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Unsafe Spaces, a new short film produced by OpenDor Media, will expose how anti-Semitism has morphed and now hides under the veneer of anti-Zionism – reaching alarming new heights in 2021.
In 2010, OpenDor Media produced Crossing the Line: The Intifada Comes to Campus, a film that exposed thousands of people to anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses following Operation Cast Lead and the Gaza Flotilla. In 2015, with anti-Israel activity reframed and anti-Israel activists changing their tactics, OpenDor Media brought the discourse up-to-date by launching Crossing the Line 2: The New Face of Anti-Semitism On Campus. The success of Crossing the Line 2 was phenomenal: available to millions on God TV, JLTV and Shalom TV, aired at hundreds of screenings across the US and earning nearly 300,000 views on YouTube since it premiered, Crossing the Line 2 has played a critical role impacting the awareness of the Jewish community and the general public about the dangerous new guise of antisemitism.
Testimonials about Crossing the Line 2:
“This spectacular film really encapsulates and captures what I see every day when I speak on college campuses, not only in the USA but around the world.”
Prof. Alan Dershowitz
“What have I achieved in the last 13 or 14 years, if this is what people are doing on campus and I wasn’t even aware of it?…That is what this film confronted me with.”
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Human Rights Activist
“Your film was incredibly powerful and well done, and you engaged our students fully in an interactive discussion of the realities of the anti-Israel attitudes on college campuses. For all of our students, particularly the seniors, you opened their eyes to what they may encounter, and advised them on how best to prepare to advocate for Israel at this life stage.”
Raizi Chechik
Head of School, Manhattan Day School
“It is my duty to raise the alarm about the growing anti-Semitism on campus; the threat is real. The physical and verbal tactics of those who seek to attack Israel on campuses has indeed ‘Crossed the Line’. I call on those leaders who are responsible for the climate on our campuses to re-examine the rules and policies that excuse this resurgence of anti-Semitism.”
Eric Fingerhut
President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America
Sadly, young Jews today are more disconnected than ever with Israel and their Jewish identity. According to the Pew Research Center Study in May 2021, young Jews are less emotionally connected to Israel than older ones: only 48% of Jewish adults under age 30 describe themselves as very or somewhat emotionally attached to Israel, compared with 67% of Jews ages 65 and older.
The recent crisis in Israel has only amplified this growing detachment.
At the same time, the loathing of Israel – and Jews – is now front-and-center, on the thousands of memes and social media posts crossing the virtual world every day. Verbal and physical attacks against Jews are now commonplace around the world.
Antisemitism has crossed yet another line, well beyond those on the university quad.
Unsafe Spaces will show how antisemitism in the form of anti-Zionism is on the rise like never before, and deeply impacting young Jews. The film will interview both students on campuses as well as thought leaders to gauge how the Jewish community is being affected. The film will expose and clarify not only how, but also why the rampant anti-Israel movement around the world has crossed the line into antisemitism. As Bob Dylan wrote 38 years ago in “The Neighborhood Bully,” a biting satire song about the clear double standard against the Jewish state:
How are today’s young Jews to make sense of this latest iteration of antisemitism that viciously attacks Israel and Jews? Must they choose between their liberal/progressive values and support for Israel? How should young Jews relate to their Jewishness as a whole, knowing that any display of it might harm them?
Unsafe Spaces will help young Jews understand the effects of the antisemitic/anti-Israel social media onslaught flooding their digital worlds, while also hopefully inspiring them with a desire to learn more, and connect more proudly, with their Jewishness and Israel, instead of fearfully running away from it.
As a digital media company, we know there’s one place young Jews are highly connected; the digital world. It is through young people’s preferred digital media platforms that they must be engaged.
Established in 2009, OpenDor Media is a leading global media company for the 21st century with a mission to educate, entertain and engage a global audience of millions by producing and distributing Jewish and Israel content. We strengthen Jewish identity and community by making Jewish content accessible to all.
The film will be released on our Unpacked YouTube channel. We’ve learned so much from our four years of experience running a successful YouTube channel, and we know how to utilize YouTube’s best practices to make content that feeds into the YouTube algorithm to attain maximum reach.
Distribution plan for Unsafe Spaces will be developed in the coming month, but will likely include the following:
The short feature film will be augmented by the following content elements, embodying our ‘surround sound’ approach so audiences will bump into this product on different platforms:
Within 12 months we aim to reach the following goals:
Executive Producer credit on the film, as well as on the Unpacked for Educators website.
Co-Executive Producer credit on the film, as well as on the Unpacked for Educators website.
Silver Level credit on the film, as well as on the Unpacked for Educators website.
Bronze Level credit on the film, as well as on the Unpacked for Educators website.
Partner Level on the Unpacked for Educators website.
Get in touch with our team for updates on the development of Unsafe Spaces and for sponsorship opportunities.
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