Comments on: Video: Full Episode

By: khaled

khaled — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:09:30 +0000

Very touching story, thank you.

By: Roxanna

Roxanna — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:10:46 +0000

What an moving story. It brought tears to my eyes and what a compassionate man who would donate his sons organs to whomever in a region where such segregation and prejudice is practiced generation after generation along with obvious inequities……..
May real good come from that kind of generous intention.

By: Luis Hernandez

Luis Hernandez — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:21:04 +0000

This should teach us here in America at what magnitud the hatred can scalate if not properly contain.
this is happening to the Immigrant comunity here in the USA, They are isolated, discriminated, Marginated and can no longer provide for their little ones. You heard it all over the news.
God help us all!!!!

By: C

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:08:38 +0000

Please, please provide contact information so that all of the people so inspired by this little boy’s family can support their generosity and vision for peace.

By: E

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 05:17:21 +0000

I am not here to judge Mr. Levinson on his actions, however viewing them were disheartening. As a jewish person who has grown up and went to the same kind of ultra-religious schools as him, we were taught, and if it were any of the vast majority of those ultra orthodox jews who may have received an organ donation as well, to believe in certain jewish concepts such as, “hakoras hatov” which means to acknowledge the good done to us, -no matter who it from, and the concept of one who saves a life is as if he saved the entire world. In this case, I speak matter of factly that, no matter if the donor’s father is a muslim arab, he would and should have been thanked just as much as had come from the other families.

Watching certain things that Mr. Levinson and his wife said made me cringe, but speaking from someone from that world, I can promise you, that utmost gratitude would, and rightfully so, should have been shown to Mr. Khatib and his family.

If Mr. Khatib and his family will eventually get to read this post, I am not sure. But I hope he and they do, to know that it is our view to show him eternal gratitude for saving the lives of 6 children and in particular one jewish soul.

The almighty should bless you and your family with health, happiness, material and spiritual success, in all that you do.

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:30:51 +0000

I want to thank PBS for their bravery in airing this documentary. I found it heartbreaking but also very informative in showing that there are radical Jews in this conflict. It is crucial that Americans are exposed to this and that they understand extremism doesn’t only possess Arabs.

By: Miriam

Miriam — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:03:26 +0000

One could feel the love that Ishmael Khatib carries for his dead son Ahmed in the affection and hope he bears for the children he visited who received his son’s heart, liver, kidneys,etc. It was a generosity unimaginable that perhaps sustains him in his grief. He is extraordinarily compassionate stalwart and humane despite his suffering. You could sense his genuine affection for each of the children that he visited but I kept waiting for some spark of humanity, warmth, engagement from the orthodox jew who would have preferred a jewish donor he said and later appeared to apologize for saying. It was like entering a meat locker in terms of lack of welcome there. The summation lacked any depth at conclusion from Brown and Litchfield–instead lots of platitudes and cliches. I thought the Swedish film a profoundly beautiful statement about moving thru loss, grief with dignity.

By: Nadia

Nadia — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:36:00 +0000

Thank you for this documentary. What a generous and loving father to have given the gift of life to children after losing his own child. Good bless this father and his family during their grieving process.

By: m.Deeb

m.Deeb — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:51:48 +0000

Great project! On top of what #s 18 and 20 have said; When does the realization of the capable film maker to create the fake balance of casualties, and price paid, by the human lives mostly by the Palestinians, as equal to the suffering inflicted on the Israelis by the Palestinians. He could not have been that naively deceived by any one else but his own intentions to portray it in such form. I rested assured, after reading the comments, that he really did not fool any one but himself. You have done a good job; Integrity would have elevated your labor ten folds more. Humanity will always prevail, it does not matter what color blood runs in it veins. Ismael and his family have shown us that.

By: Heidi L Mischler

Heidi L Mischler — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:24:37 +0000

Awesome indepedent film-very moving. Unfortunate that one child had to give his life, hoping spare the other children. How innocently does a child look at his/her health? Yes this was a different and difficult decision for a parent to make. Especially when it comes down to two different regions of thought, concept, religion,and beliefs. Who is right to choose the right from wrong? Children ultimately are a blessing from one God/Allah. A gift above all things. If this is what it will take to “tear down the walls.” Then so be. Maybe we should all be more the children and look through butterfly wings and rainbows. Peace will come in time. Like a childs steps.

By: Joan C

Joan C — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:16:56 +0000

I wish the analysis afterwards could have added a more accurate perspective. Gideon’s statement that Palestinian self identity was a nineteenth century phenomomenon ignores the reality that Palesinian families just like Greek and Italian families around the Mediterranean have lived on their land for centuries. Religious Jews were a tiny accepted minority until political Zionism began.

They could have mentioned some statistics about “violence” which is so often atributed to Palestinians. A military occupation of forty years is inherently violent. Many, many more Palestinians are being killed or wounded by Israelis than the other way round. Assassinations, land, water and property grabs, house and orchard demolitions, 10,000 in prison and documented torture all include violence or the immediate threat of it. Since Israel insists on continuing settlement expansion, I don’t see any bona fide wish for peace.

Aaron Brown could have pointed out that Levinson had tremendous chutzpah in suggesting that Ishmael the Palestinian could easily leave his hometown of Jenin and find work elsewhere. Levinson’s parents were from New York and Chicago in a country so many long to come to and his wife had a British Midlands accent. They have somewhere else to go whereas Ishmael doesn’t and shouldn’t have to leave his ancestral town of Jenin.

By: Shabina Hussain

Shabina Hussain — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 06:05:08 +0000

A very moving and realistic depiction of middle-east present day reality.Donor’s father sums it all in the end- What else do they want from us? On the other hand Levinson appears ungrateful and suggests that they should migrate.Shouldn’t “religious and orthodox” be human first? but sadly that is not the case….

By: Marjorie ford

Marjorie ford — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 04:11:07 +0000

So good, and yet. . .
Why did you not acknowledge that the first intifada was mainly non-violent?
Why did you present Ahmed’s story as if it were an event among a few others? while speaking of suicide bombings as if they were more frequent that Palestinian deaths?
Why did you not say that the overwhelming number of deaths were to Palestinians by Israel?
Why in the post film discussion did you limit the Palestinian “narrative” to be only about a relatively recent attachment to the land rather than point to their history of domination by the West while Jews “narrative” being about a compelling personal history of suffering?
The film was so artfully made and undoubtedly raised the consciousness of many otherwise uninformed people; It would have been well within your remarkable skill to include these essential truths you missed w/o turning the film into something biased.

By: STK

STK — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:43:14 +0000

The arrogrance of the Levinson’s mirrows the problems of the Palestinan issues.He listens to God, but what God? He will continue to teach hatred. Mr Khatib on the other hand is a forward thinking humanitarian. Palestine needs more like him.