The Invisible Armada

13/05/2024

艾亞爾 西凡何許人也？為什麼特別介紹他？

Eyal Sivan 是出生成長在以色列海法的猶太人，他是國際知名的紀錄片導演、製片也是作家。艾亞爾 西凡受到國際電影界的重視是他在1999年出品的「專家」(Spécialiste )這部電影，是當年柏林影展的開幕片，後來獲獎無數，此後二十多年來他的電影經常獲獎，這些都是對一個電影人才華和視野的肯定。

但艾亞爾 西凡更受到關注的是他身為以色列人卻能拍出數部「逼視巴勒斯坦」境況的電影，特別是以色列為什麼會如此對待巴勒斯坦？大多數的以色列人民為什麼對於轟炸加薩或入侵巴勒斯坦「無感」，甚至「以色列的年輕人看到頭上的轟炸機飛向加薩時還會拍手歡呼」（艾亞爾受訪時如是說）。怎麼可能一個受盡苦難的民族竟如此殘暴的對待他的鄰居呢？這是艾亞爾 西凡的提問。

我們要從他在1989年所拍攝的一部紀錄片IZKOR, the slaves of memory(導演說有中文字幕版)談起，在這部電影中他詳實細密的拍攝了以色列的教育界從幼兒園、小學、初中直到高中是如何灌輸學生們猶太族從創世紀以來的的苦難；小學生們跟著老師唸著摩西出埃及後「我們就不再是奴隸，我們是自由人了！」

猶太族的苦難是沒完沒了的，納粹集中營大屠殺，整個歐洲數個世紀來的反猶思想和行動，一一化為悲情壯烈的史詩，以色列的小孩從小就要吸收歷史悲情養分，青少年時期受到納粹大屠殺陰影壟罩，到了十八歲當然就要立志保衛這應許之地，在建國紀念日歡呼慶祝。所有的動員和儀式將猶太族的歷史苦難澆灌到新生代的腦袋情懷裡，建構了一代又一代的以色列年輕人。

「我30年前拍的紀錄片到今天還是在現況中，而且以色列的年輕人還更基進。」

從踏進學校的第一天起，你就一步一步地成為記憶的奴隸，更確切的說，集體記憶的奴隸。「記憶像疫苗，是為了對抗罪行，我們以為記憶是為了對抗遺忘，只是記憶一旦被操作，你就成為記憶之奴了。記憶不再是集體，而是將無辜受害深深內化，因此，反擊或所有的暴力加碼都是為了自我防衛，都是受害者的奮力一搏。」艾亞爾 西凡最近在談論迦薩屠殺時，常會提起他在1991年出品的紀錄片。他認為從這個記憶建構開始操作恐懼，「所以我們要強大」，這就是以色列人的想望。

艾亞爾 西凡反對猶太復國主義(錫安主義)的立場鮮明，過去二十多年來經常公開批判以色列政府以屯墾行動擴充版圖驅逐巴勒斯坦人，而受到猶太人團體的敵視，甚至對他發出死亡威脅，2018年他在英國衛報公開聲援巴勒斯坦杯葛在以色主辦的國際演藝競賽，但他還是努力尋求以巴兩族人共生共存的出路，環繞這個主題的作品如Jaffa : mecanique orange，Etat commun la conversation protential 都令人感動。，一個以身為猶太人為榮卻反對以色列殖民擴充，他以影像、書寫、演講為巴勒斯坦發聲。

「過去以色列築了牆，我們還能眼見一道水泥高牆隔開了迦薩和以色列，後來牆邊種植的爬牆虎和其他植物把牆給遮住了，好像這道牆已經不存在了，這就是否認了迦薩的存在。我們在加薩邊上開演唱會，年輕人無憂無慮聽演唱會，非常快樂，因為對他們來說，迦薩是不存在的。因此，十月七日哈瑪斯進擊撕裂了以色列人的否認之夢，這才叫人發狂！」艾亞爾 西凡長年往來以色列法國，他的觀察細膩發人深省。

或許從某個視角觀之，只有以色列人最了解以色列人。

（羅惠珍）

"In the past, Israel built a wall. We can still see a high cement wall separating Gaza and Israel. Later, wall creepers and other plants planted along the wall covered the wall, as if the wall no longer exists. This is to deny the existence of Gaza. We held a concert near Gaza, and young people listened to the concert without any worries, and were very happy, because for them, Gaza did not exist. Hence, October 7th. The Hamas attack has torn apart the Israelis’ dream of denial, which makes people crazy!” (Eyal Sivan)

Who is Eyal Sivan? Why interested in this event that features him and his documentary “Izkor: Slaves of Memory”?

Eyal Sivan is a Jew born and raised in Haifa, Israel. Besides being an internationally acclaimed filmmaker with talents and vision, as an Israeli, Eyal Sivan has a strikingly clear stance when it comes to Israel’s relationship with Palestine: a man who is proud to be a Jew but opposes Israeli colonial expansion.

He has produced several films that "look at the situation of Palestine". Why does Israel treat Palestine in this way? Why do most Israeli people have "no idea" about the bombing of Gaza or the invasion of Palestine? Why do "young Israelis clap and cheer when they see bombers flying towards Gaza?" (Eyal said in an interview). How could a nation that had suffered so much treat its neighbors so cruelly? These are the core questions that he explores in his works.

We invite you to join us in watching "IZKOR: Slaves of Memory", a documentary that was “made 30 years ago but is still relevant today, and young people in Israel are even more radical." Sivan believes that starting from constructing the people’s memory, fear can be manipulated, "so we must be strong." This is what the Israelis want.

In IZKOR, he filmed the Israeli education sector at all levels: How do educators from kindergarten to junior high school to high school instill in students the suffering of the Jewish people since the creation of the world? The primary school students followed their teachers and chanted, "We are no longer slaves, we are free people!" after Moses left Egypt!

From the first day you step into school, you gradually become a slave of memory, or more precisely, a slave of collective memory. "Memory is like a vaccine, it is to fight against crime. We think that memory is to fight against forgetfulness, but once the memory is manipulated, you become a slave of memory. Memory is no longer collective, but deeply internalizes innocent victimization. Therefore, all intensification of violence is for self-defense and a desperate effort by the victims."

Eyal Sivan has a clear stance against Zionism. Over the past two decades, he has often publicly criticized the Israeli government for expelling Palestinians through land reclamation operations to expand its territory. As a result, he has been criticized and received hostility from Israeli groups. In 2018, he publicly supported Palestine’s boycott of an international entertainment competition hosted by Israel in the British Guardian. However, he still works hard to find a way for the Israelis and Palestinians to coexist. His works around this theme include “Jaffa, la mécanique de l’orange”, “État commun - Conversation potentielle 1”. He speaks for Palestine through images, writings and speeches.

(English version of the text translated and revised by Hanh Nguyen)