From BMH-BJ Congregation in Denver to Sixth & I in Washington, D.C.— and as far as Gondar, Ethiopia — hundreds of Jewish congregations and communities worldwide will show the large-scale premiere of the English version of the Israeli film “Legend of Destruction,” on Monday and Tuesday to mark Tisha b’Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar when Jews mourn the loss of the First and Second Temples.

“Legend of Destruction,” — in Hebrew, Agadat Hurban — first released in 2021, charts the period leading up to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and tells the story of societal fractures that led to its destruction. The film was directed and produced by Israeli director Gidi Dar, who has also directed the popular Israeli film “Ushpizin.” 

The film took eight years to produce and is the first animated feature of its kind, using some 1,500 original still paintings drawn by David Polonsky, who illustrated the Oscar-nominated “Waltz with Bashir,” and Michael Faust.

“During this highly polarized time we find ourselves in, the message of the destruction of the Temple serves as a warning not only for the global Jewish community but all democracies,” said Dar, the winner of four 2021 Ophir Awards (Israeli Academy Awards). In addition to the destruction of the temples, several tragedies faced by the Jewish people throughout history have fallen on Tisha b’Av, including the expulsion of England’s Jews in 1290, the banishment of all Jews from Spain in 1492 and the start of the mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to Treblinka in 1942. The film release comes as Iran has threatened to attack Israel on the day of Tisha b’Av. 

“Everyone told me to hurry, but unfortunately, we didn’t have to worry because it’s just going to get more and more relevant,” Dar told eJewishPhilanthropy. “I don’t influence reality, but it somehow coincides.” 

The film will only be available through group screenings, not for individuals to watch online. Dar noted that this leads to “unity” of the broad swath of Jewish communities — which also includes groups in Singapore, South Africa and India —  gathering together to screen the film at the same time, which he said is “so needed in a time of peril.” 

The film’s characters are voiced by several prominent actors, including Oscar Isaac (“Dune,” “Star Wars,” “Moon Knight”), Evangeline Lilly (“Lost,” “Antman”), Elliot Gould (“M*A*S*H,” “The Long Goodbye”) and Billy Zane (“Titanic”). The Hebrew version received four Israeli Academy Awards in 2021 including Best Artistic Design, Best Editing, Best Soundtrack and Best Original Music. It received praise from then-Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who in a plenary in the Knesset urged parliamentarians to watch the film and internalize its message. Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the time recommended making the film mandatory for all high school students.

The worldwide screenings commenced on Wednesday in the courtyard of the Tower of David in the Old City of Jerusalem. A handful of Christian groups are also expected to screen the film in coming weeks, according to Dar. “The political metaphor in the movie [is not just for Jews],” he told eJP. “We’re talking about a story that’s 2,000 years old and a moment in history that changed the destiny of the Jewish people and Christianity in general as well.” 

“What is described is a society that is totally divided… it’s a good metaphor for all democracies today in the world.”