THE DIRECTOR ABOUT THE FILM
THE DIRECTOR, ULRIK GUTKIN
I have never considered it a problem being a Danish Jew. My great-grandparents came to Denmark more than a 100 years ago, and I am no different from the 5.5 million other people living in Denmark.
Four and a half year ago I had a baby boy and I was at loss. According to Jewish tradition, all male children must be circumcised before they reach the age of eight days. However, Felix’s mother, my girlfriend Signe, was strongly opposed to this tradition and I suddenly realised that there are several differences between the Danish and the Jewish culture. What was I supposed to do? And who was I really?
In the documentary I try to uncover what it means to be a secular Jew and the problems involved in having a “hidden” second identitity – an identity that I am not even that familiar with myself. The main thread in the documentary is the question whether Felix is to be circumcised or not – an ongoing discussion not only with my girlfriend but also inside my own head. Either he will be circumcised or not – there is no in-between and it can’t be undone! One of us has to give in, completely!
Why does a non-religious Jew suddenly feel the urge to pass on his Jewish identity to his child? – and how can he do that? The documentary tries to find the answers to these question in a relaxed and humorous way, revealing that identity – the question of who or what you are – is not easily answered.
The documentary is based on my own story and I am merely a Danish Jew. My parents and my grandparents are Jewish. I have attended the Jewish school, Carolineskolen, and I played badminton and soccer in the Jewish sports club, Hakoah. We kept kosher at home, but not when visiting non-Jewish friends. I have celebrated my Bar Mitzvah, but we didn’t attend the Synagogue very often. Until the birth of my son, the “Jewish thing” was never an issue, but now I ask myself “who am I? and how can I pass on my Jewish heritage?”
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