Kaddisch für einen Freund (2012)

“In the beginning was water.” So begins the story in Kaddish for a Friend of a friendship between Alexander, an elderly Russian Jew, and Ali, a young Arab. Water drips from the ceiling of the new apartment Ali’s family has moved into. Ali is asked to investigate and goes upstairs to the apartment above. The washing machine belonging to the old man who lives there has overflowed, and Ali tries to help. When he realizes the man is Jewish, he runs off to tell his father, who is full of hatred for Jews. The family had lived for a long time in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon and has been living in Berlin-Kreuzberg for several years, but has only temporary permission to stay. Through his cousin, Ali gets to know a group of other Arab youths. The violent group urges him to break into the Jewish man’s apartment, and together they ransack it. Alexander surprises them and is able to identify Ali. He reports the incident to the police. The threatened criminal proceedings could mean that Ali’s family is deported from Germany. Ali’s mother manages to keep the matter from his father and persuade Alexander to give her son a second chance: Ali must give up his vacation to renovate the apartment. For Alexander, this is a chance to avoid being placed in a nursing home by the social services. At first, the two work together on the renovation very unwillingly. Ali accuses the Jew, who lived in Israel for a time, of his people having driven out the Palestinians, while Alexander accuses Ali’s people of killing innocent people in bomb attacks. But gradually they grow fond of each other; a friendship slowly develops, and they help one another. Ali recreates the destroyed paintings and photographs from memory, and Alexander, a former physical education teacher, recognizes the boy’s talent and gives him the praise his father withholds. But Ali has to keep his friendship secret from the others, especially his father. That is why he does not manage to be there when the social services inspect the apartment. But with the apartment freshly renovated and a little luck, Alexander convinces the social services employees that he is able to look after himself. He also points out that his son will take care of him. Now Alexander wants to make good on his promise and withdraw his complaint. But this proves difficult. As a witness in court, he argues with the judge and becomes so enraged that he suffers a spell of weakness and has to go to the hospital. Ali visits him, and at first Alexander mistakes him for his son. When Ali sees how weak Alexander is, he tries to find Alexander’s son. He searches the apartment and a small box that was very important to Alexander. There he finds the answer: a newspaper clipping and a letter from the Israeli army stating that Alexander’s son was killed in a bomb attack. But before Ali can return to the hospital, Alexander has died. Ali goes to the funeral, and one of Alexander’s friends calls him over. He is allowed to say the Kaddish, a Jewish prayer normally recited at the graves of their parents by the eldest son. This is a special tribute to his efforts and his friendship with Alexander. Ali’s father, who has by now learned what happened, picks Ali up from the cemetery and embraces him lovingly. Little by little, he has let go of his general hatred of Jews. The film calls for reconciliation between the two peoples—despite the suffering that individuals have endured and continue to endure. The group of youths also illustrates that in every people there are vengeful, narrow-minded individuals (the leader, who turns against his own people too) as well as people capable of change, who learn from their mistakes (Ali and Alexander).