, airs on May 5, 6 and 7* as part of a week-long VisionTV programming event to honour the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel. Ralph Benmergui describes the project as the most personal of his 30-year career in broadcasting. “This trip was something I’ve always dreamed of doing,” he says. “I want people to see the real Israel, in all its complexity and beauty.” Born in Tangiers but raised in Toronto, Ralph Benmergui is the product of several cultures: Moroccan, Canadian and Jewish. At Hebrew school, he was immersed in the post-Holocaust vision of a new kind of Jew: one who stood strong and free, rooted in the soil of an embattled but independent Israel. Now, after witnessing decades of political strife, he finds himself struggling to reconcile the romantic ideal of his youth with the realities of present-day Israel. Ralph Benmergui: My Israel ponders the past, present and future of the Jewish state. The program brings Benmergui face to face with Israelis from all walks of life and reveals the Holy Land in ways that few Canadians have been privileged to experience. The series is a heartfelt exploration of belief and values, conflict and reconciliation, poverty and class, ethnicity and identity – all seen through the eyes of a Moroccan-Canadian Jew as he strives toward an understanding of this troubled but proudly resilient nation. Airtimes: Monday, May 5, 9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT: Parts One and Two Tuesday, May 6, 9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT: Parts Three and Four Wednesday, May 7, 9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT: Part Five Allan Novak is Executive Producer and Director of the series. Ralph Benmergui is Executive Producer and Host. Joan Jenkinson is Executive Producer for VisionTV. For more information on VisionTV documentary programming, please visit www.visiontv.ca. *Ralph Benmergui: My Israel* – Episode Guide “We want recognition. They want everything or nothing.” – Israeli filmmaker Eli Tal-El “You left for 2,000 years. You come back, you think we should greet you with flowers?” – Palestinian filmmaker Mohammed Alatar Part One: “Jerusalem” Monday, May 5, 9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT Jerusalem is one of the oldest and most controversial cities in the world, sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. Through the centuries, countless faithful have fought and died for this holiest of places. Now, as the members of yet another generation assert their competing claims of ownership, host Ralph Benmergui asks: “Has Jerusalem become holier than its people?” Part Two: “The Wall” Monday, May 5, 9:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. PT In Israel, security trumps every other issue. Most Israelis consider the construction of the controversial West Bank barrier a necessary bulwark against terrorist attacks. But is segregating the two peoples who share this land the only solution to Israel’s strife? In this episode, host Ralph Benmergui speaks to both settlers and refugees about the vast political and religious divide that the security wall has come to symbolize. Part Three: “Race and Class in the Holy Land” Tuesday, May 6, 9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT When it was founded, Israel represented the expression of a socialist utopian dream. Now, 60 years later, it grapples with social problems common to all modern countries: race, class and poverty. In this episode, host Ralph Benmergui shines a light on the experiences of the Ethiopian, Moroccan and Arab Israeli minorities, and ponders what the future holds for Israel’s utopian vision. Part Four: “Who Is a Jew?” Tuesday, May 6, 9:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. PT Orthodox Jews represent just 20 percent of Israel’s population. Yet their ways prevail in all matters relating to birth, marriage and death. In this episode, host Ralph Benmergui speaks to Orthodox and Reform Jews about one of the most controversial issues in contemporary Israeli Jewish life. Part Five: “The Future” Wednesday, May 7, 9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT As Israel commemorates its 60th anniversary, host Ralph Benmergui ponders the future of the country – and of the Jewish people. Created to bring an end to a legacy of torment and strife, Israel is a nation of formidable strength. Yet it struggles with the same complex issues that confront every Western democracy in the 21st century. Will Israel’s past continue to dictate its future? Ralph Benmergui: My Israel – The Team Executive Producer/Director - Allan Novak Allan Novak is an executive producer, director, writer and editor for film and television. His company, Indivisual Productions, has been creating innovative programming since 1999. In 1999, Allan created the Gemini Award-winning Loving Spoonfuls, a docu-comedy series about grandmothers, for W Network. In 2002, he executive produced and directed The Joke’s on Us: 50 Years of CBC Satire (with host Leslie Nielsen), a 90-minute special that earned a Gemini nomination for direction. The following year, he executive produced The Joe Blow Show, a Gemini-nominated pilot for The Comedy Network, and co-created Second Time Around, a comedy-reality series for W Network. Allan’s credits as a director include Puppets Who Kill (The Comedy Network), Canada’s Worst Handyman (Discovery Channel), My Parent’s House (HGTV) and, for CBC, the programs CODCO, Comics!, Inside The Newsroom and It's Only Rock and Roll. Other directing credits include CBC's Life and Times, Global’s Heart of Courage, and segments for the Gemini and Genie Awards. Allan is recognized as one of Canada’s leading editors. He is responsible for editing most of writer-director Ken Finkleman’s internationally acclaimed CBC television series, including The Newsroom (which was awarded a Gemini for best editing), More Tears, Foolish Heart, Foreign Objects and Married Life. His editing credits also include the premiere season of Kids in the Hall for Broadway Video/HBO/CBC. In 2006-2007, Allan created and produced Punched Up, a hybrid comedy-reality series for The Comedy Network, and the spiritual documentary programs 5 Seekers and Guides and Gurus for VisionTV. 5 Seekers garnered a Gemini nomination for Best Reality Series. Executive Producer/Host – Ralph Benmergui Ralph Benmergui is an award-winning broadcaster with more than 30 years of professional experience, both as a performer and journalist and as a radio and television producer. After a 20-year career with the CBC as a journalist and interviewer, Ralph followed his love of music to Toronto’s JAZZ FM91, where he currently hosts Benmergui in The Morning. He also runs his own production company, Blue Fez Productions. Ralph partnered with Allan Novak and Indivisual Productions to create the Gemini Award-nominated program 5 Seekers and its companion series Guides and Gurus for VisionTV. Their new five-part series, Ralph Benmergui: My Israel premieres on VisionTV in May 2008.

