Sheikh Jarrah, My Neighbourhood

Mohammad al-Kurd is 13 years old and lives in one of the most contested regions on earth. The Sheikh Jarrah section of East Jerusalem has, for years now, been targeted by the Israeli government as a site for new Jewish settlements meant to forcibly displace the entrenched Palestinian population. So it was only a matter of time before the government came for Mohammad’s home, which had belonged to his family for generations. Directors Julia Bacha and Rebekah Wingert-Jabi tell the story of the forced evictions through young Mohammad’s eyes, first through his distrust of the Israeli government and its people, and later through the boy’s smart and insightful recognition of political nuance, as he realizes that a group of Israeli activists who protest the displacement –- some of the very Jews from West Jerusalem he grew up hating –- really do have his neighborhood’s best interests at heart. As Mohammad learns, Sheikh Jarrah is a paradox, the site of visceral conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and a locus of activist cooperation between the same two peoples. For exploring a broad conflict in microcosm and revealing an ongoing story of struggle and collaboration, Sheikh Jarrah, My Neighbourhood receives a Peabody Award.