Altalena

The startling story of the ship which nearly caused a civil war in the newborn State of Israel. The Altalena sailed on June 11, 1948 from France to Israel, carrying more than 900 refugees together with a large load of arms for the Irgun, the underground military unit led by Menachem Begin. The arrival of the ship posed serious problems for the state. Prime Minister David Ben Gurion insisted the Irgun unconditionally turn over the weapons. The decisions and actions of these two seminal leaders, Begin and Ben Gurion, led to the bombing of the ship. The political battle - in which Jews fired on Jews - has an uncanny resonance today.

Born in Israel, 12/4/1943. Studied English Literature, Political Science and Communication at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Boston University. Dircted and presented numersous documentary programs on the Israeli Radio Network, Kol Israel. 1999 - director of DOCAVIV, The International Documentary Film Festival in Tel Aviv 1997 - THE LAST TRANSFER, a documentary on Holocaust survivors hospitalized in a mental institution, 15-45 years. The film won special mention in the Jerusalem Film Festival 1996 - ISRAELA - life in Israel as seen by a cow 1994 - ALTALENA 1992 - STEP BY STEP - the adjustment of ehiopian women to life in Israel