Toronto, April 04, 2008

Ralph Benmergui: My Israel explores the Jewish state in all its complexity

Doc series airs May 5-7, as VisionTV honours Israel’s 60th birthday

“Use your judgment. And don’t take sides.” – Ralph Benmergui’s mother offers advice on the eve of his trip to Israel

It is a thoroughly modern country with roots reaching back more than three thousand years. A wealthy and powerful nation that nevertheless fears for its very existence.

In Ralph Benmergui: My Israel, a world premiere documentary series produced for VisionTV, one of Canada’s most renowned broadcast journalists immerses himself in the fascinating complexities and contradictions of present-day Israel.

The five-part series, filmed on location in the Holy Land, airs on May 5, 6 and 7 as part of a week-long VisionTV programming event to honour the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel.

Ralph Benmergui describes the project as the most personal of his 30-year career in broadcasting. “This trip was something I’ve always dreamed of doing,” he says. “I want people to see the real Israel, in all its complexity and beauty.”

Born in Tangiers but raised in Toronto, Ralph Benmergui is the product of several cultures: Moroccan, Canadian and Jewish.

At Hebrew school, he was immersed in the post-Holocaust vision of a new kind of Jew: one who stood strong and free, rooted in the soil of an embattled but independent Israel. Now, after witnessing decades of political strife, he finds himself struggling to reconcile the romantic ideal of his youth with the realities of present-day Israel.

Ralph Benmergui: My Israel ponders the past, present and future of the Jewish state. The program brings Benmergui face to face with Israelis from all walks of life and reveals the Holy Land in ways that few Canadians have been privileged to experience.

The series is a heartfelt exploration of belief and values, conflict and reconciliation, poverty and class, ethnicity and identity – all seen through the eyes of a Moroccan-Canadian Jew as he strives toward an understanding of this troubled but proudly resilient nation.

Airtimes:

Monday, May 5, 9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT: Parts One and Two

Tuesday, May 6, 9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT: Parts Three and Four

Wednesday, May 7, 9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT: Part Five

Allan Novak is Executive Producer and Director of the series. Ralph Benmergui is Executive Producer and Host. Joan Jenkinson is Executive Producer for VisionTV.

For more information on VisionTV documentary programming, please visit www.visiontv.ca.

