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Jealous of the Birds

Sponsored Project

  • Jordan Bahat, Director/Producer
  • Associate Producer: Chevy Chen, Producer
"Jealous of the Birds" Film poster. This poster has a vertical German Flag (Black, Red and Gold) as the backdrop. In front of the flag is a silhouetted tree with two figures standing at its base.

About the Project

About 30,000 survivors returned from camps and remained in Germany despite the tension and paranoia that came with living in the society of their perpetrators. Among them, my grandparents. How could they stay?

Jealous of the Birds was born from this pivotal question. The quest begins in Frankfurt and we quickly discover there is no simple answer. Everyone has different stories. The film grapples with these and we discover a community that is unique. There is no illusion here. Only in Germany do Survivors come face-to-face with the people implemented in their near extinction whenever they leave their homes.

Jealous of the Birds examines the judgment pitted against these Survivors, deemed Jewish pariahs, the crisis of identity that plagues their children, and questions of guilt, shame and national identity over generations.