Isaac Herzog & Michal Herzog

To Our Dear Culture and Cinema Enthusiasts in Israel,

The opening of the Jerusalem Film Festival is always a delightful event. For the past four decades, we have had the honor of hosting this wonderful festival, which has been an exciting and vibrant part of Jerusalem’s cultural scene. The festival carries a wealth of magnificent art, Israeli pride, fascinating intercultural encounters, and much more. Finally, this is a great pleasure and joy for us as film lovers.

This year, amidst the horrific, tragic events that we are grieving and the ongoing fierce fighting in the southern and northern parts of Israel, it is challenging to embrace the festive spirit we long for.

The satanic cruelty we endured on October 7th is embedded in our beings. Many of us have lost our loved ones, while others have been displaced from their homes for many months. We are surrounded by grief and physical and mental pain everywhere we turn. Our profound concern for our hostages weighs heavily on our hearts. All of this has cast a very dark shadow over the traditional festive atmosphere that we once enjoyed.   

However, it is also essential to remember that in a city and a country with a loaded history like ours and frequent wars, this festival carries an important and clear message that embodies the spirit of creativity and love for one another. Cinema provides us with possibilities for human connectivity through this universal language by uniting cultures and disregarding opposing beliefs. It is a privilege to host this magnificent event right here, capturing the essence of humanity, joy, rich culture, spirit, and acceptance. 

We sincerely thank the organizers, the filmmakers, and the wonderful audience, and wish all festivalgoers’ days of joy, beauty, and great cinema.

We will continue to persistently hope and pray for the safe return home of the hostages and the success of our fighters, eagerly awaiting good news.

May we all gather next year to celebrate in better and happier times.

Sincerely,

Isaac and Michal Herzog