Lauren Kramer wrote this wonderful review of The Original Promise on Canada’s Israel.

By Lauren Kramer

Doug Kooy is a Canadian filmmaker who believes Canadians need to know the real story of life in Israel, not the story of war, bombs and fighting that the media portrays. He made it his business to try and tell that story of everyday life, spending $800,000 to produce The Original Promise, a documentary that premiered in March 2009.

Since the demographics of Israel are young, Kooy knew he needed to partner with someone from the younger generation, preferably someone Jewish who was coming to terms with their religious identity. He found that partner in Farrah Aviva, 25, a Jewish actress from Kelowna, BC with bright eyes and a spirit open to adventure and exploration.

It was an uncommon partnership; Kooy, 62, a preacher’s son and Aviva, a fashion designer-turned-actress whose high school friends had called her “Jew.” The two traveled to the Holy Land for 21 days in 2008, without accepting sponsorship from anyone. They interviewed some 12 citizens of the country, including a rabbi, an inventor, several entrepreneurs, a comedian, a mayor and a hip hop artist. The Original Promise is a series of interviews with these people, offering their perspectives on Israel and snapshots of daily life. It’s a compelling 125 minutes of screen time, that’s for sure.

“This is the Israel that’s not being reported in the media,” Kooy says earnestly. “In North America we say we support Israel, but what do we really know about it? It’s so politically charged the way it’s portrayed in the newspaper.”

While spending time in Israel, Kooy was struck by the values Israelis share with Canadians, particularly the country’s democratic nature, its women’s rights and its freedom of religion. “We heard a Jewish cantor singing on the Mount of Olives while Muslims were observing Ramadan and Christians were praying nearby,” he recalls. “That’s not something you’d ever see in Iraq.”

While he admits there’s no such thing as an unbiased documentary, Kooy and Aviva tried their utmost to stay away from hot political issues. “We didn’t want to get into the Palestinian question,” Kooy admits. “But I felt someone non-Jewish needed to take a stand for Israel. In spite of what the world thinks, Israel is making huge contributions in science, medicine and high tech. Why is that not being mentioned?”