Postpone Miami Beach ‘No Other Land’ vote | Opinion

I am a proud native of Miami Beach. I went to elementary school at North Beach Elementary, and I went to a synagogue across the street at Temple Beth Sholom, where my mom worked.

I now live in Jerusalem with my wife and our 3-year-old daughter. I am pursuing a doctorate in Jewish and Israeli education from the University of Haifa, and since Oct. 7, and for many years before, I have worked to teach North American Jews about current events in Israel and the occupied territories.

Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner is trying to pass a resolution to terminate the lease and remove funding from O Cinema on Miami Beach after it screened this year’s Oscar-winning documentary feature “No Other Land.”

As I read in a Miami Herald article from March 14, in the mayor’s opinion, “No Other Land” is a “false one-sided propaganda attack on the Jewish people that is not consistent with the values of our city and residents.”

As a former Miami Beach resident, educator and scholar on the subject, and as someone who has spent time in Masafer Yatta and seen first-hand the dangers and challenges residents there face daily, I believe that “No Other Land” connects to several of my deepest-held values:

• The value of justice: in seeking justice for all people.
• The value of knowledge: in learning about social issues that affect people from around the world.
• The value of diversity: in engaging people who hold different cultures, identities and beliefs from my own.

I was taught those values as a child in North Beach and Beth Sholom in the heart of Miami Beach. As such, I am curious about how Meiner arrived at the conclusion that this film doesn’t represent the values of Miami Beach. Which values in particular don’t align with our city, and what specifically within the film does he take issue with?

From the impressions Meiner shared publicly about the film and from his proposed vote on the issue on Wednesday, he is probably not yet at a place for me to ask him to reconsider his proposal to terminate the lease and defund the O Cinema.

Instead, I ask that the commission postpone the scheduled vote to a later date so that we might use this moment as a learning opportunity for Miami Beach residents to clarify our collective values and truly understand what issues the film raises.

It’s important for those voting on this proposed action and other Miami Beach residents of conscience to understand with depth what story “No Other Land” is telling and how it’s situated within the broader Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

In fact, to facilitate our learning about this film and this issue, the filmmakers of “No Other Land,” Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham, have generously agreed to permit the people of Miami Beach to watch the documentary online, for free.

A free community screening of “No Other Land” was offered online from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 18.

I believe this is a great opportunity for Meiner, city commissioners and all Miami Beach residents interested to learn more about the film and the issues it raises.

I hope the commission decides to postpone the scheduled vote and engage the people of Miami Beach in a more thoughtful and deliberative process about the film and O Cinema’s right to screen it. If they do so, residents will know that our public servants are willing to listen to the concerns of our community and willing to learn substantively about the issues they seek to legislate.

In the end, if the mayor and the other Miami Beach commissioners still choose to terminate the lease and defund O Cinema, then at least we will have collectively and intentionally discussed whether this is the right move forward for our community and grow closer as a result — even in our differences.

If you care about this issue? Call your Miami Beach commissioner.

Bryan Hanan Oren (formerly Bryan Susman) is an activist and a doctoral candidate in learning and teaching sciences at the University of Haifa in Jerusalem. He is a Dorot Fellow alum with a Master in educational leadership from the University of North Florida.

This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 11:20 AM.