BACK TO THE FATHERLAND

Dan, Guy und Gil – three young liberal Israelis emigrate to Germany and Austria. A move their families find incomprehensible. Why return to the land of the perpetrators? A process of emancipation.

Life in Israel is stressful, but this is not the only reason why young people often turn their back on the “holy land”. As secular, liberal Jews, they are tired of being ignored as a minority without a voice in Israel’s society. We meet Dan, Guy and Gil, three young Israelis, whose decision to live in Austria and Germany has affected their relationship with their grandparents, friends and families. As holocaust survivors, their grandparents do not understand why they want to move to the country of the perpetrators. Recent developments in Europe, the growing number of terrorist attacks plus the influx of refugees from Muslim countries spark a new intense debate: How will Europe deal with home-grown anti-Semitism in addition to the imported one? This increases the pressure on the young Israelis. Did they make the right decision to move to Europe? Does the growing Muslim population mean they are now at greater risk than they were before? What will the future hold? The film deals with the third generation on both sides of the historic tragedy and with their attempt to build their own future without ignoring the past.