Awake Zion
- 2005 (2005)
Awake Zion is a 2005 documentary by Monica Haim that explores the connection between Jews and Rastafarians.
Synopsis
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Matisyahu.png/220px-Matisyahu.png)
In Awake Zion, Haim travels from Manhattan to Jamaica and Israel, interviewing Rastafarians and rabbis to highlight similarities between their worldviews. Haim, a young Jewish woman, says she first perceived a connection between Jews and Rastafarians at a reggae concert.
Haim interviews Super Dane, an African American DJ in the Brooklyn reggae scene, who is shocked by Matisyahu, a Hasidic reggae artist from White Plains, New York. The film also features Jamaican-born Israeli rapper Yehoshua Sofer.[1]
Response
Most reviews of Awake Zion emphasize the documentary's social conscience in trying to bridge a gap between two seemingly different cultures. Rather than being scholarly, Haim's tone is described as "gently irreverent".
See also
References
- ^ Fox, Michael (6 May 2005). "Rastafarians and Jews rock steady in 'Awake Zion'". J. The Jewish News of Northern California. ProQuest 367643580.
External links
- The Cinema Guide
- Awake Zion's website
- Review of Awake Zion
- Programa Radial de Reggae y Cultura de Jamaica