Tashlikh (Cast Off)

Tashlikh is the name of a Jewish atonement ritual, in which bread or other objects are thrown into the river to symbolize the casting off of sins. Yael Bartana’s film takes a fresh look at this ritual. In slow motion, accompanied by a hypnotic soundscape, a diverse collection of objects tumble down across the screen. They are the photos, keys, guns and countless other personal possessions of both the victims and the perpetrators of genocide. Not only is the Holocaust represented, but also the Armenian genocide of 1915, and the more recent "ethnic cleansing" in Sudan and Eritrea. It's as if we're looking from above at the flow of a virtual river. The objects tell personal stories, and at the same time they speak for a larger, shared history. They are the silent witnesses of past suffering, and their rehabilitation opens the way for admissions of guilt, recovery from trauma, forgiveness and liberation.