The Ancestral Sin

In the early 20th century, the Jewish Agency’s social housing project was integral in settling the land of Israel. While most Jewish immigrants wanted to live in the cities, the Jewish Agency used questionable tactics in order to help population dispersion: convincing mostly Sephardic and Mizrahi immigrants to settle in the most destitute areas of the country, which came to be known as Israel’s ‘development towns’.

Using personal testimonials and previously- sealed government transcripts, director David Deri uncovers an unsettling dark chapter in Israel’s historical narrative, and reveals the racism that shaped the country.