Chaim Elbaum | ואהבת (And Thou Shalt Love) / 2007

tearing against faith

by Douglas Messerli

 

Chaim Elbaum (screenwriter and director) ואהבת (And Thou Shalt Love) / 2007

 

Ohad (Uri Lachmi) serves in the Israel Defense Forces as a Hesder student, but has been feeling sexual desire for his extremely handsome learning partner Nir (Omer Zonenshein). His sexual d esires quite clearly are at war with his religious identity, and he calls “Ztzat Lev,” similarly named to the real organization Atzat Nefesh, an entity which, as Wikipedia informs us, “claims to treat homosexuality with the help of a conversion therapy.”

     Ohad is encouraged to repeat the “Tikkun HaKlali” and fast for forty days, convinced that at the end of that period, which coincides with Nir actually being called up for army service, he will be cured of his desire for men. Also, a thick rubber band is tied to his wrist which by snapping it until the wrist bleeds is supposed to help him deal with his “forbidden feelings.”

     Ohad, going by the name Moshe, calls the center after 40 days and suggests he is a changed man; he even asks the rabbi to arrange a marriage for him.

      But with the sudden return of Nir, all his attempts to rid himself of his homosexual feelings  are, he realizes, for naught. He attempts to keep a distance from Nir, but as roommates, best friends, and study partners it is nearly impossible to escape his feelings for the handsome soldier.

      After several attempts to escape Nir’s queries about the changes he observes in his friend, along with the literal “forcefield” of Nir’s personality, Ohad finally admits to both the phone voice at Ztzat Lev and to himself that it has all failed. He is in love with Nir, and feels fulfilled when he is around him. The therapist can only provide him with a list of further self-punishments, and Ohad hangs up in tears.

      When he attempts to show that love to Nir, however, he is rejected, Nir telling him that he must leave the Yeshiva. Moreover, Nir attempts to block Ohad, a Cohen,* to bless the blessing of priests (“Cohanim”), demanding to know of him, “How can you pray if the Torah says that this is an abomination?”

      Strangely, in Nir’s rejection, Ohad suddenly comes to terms with his own feelings, turning away from his former friend, and removing the rubber band on his wrist, before participating in the blessing.

      Despite the fact that Israeli cinema had already produced some truly remarkable gay cinema, particularly through the contributions of Amos Guttman and Eytan Fox, this film was an important work of its time (2007). As the Wikipedia entry notes:

         

“The hero is torn between his love for his God and his desire to be a full partner in Torah and Yeshiva life, and his sexual orientation. The recognition of his attraction to men creates a difficult conflict for the hero, both with his faith and his identity. The film touches on the loaded subject carefully and does not suggest any solution to the dilemma facing the protagonist.

     Along with other developments of the time, such as the establishment of organizations such as Bat Kol, Havruta and Hod, statements by rabbis such as Yuval Cherlow who deviated from the traditional position on the subject, and documentaries Trembling Before G-d and Keep Not Silent, the film led to the opening of an open internal discussion within Religious Zionism on the status of gays and lesbians in the religious society, and the beginning of a change in relation to them.”

 

     And Thou Shalt Love won the best drama award at the 2008 Jerusalem Film Festival and other cinema awards.

 

* Kohen (also spelled cohen or kohan) is a descendant of the sons of Aaron who served as priests in the Temple in Jerusalem.

     Traditionally, kohanim (the plural of kohen) get special honors in synagogue, but also are subject to certain restrictions. Like Levites, who are descendants of the priests’ assistants and also singled out for certain honors, kohanim are descendants of the tribe of Levi. Many people with the surname Cohen, Kahn, Katz (and their various spellings) are kohanim, and many with the surname Levi or Levy are Levites.

     Among the special honors kohanim receive: They are given the first aliyah (being called to the Torah) when the Torah is read in synagogue, and during some services they reenact the giving of the priestly blessing.

 

Los Angeles, June 21, 2025

Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog (June 2025).