The Women's Balcony

If you have never been in an Orthodox Synagogue before, then you may not even be aware that the sexes do not mix and that women must worship from an upstairs balcony overlooking the (holier?) men. In this particular case, the balcony actually collapses in the middle of a Bar Mitzvah in this small, run down synagogue in Jerusalem. The accident really unbalances the elderly rabbi once he discovers that the one person who has been seriously injured is his own wife.

Without him at the helm, the small, tight-knit community finds a temporary place to worship but as it is further away the men actually have trouble get the required number to attend to fulfill a minyan. The answer to their prayers comes in the form of a very young, energetic rabbi, David (Avraham Aviv Alush), who offers not to just lead the services but also supervise rebuilding their old synagogue. However, they soon discover that there is a black cloud to this silver lining, as this charismatic young preacher is ultra-conservative; when their building is re-opened, the congregation realizes that he has deliberately not added the women's balcony. He insists that from now women be restricted to worshiping in a small anteroom.

Undeterred, the women take matters into their own hands. Once they establish how much a new balcony would cost, they raise all the money for it themselves. Once they hand the money over to Aaron (Itzek Cohen), the synagogue's treasurer, however, Rabbi David tells him that he should invest the entire sum on some new Holy Scrolls.

The young rabbi soon realizes he has underestimated this small, but determined, group of women. They are prepared to disobey him, and their husbands too, if their demands are not met. That means getting the money back they raised for their balcony, as well as rescuing their liberal synagogue from what they rightly perceive is an onslaught of extreme religious doctrine threatening to ruin their community.

Directed by Emil Ben-Shimon from a script by newbie Shlomit Nehama, this delightful Israeli film makes for an entertaining take on a very serious topic. His band of extremely talented actors, including Evelin Hagoel, Einat Saruf, Orna Banai and Sharon Elimelech (who play the tenacious leaders of the women) really make the movie a joy. Adding some romance between one of the young women and one of Rabbi David's acolytes is a neat touch, too, and ensures that the story keeps its light touch to the end.

Religion is usually no laughing matter, but audiences in Israel have made this a big box-office hit -- a feat this sweet film has every chance of repeating here.