Love of Torah on Screen: Interview with the Winner of the First Prize in Jewish Cinema

About half a year ago, Elad Mokades was at a new stage in his life – as a student in the ninth grade at Yeshivat Maor Tuvia, studying at the Jewish film school 'Torat Chaim'. He decided to produce a very significant short film aimed at presenting a love story for the Torah.

The script he wrote with great talent was different and unique compared to other scripts – the protagonist is a yeshiva student who experiences tension between learning and action, and as a result, decides to leave his studies and join his friends in entering a film production competition. However, he is torn between Torah study and the film, leading to complications and ultimately a happy ending that we will leave behind the scenes.

This is not the first time 'we were like dreamers' – Elad and his friends invest in producing quality content filled with ethics. At the end of his first year of studies, he did so through a video dealing with an iPhone, which became viral.

Even now, ahead of the new film, Elad knew from the outset that he wanted to succeed in creating a quality piece both professionally and in terms of the message conveyed. However, the challenges were numerous, including the high production cost, and he had no idea where to obtain the funds.

The Photographer Who Came via Hidabroot

The dream didn't allow Elad and his friends to give up, and so he was interviewed on the Hidabroot website and talked about his dream – to strengthen viewers through a short film full of Jewish messages. This attracted many responses, more than he could have imagined.

Speaking with him today, he recounts with excitement that shortly after the article was published on Hidabroot, a photographer named Roy Yusupov contacted him. "He called me and asked if we were looking for a photographer. We checked on him, met him, and it turned out he was a professional photographer with very high-quality equipment. I was very impressed by his readiness to join for a very symbolic fee. I asked him what prompted him to approach us, and he replied that he subscribed to Hidabroot's newsletter, and one time when he read it, he saw our article. He told me: 'It's no coincidence that I decided to join you, I do this because your film's story is also my story. Since my days learning in a kollel, I experience this tension between creating positive cinema and dedication to Torah study, and I also want to inspire people.' It was amazing, and it amplified the genuine sense of mission in our journey."

Elad adds that they witnessed many moments of divine providence and friendly dedication regarding the film's budget. "It was truly amazing because many people from our yeshiva's staff, rabbis, and students decided to contribute to the project and donated as much as they could. There were also kollel students who donated significant amounts, much more than the monthly scholarship, because they truly saw it as an important goal.

"And beyond the money, they greatly helped us with advice along the way and in writing. We wanted the film to align with the truth of Torah along with a well-constructed and moving plot. It's clear to me that only thanks to everyone's involvement did we ultimately succeed in producing something so high-quality," says Elad. "Personally, I saw in this support how much people are willing to support Torah because they saw the quality script and understood that this is not just a movie, but a film full of love. Love for Hashem, love for the Torah, and such love that is so strongly connected to the love between all the people who were part of this story."

Endless Investment

The production of the film itself, according to Elad, was a massive physical effort. "It required us a vast amount of coordination and logistical work. There were five filming days that lasted from morning until night and were very concentrated."

But everything was accompanied by inspiration and internal energy. There were also very moving moments along the way, one of which was the bond that developed between the yeshiva guys and the production team and a professional soundman from the secular sector who works in the industry and joined the production. "He came to us from Emek Hefer and was supposed to return home overnight, but he wasn't willing, so he simply slept here at the yeshiva for five nights. After we finished the filming, he sincerely said to us: 'It's hard for me to leave you; I discovered an amazing world. I don't know what exactly causes this – the company or the Torah, but something is happening here.' When we screened the film this week, he came especially to watch and shared that even his cat has learned to sing 'Ashreichem Ashreichem Talmidei Chachamim' – a song that accompanied the filming and was present throughout the film. He shared that he has never come to see films he participated in producing, except this time. We were fortunate to meet a dear friend, and we are sure that this connection will continue."

During filming, Elad needed the help of his friends who were invited to come study in the beit midrash and serve as background actors. "They came specifically since it was the intercession period – to ensure filming didn't interfere with regular yeshiva study," he emphasizes. "I told them before filming that although all Torah study impacts all of Israel on an internal level, now the impact is also on a very direct level, because it's filmed and can touch hearts. Indeed, the authenticity of the fervent and enthusiastic study was very moving. Harel Cohen, one of the friends, sat in a place where he couldn't move much for precise filming, so he couldn't turn the page of the Gemara. By the end of filming, he already knew the topic by heart from all the repetitions."

And like in every movie, 'We Run' had scenes that particularly challenged filming. "Even though the movie talks about studying the Talmud's depth, throughout the movie we incorporated the aspect of good and quality analysis that exists in the yeshiva. In one scene in the lecture room, 'Gadi' shares his innovation on the topic with his rabbi. Of course, we pre-wrote the text, and the actors got into character and rehearsed, but when we filmed repeatedly, it sounded artificial and simply not believable. At some point, I told them 'cut' and asked them to try to forget about all the text we worked on and the entire crew now around them and just truly study the topic as they would normally in the beit midrash. It was amazing; they started studying, and at some point, R' Yitzchak Anati, who played the rabbi for analysis, genuinely reached an innovation on the topic from their mouths and not from the text. That's one example of another special and uplifting moment that occurred during the filming itself..."

Love of Torah in First Place

This week, the film screening competition at the Torah Chaim yeshiva for the year 5778 was held, in which Elad's film won first place. "The competition was attended by the head of Torat Chaim institutions, Rabbi Shmuel Tal, and the head of the large yeshiva 'Maor Tuvia', Rabbi Yitzhak Sabato, and of course, other rabbis, family, and friends who participated in the production along with hundreds of other people. At the end of the film, we went on stage, the actors and the director, and we did a real Siyum Masechet, including the Tractate, Kaddish, and dances, it was a moment that connected everything."

In conclusion – how do you feel about fulfilling the dream?

"I can say one thing – the Gemara says that in the future, circuses will become study houses, and the question is – how will this happen? Will the films be holy films, or will the Torah lessons be delivered in stadiums? I think we managed to combine both interpretations together, as we made both a holy film and a Siyum Masechet."

And it cannot be finished without asking – where can we see the film?

"The truth is," he replies, "that at the first moment I wanted to immediately disseminate the film via the internet so that everyone who wants can watch and be inspired. But I understood that it would be better to screen it first in educational institutions and different events so that we can also cover the expenses and save for the next film... Apparently, movies don't grow on trees, certainly not Torah films."