In Our Hands: The Battle for Jerusalem (2017) Reviews

• More than I expected, refreshingly well done.

  paulandnickel2017-05-23

  I'm going to be honest. I'm not a super huge fan of CBN productions. Nothing specific other than typically their work is very campy or slanted. This was surprisingly refreshing, from the trailers you would think this would be a start to finish reenactment.. however, the refreshing aspect was that it was more of a true documentary with stunning historical photos and interview with surviving members of the IDF who were apart of the battle. There was live action reenactment but it wasn't the bulk of the film which really lent to it's credibility. The acting was done well enough, again it's worth the watch.

• Jerusalem of Gold

  lucascolebooks2017-06-25

  Stirring, documentary of the famous six days war, in which Israel liberated Jerusalem. The movie merges actual film sequences from the war with survivors' testimonies and also well-acted dramatizations that put the viewers into the battles. From the political and ethnic friction that led to the war to the ground-level foot soldier exploits (an elite IDF paratrooper battalion), the film is tightly directed and edited, and of high production value. The actors are believable and the musical score quite moving. Very well done.

• This is a very good, accurate record of 1967 events

  Labriut82017-05-24

  I have already read much on Israel's creation, declaring independence and the Six Days War to be able to recognize accuracy. This is very accurate and very clarifying regarding the Jews struggle to re-take Jerusalem despite enemies and biased world opinion. I appreciated the testimonials of actual combatants coordinated with the recreated scenarios. It was very moving and provoked a real emotional response from me. This is a great tutorial for people wanting to have a better understanding of why little, tiny Israel is so significant in the arc of history...past, present and future. Gordon Robertson's "wrap up" at the conclusion is excellent. I highly recommend this.

• Much More Complex

  westsideschl2018-07-24

  I have no particular interest in the Arab/Palestine-Israel issues, and so found this dramatized semi-doc to be a bit one-sided defense of Israel. Largely dealing w/their Old Jerusalem Six-Day War with a number of Arab states. The story starts w/the UN vote to "divide the land of Israel into two states". Some Israelis celebrated and some did not, "They divided my land. Where is our Hebron? Where is our Shechem? Where is our Jericho? "have they the right to give away even a centimeter of our land? God forbid!, They divided the Land of God". What is the the foundation for this sense of ownership? The justification that it was God's gift to Judaism as being the first inhabitants 5000+ years ago, but historically that is questionable & seems to me to be a weak present day justification. Since then a complex history in which blame can easily be spread about. The many conflicts are used as justification to decide who has access and rights in Jerusalem region. Even as I write this Palestinians in Israel are further denied basic democratic rights. Israel's relations with the Palestinians has similarities to apartheid, but closer to my country it shares a resemblance to Euro-American 19th & 20th century Native people's placement onto reservations. In both cases we have fenced barriers & containment of culture, opportunity, movement, resources, and rights. And, as the resources on these "reservations" became valuable those lands were taken away, often by force. The history of this latest imbalance of power can be fact checked by looking at just two statistics. The number of killed (Palestinians vs. Israelis) since 2000 (10,000 vs. 1200); since the '50s maps showing the "acquisition" of Palestinian land by Israel. Still another way to understand the Palestinian POV is to imagine this: If someone much more powerful than you was slowly strangling you to death would you give up and die or would you fight back? Decades have shown those to be the only choices available.

• Bad production, not accurate at all

  shineonleon2018-04-24

  This is clearly propaganda... So sad to see the reviews from people claiming these are the accurate events...