Jerusalem '67
The Facts
- Movie Overview: "Jerusalem '67" is a 2026 Israeli-American historical drama directed by Oded Raz and produced by Joseph Schick. The 109-minute English-language film premiered at the Miami Jewish Film Festival in January. Set during the Six-Day War, it follows three intertwined stories: Sarah (Yael Grobglas), a mother who joins rescue efforts; Moshe (Daniel Gad), her husband serving in a local brigade; and Avner (Guy Adler), a paratrooper commander. Filmed in Jerusalem, it blends a true-story-inspired narrative with wartime drama.
- Context: The film depicts the Six-Day War (June 5–10, 1967), which followed escalating Arab-Israeli tensions, Egypt's mobilization in the Sinai, U.N. peacekeeper withdrawals and a blockade of Israeli shipping. Israel launched a preemptive airstrike against Egypt, while Jordan shelled West Jerusalem. The film centers on the battle for the divided city, where diverse Israeli troops captured East Jerusalem and the Old City on June 7. Schick has said the religious, cultural and economic tensions of Israeli society today echo 1967, when diverse soldiers fought side-by-side.
- Movie's Claims: The film portrays the Six-Day War as a test of ordinary people's courage, compassion and unity rather than just a military victory. Raz emphasizes how Jerusalem's divided communities faced sudden violence and civilians made difficult choices amid the chaos. It presents Israel's wartime solidarity as a lesson for today's political divisions, while scenes of Israelis helping wounded Arabs stress shared humanity. Raz, who grew up in Jerusalem, says the movie is about people, not politics.
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The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
For the first time in cinematic history, the Six-Day War has been brought to life with remarkable historical authenticity, filming at actual battle sites while capturing the chaos and courage of soldiers and civilians alike. Its greatest achievement is showing that heroism transcends the battlefield: from paratroopers fighting for Jerusalem to a mother risking her life to save both wounded Jews and Arabs. It's a stellar tribute to modern Jewish history and bravery without sacrificing humanity.
Establishment-critical narrative
Like much of the content produced by the Israeli film industry, this is a biased retelling of a war that ignores Israeli aggression. Updated archival research disputes Israel's claim that it was dragged unwillingly into the six-day conflict, when in fact it was pursuing longstanding ambitions to occupy Palestine. To maintain this historical whitewashing, Israeli cinema has long marginalized stories of occupation, first through explicit bans on funding such stories and now by misrepresenting history.
