The tribe
The library has an interesting little package titled The Tribe. It contains a postcard a deck of cards with special instruction on how to play them, a booklet containing facts and inspiration about Jewish life throughout time and space. The main item in the box, the one that gave the content and context for the others, is however a 15 minute long DVD. On the top level it is the story of the Barbie doll that was created by a Jewish woman. On a deeper level though, it is a socio-anthropological exploration of Jewish identity. First it situates within the context of wider society what belonging to a certain tribe means. Then it goes through various aspects of what being Jewish means. Finally at the end it points back to the original framework of how small and integrated the Jewish community is within the whole of humanity. I assure you the video is much livelier than this dry description. The clever usage of well-known images and clips mixed with lesser known ones, along with intelligent narration creates an overall rather enjoyable presentation. To learn more about the film check its website, watch the trailer below or better yet borrow the DVD from the library.