Exploring Israel Through Film, Part II: A Song of Loves - Documentary and Talk with Rafael Balulu

Rabbi David Buzaglo was the greatest Hebrew liturgical poet of the twentieth century. Born in Morocco in 1903, his literary output had a major impact on a community of hundreds of thousands of people. From his prolific period in the Diaspora to the years he spent in a ruptured Israel, Buzaglo’s poetry has initiated an abrupt shift in Sephardic liturgical writing, but it also served as a vital link between the modern era and a tradition that dates back to Spanish Jewry’s Golden Age. But Buzaglo was more than just a great poet. The actions he took at seminal moments in history had a critical impact on shaping the identity of Maghreb Jews. This film is an intimate look at Buzaglo’s life and career, from its roots in the rich tradition of Hebrew poetry in Morocco through the liturgical revolution in Israel.

Frankel Fellow Rafael Balulu is an award-winning filmmaker born in Israel to a Jewish Moroccan family. He is the director of the films A Song of Loves (2015) with R. David Buzaglo) and Levantine (2019) with Jacqueline Kahanoff, among others. He is currently working on a monumental documentary series recounting the history of the Jews in the The Muslim world, writing a feature film about the Israeli Black Panther movement, and directing a documentary feature film about the life and politics of Rabbi Israel Abuhazira – the Baba Sali. Balulu has produced, written, and directed projects for television, and eight short films which won international prizes. Rafael teaches film studies at the Technion’s department of architecture, is a board member of the Israeli Documentary Filmmakers Forum, a member of the Israeli Academy of Film and Television, and a board member of The Lottery Council for Culture and the Arts where is held the position of the chairperson to the subcommittee of Film & Television. He holds a bachelor’s degree in film studies from the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School. He lives in Jaffa.

SAJE is endowed by a generous gift from Cis Maisel and supported by Carol & Ronald P. Fogel, Sheri & David Jaffa, and Elaine & Michael Serling through The J's Pillar of Light Program.