Nafkot - Yearning
Director Malka Shabtay
Israel
Runtime 01:10:00
Completion Date: January 1, 2022
An israeli anthropologist traveling to meet a hidden jewish community in north Ethiopia, together they telling their special story of survival . Abera, a young artist joins to discover what has been hidden from him
Director - Malka Shabtay
Dr. Malka Shabtay is an applied anthropologist, working almost 40 years with the Ethiopian Jewish Community in Israel. She taught at the Ruppin academic center, the institute for immigration and social integration and various other academic institutes... She combines research, consultancy and training for various organizations who are interested in applying cultural and cross cultural perspectives in their work. She has published 15 books and many articles.
Until recently she was working at the ministry of education, at the department for children and youth at risk. She is responsible for projects and implementation of policy with Israeli Arabs, Orthodox Jews, and new and old Immigrants. In the last ten years she is involved with diverse Jewish communities, especially the Lemba of Zimbavewe, the Abayudayaha in Uganda, the Hidden Jews of Ethiopia, and the Bnei Annussinm in Brazil.
Her fields of interest and actions are: Israeli society, cultural competence for professionals, diverse Jewish communities, Judaism in Africa and Brazil.
She is also practicing coaching with culturally diverse clients.
So far she completed two ethnographic films: Cameroon my petite ville (2021), and Nafkot (Yearning 2022).
Malka is a mother to Tevel, 19 years old, which had traveled with her and volunteered in the communities she is involved with.
Director Statement
This film is the result of my five years involvement and mission as an applied anthropologist with this special hidden Jewish community. The long process of research, filming and editing has been made in full collaboration with community leaders and the three main film heroes. The film is aimed to support our struggles in Israel and Ethiopia for recognition of this community as a true Jewish community, and for them to receive their religious and human rights in Ethiopia.
