Different Binding: The Myth of the Binding of Isaac in Two Israeli Documentary Films on Combat Stress Reaction.

This article seeks to point out a phenomenon in Israeli cinema: a return to the story of the binding of Isaac [the akedah] in its biblical version. Against the background of the traditional casting of the akedah myth in Israeli art, where the miracle of Isaac’s rescue is replaced by his death, and the ram is missing from the picture, recently Israeli documentary films have appeared that deal with combat stress reaction, which shapes the story of the akedah in a way that is faithful to the biblical story. They reinstate within the plot the story of Isaac’s replacement by a ram and describe life after Isaac saw the knife raised over him, where the traumatic memory of the past upsets the routine of the present. At the same time, the films are informed by the Israeli art tradition, with one film adopting the hegemonic view of Abraham, who raises the knife, while the other adopts the critical view of Sarah, the mother, who identifies with the victim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]