Ralph Benmergui: My Israel – Episode Guide

“We want recognition. They want everything or nothing.” – Israeli filmmaker Eli Tal-El

“You left for 2,000 years. You come back, you think we should greet you with flowers?” – Palestinian filmmaker Mohammed Alatar

Part One: “Jerusalem”
Monday, May 5, 9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT
Jerusalem is one of the oldest and most controversial cities in the world, sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. Through the centuries, countless faithful have fought and died for this holiest of places. Now, as the members of yet another generation assert their competing claims of ownership, host Ralph Benmergui asks: “Has Jerusalem become holier than its people?”

Part Two: “The Wall”
Monday, May 5, 9:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. PT
In Israel, security trumps every other issue. Most Israelis consider the construction of the controversial West Bank barrier a necessary bulwark against terrorist attacks. But is segregating the two peoples who share this land the only solution to Israel’s strife? In this episode, host Ralph Benmergui speaks to both settlers and refugees about the vast political and religious divide that the security wall has come to symbolize.

Part Three: “Race and Class in the Holy Land”
Tuesday, May 6, 9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT
When it was founded, Israel represented the expression of a socialist utopian dream. Now, 60 years later, it grapples with social problems common to all modern countries: race, class and poverty. In this episode, host Ralph Benmergui shines a light on the experiences of the Ethiopian, Moroccan and Arab Israeli minorities, and ponders what the future holds for Israel’s utopian vision.

Part Four: “Who Is a Jew?”
Tuesday, May 6, 9:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. PT
Orthodox Jews represent just 20 percent of Israel’s population. Yet their ways prevail in all matters relating to birth, marriage and death. In this episode, host Ralph Benmergui speaks to Orthodox and Reform Jews about one of the most controversial issues in contemporary Israeli Jewish life.

Part Five: “The Future”
Wednesday, May 7, 9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT
As Israel commemorates its 60th anniversary, host Ralph Benmergui ponders the future of the country – and of the Jewish people. Created to bring an end to a legacy of torment and strife, Israel is a nation of formidable strength. Yet it struggles with the same complex issues that confront every Western democracy in the 21st century. Will Israel’s past continue to dictate its future?

Ralph Benmergui: My Israel – The Team

Executive Producer/Director - Allan Novak

Allan Novak is an executive producer, director, writer and editor for film and television. His company, Indivisual Productions, has been creating innovative programming since 1999.

In 1999, Allan created the Gemini Award-winning Loving Spoonfuls, a docu-comedy series about grandmothers, for W Network. In 2002, he executive produced and directed The Joke’s on Us: 50 Years of CBC Satire (with host Leslie Nielsen), a 90-minute special that earned a Gemini nomination for direction. The following year, he executive produced The Joe Blow Show, a Gemini-nominated pilot for The Comedy Network, and co-created Second Time Around, a comedy-reality series for W Network.

Allan’s credits as a director include Puppets Who Kill (The Comedy Network), Canada’s Worst Handyman (Discovery Channel), My Parent’s House (HGTV) and, for CBC, the programs CODCO, Comics!, Inside The Newsroom and It's Only Rock and Roll. Other directing credits include CBC's Life and Times, Global’s Heart of Courage, and segments for the Gemini and Genie Awards.

Allan is recognized as one of Canada’s leading editors. He is responsible for editing most of writer-director Ken Finkleman’s internationally acclaimed CBC television series, including The Newsroom (which was awarded a Gemini for best editing), More Tears, Foolish Heart, Foreign Objects and Married Life. His editing credits also include the premiere season of Kids in the Hall for Broadway Video/HBO/CBC.

In 2006-2007, Allan created and produced Punched Up, a hybrid comedy-reality series for The Comedy Network, and the spiritual documentary programs 5 Seekers and Guides and Gurus for VisionTV. 5 Seekers garnered a Gemini nomination for Best Reality Series.

Executive Producer/Host – Ralph Benmergui

Ralph Benmergui is an award-winning broadcaster with more than 30 years of professional experience, both as a performer and journalist and as a radio and television producer.

After a 20-year career with the CBC as a journalist and interviewer, Ralph followed his love of music to Toronto’s JAZZ FM91, where he currently hosts Benmergui in The Morning. He also runs his own production company, Blue Fez Productions.

Ralph partnered with Allan Novak and Indivisual Productions to create the Gemini Award-nominated program 5 Seekers and its companion series Guides and Gurus for VisionTV. Their new five-part series, Ralph Benmergui: My Israel premieres on VisionTV in May 2008.