UPHEAVAL: THE JOURNEY OF MENACHEM BEGIN
The incredible life story of former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin
plays out in this captivating documentary film.
A proud yet scarred leader haunted by the Holocaust and decades of war, former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin struggled to balance history and heroism to make peace with his greatest enemy and cement a legacy long misunderstood.
He was, at the same time, a controversial leader. Whether he was challenging the British, founding the Likud political party or fighting to end bigotry against Middle Eastern and African Jews in Israeli society, his dedication to his country and his people was boundless. Still, that unwavering commitment could bear untoward consequences. In 1948, as Israel fought for its life as a nation, his role in the tragic Altalena Affair that ended in the deaths of 19 Jews and at Deir Yassin, where more than 100 Palestinians died, including women and children, haunted him until the day he died. As Prime Minister of Israel, he made an historic peace deal with Egypt, and he also gave the go-ahead to bomb Saddam Hussein’s Osirak nuclear reactor.
His life is a nuanced and complicated canvas that tells the story of key events and currents in the history of modern Israel and its relationship to its Middle East neighbors. The recent ground-breaking peace agreements between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco make this an appropriate time to look back at Begin’s achievements and consider them in a new light.
With evocative imagery, rarely seen archival materials, and revealing interviews with those who knew him, UPHEAVAL portrays the life and essence of this brilliant, tough, complex, loving, and proud man who never compromised when the survival of Israel and the Jewish people were at stake.
His incredible life story plays out in this captivating documentary film from producer, writer and director Jonathan Gruber.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Jonathan Gruber has been directing, writing, and producing award-winning documentary films for more than 20 years. With his company, Black Eye Productions, he has helped celebrate long overlooked individuals, inform generations, build brands, facilitate social movements, and, of course, entertain. His documentaries are immersive viewing experiences, and include Miriam Beerman: Expressing the Chaos, Follow Me, Life Is a Banquet, Jewish Soldiers in Blue & Gray, STU, and Pola’s March. He was also the Co-Creator and Executive Producer of the MSNBC series, The Story of Cool. Jonathan specializes in building trust with his interview subjects, gently taking them on a storytelling journey and ultimately creating an environment that allows for honesty and vulnerability. Whether a 90-minute documentary film, a two-minute viral video, or a 30-second advertisement, Jonathan looks at all projects as stories worth remembering.
