MEN OF VALOR: ?Hill 24 Doesn?t Answer,? the first Israeli motion picture filmed in English, is being released on DVD.

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Jewish state, ErgoMedia has released on DVD what could be called the first classic of Israeli cinema: “Hill 24 Doesn’t Answer.” At the time of the film’s original release, in 1955, The New York Times called it “an uncommonly forthright and absorbing tribute to largely unsung valor.” Six decades later, it remains this — and perhaps even more.

MEN OF VALOR: ?Hill 24 Doesn?t Answer,? the first Israeli motion picture filmed in English, is being released on DVD.

The film, by British director Thorold Dickinson, was Israel’s first motion picture filmed in the English language, and triumphed as a groundbreaking exposé of the 1948 War of Independence. It follows three men and one woman, all of them Zionists, who are assigned to protect a strategic location hours before the cease-fire that ended the 1948 war. The majority of the movie is spent exploring the personal stories of the four Zionists. The film conveys the different ethnic and religious backgrounds from which they came, and what exactly brought them to this unlikely time and place in their very different lives.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

In many respects, “Hill 24” portended Israel’s future as a contributor to Western cinema. At the time, the majority of Israeli films centered on themes of traditional Zionist ideals, most notably owning and working land and connecting with the ancient roots of Judaism in the Holy Land. “Hill 24” instead focuses on why it is that Jews and gentiles forming an unlikely fellowship would choose to risk their lives to defend a new Jewish homeland from the threat of annihilation.

In a recent interview with the Forward, Michael Wager, the actor who played the role of New Yorker Allan Goodman, said that looking back on making the film “brings back a time when idealism and hope were much higher.” But if the film feels anachronistic in some ways, it also serves as a reminder — especially salient in times likes ours — that idealism and hope are sometimes found in the unlikeliest places.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount