I\u2019ve just seen the 2002 documentary Promises<\/em>, and I can\u2019t recommend it highly enough.<\/p>\n Promises <\/em>is a documentary made by B.Z. Goldberg, an American who grew up in Jerusalem. He returns to interview children on both sides of the Israeli\/Palestinian conflict, to show us the world through their eyes. We glimpse the early stages of hate taking root in their minds and hearts, but there are moments\u2026 moments\u2026 when you can see a flicker of understanding, of hesitation, of conscience.<\/p>\n Gather your family and friends and watch this together. I believe it will be even more effective now, in the midst of current events, than it was when it first opened. In fact, I would recommend that viewers see this before watching Spielberg\u2019s Munich<\/em>, or Paradise Now<\/em>, or any other significant film about the conflict. It can only enhance the experience of those.<\/p>\n It\u2019s as potent a view of the world through the eyes of children as Born into Brothels <\/em>is, and in some ways far more revealing. The film has a way of inspiring hope even as it smashes the heart.<\/p>\n In films like this, there\u2019s always some question about how the presence of cameras and the documetnarian altered the behavior and attitudes of those participating. But Goldberg shows remarkable restraint, holds back from preaching, and lets his subjects speak for themselves. While I worried for a while that he would shine too admiring a light on those who dismiss religion entirely, the conclusion of the film will leave us questioning whether or not those with the greatest zeal for peace might come from the least likely corners of the conflict.<\/p>\n In the last fifteen minutes, just when I felt that Goldberg might not get beyond merely showing the punishing, paralyzing cycle of violence and prejudice, suddenly events swung into motion that took the film to a new level, giving us a vision of possibility that is both painful and heartening to behold.<\/p>\n I suspect it will change your experience as you watch the news. It may change the way we pray. It may cause us to think about how hard it is to stop violence, even well-intentioned violence, once it starts, and what kinds of chasms we\u2019re digging with each year of aggression.<\/p>\n But it does offer glimmers of hope. They\u2019re just glimmers, but they show us where to focus our attention.<\/p>\n