On November 17, 2026, in Netanya, there will be a screening of the Israeli documentary film “This is Our Home” about the life of the Jewish community in Ukraine during the full-scale Russian invasion. After the screening, viewers will meet with director Alex Osmolovsky, ask him questions, and discuss what they have seen. The event starts at 19:00, and the ticket price is 85 shekels.
Author: Stas Shifer, NANews
The screening will take place as part of the film club in Netanya, in the “Dortmund” hall of the Gehal HaTarbut cultural center. The 64-minute film will be shown in Russian and Ukrainian with subtitles in Ukrainian and Hebrew.
Why Jews of Ukraine continue to call it their home
At the center of the documentary “This is Our Home” (The Community) are Ukrainian Jews who remained in their country after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.
Through interviews and personal stories, the film tells how the war has changed the daily life of Jewish communities, what role religious traditions, culture, and memory of the past play in it.
The film’s characters experience the events in different ways. They are united by their attitude towards Ukraine as their own country, despite the danger, destruction, and uncertainty.
A separate theme of the film is the situation of Ukrainian Jews against the backdrop of Russian statements about alleged widespread Nazism in Ukraine. The director addresses the real fates of people whose lives and attitudes towards their homeland do not fit into such political claims.
Alex Osmolovsky returned to Ukraine, which he once called home
For director Alex Osmolovsky, working on the film was also connected with a personal story.
He once lived in Ukraine and considered it his home. Years later, Osmolovsky returned to see how the Jewish community is experiencing the war and to understand why people continue to associate their future with a country under Russian attacks.
The film’s producer is Michael Katrich, founder of the Israeli company Laco Films. The film was created with the participation of Israeli and Ukrainian filmmakers.
The film has already been presented to an international audience. In July 2025, screenings took place in Haifa and Tel Aviv, which NANews reported in a separate publication.
Now residents of Netanya and neighboring cities will be able to see the film and talk with its director.
After the film — a conversation with the director
The evening program will not be limited to the film screening.
Alex Osmolovsky will personally meet with the audience, talk about the history of the film’s creation, and answer questions. Participants will be able to discuss the fates of the characters, the preservation of Jewish identity, and the connection between people and the country where they were born or lived a significant part of their lives.
For the Israeli audience, especially for those from Ukraine, these questions are directly related to family history. Many Israelis maintain relatives, friends, and cultural ties in Ukraine, and some families have been divided by the war.
The film offers a look at this connection through the eyes of those who stayed in Ukraine.
Where and when the screening will take place in Netanya
- Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2026.
- Time: 19:00–21:00.
- Place: Netanya, Gehal HaTarbut, “Dortmund” hall.
- Address: Derech Raziel St., 4.
- Film duration: 64 minutes.
- Languages: Russian and Ukrainian.
- Subtitles: Ukrainian and Hebrew.
- Ticket price: 85 ₪.
Tickets: Buy a ticket for the film screening “This is Our Home” on November 17 in Netanya.
The film screening and subsequent discussion will give viewers the opportunity not only to learn about the stories of Ukrainian Jews during the war but also to speak directly with the person who filmed these people and asked them the question: why does Ukraine, despite everything happening, remain their home?