Shalom Abu Bassem

In 1986, I filmed for the first time in Haladiya Street in the Moslem Quarter of Jerusalem. Since then I have been constantly returning and documenting all the turbulent changes in the street. It is a street with whispers and magic and our story revolves around two central figures who live here, Abu Bassem, a Palestinian, and Danny Rubins, a Jewish settler. I first filmed Abu Bassem in November 1986. That was after a rabbinical student from the "Shuvu Banim" yeshiva was stabbed to death near Abu Bassem's home by three Palestinians from Jenin. To this day Abu Bassem lives in the same house where he was born 57 years ago. Now Abu Bassem finds himself in one continuous on going battle against pressure to evict him from his apartment. I also met Danny for the first time in November 1986. At that time Danny was a new resident who had come from America and was reconstructing his house in the courtyard facing Abu Bassem's apartment. At that time all his neighbors were Arabs. The material, which I filmed over the years, showing the density, the intimacies and complexities of life on the street, can also be seen as a microcosm of what is happening in the battle for the soul of Jerusalem. Nissim Mossek studied at the Beit Zevi Drama and Film School. Mossek is a film director and editor. Among his many credits are the feature film "Shigaon Shel Moledet" ('79), and the documentaries "Have you heard of the Black Panthers, Mr. Moshe?" ('74) and "War and Peace in the Middle East" ('95).