The Hobbit in Israel or 'My Personal Obsession with Tolkien Just Got Kicked Up A Notch'

I recently saw the new Hobbit  movie with my husband and some friends of ours here in Jerusalem. I can't tell you how excited I was for this. Despite the fact that it was in 3D - the 48 FPS was awesome but the 3D was overkill - I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and am soon to see it a second time with my brother in law. I freakin love Tolkien and I am obsessed with Peter Jackson's adaptation of his work. As a student of cinema there are literally dozens of reasons I could list in order to describe why I think Jackson's work on these films is stupendous. But I won't right now. Right now, I want to tell you about something interesting I thought about upon seeing this film for the first time.

Seeing it in Israel was interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly, I didn't expect there to be such a following here in the holy land. Also, I went into it thinking the subtitles in Hebrew at the bottom of the screen would be very distracting; happily they weren't at all. Second, and more to the point of this point, the movie seemed to really resonate with the audience beyond mere entertainment. Israeli audiences were really moved by the portrayal of the an ancient clan coming back to reclaim their ancestral homeland. Wait a minute. . . 

It didn't take long before the imagery slapped me in the face either. The Dwarves are the Jews. Did Tolkien knowingly draw his inspiration for this plot from the Jewish experience? Who knows. . . but go with it for a minute.

As if I needed another reason to absolutely adore Tolkien's sheer brilliance, here are some motifs and themes which I read into the movie (and books many years earlier but it's only now that I'm piecing it all together) and which, not surprisingly, seem to resonate very strongly with Israeli audiences, knowingly or unknowingly.

In the book it goes into this in more detail- it's only mentioned in passing in the movie - a special language- the Dwarves have a special, almost holy tongue which not many know or can read. When the Dwarves were banished from their homeland they started speaking other languages so they could communicate and work among men and hobbits. But they maintained their language teaching it to their kin and offspring and using it for special occasions. It keeps them separate. It anchors their identity. And it gives them hope. 

Jewish comparison: Obviously this is Hebrew. Nuff said.

Again from the book, and mentioned only superficially in the movie, but the Dwarves are very few in number. Compared to the elves, men, and others- the Dwarves number very few. This is super surprising because they live for like, 250 years and marry around age 100 so you'd think this wouldn't be the case but whatever. It is. Small nation among all the other ones. Always has been. Jews.

The Dwarves have been attacked, chased, scattered, regathered, and attacked again multiple times. By Orcs, Dragons, Gobblins. They went from Mountain to Mountain until they were finally scattered for the long haul. Babylonians, Persians, Romans. My theory has some traction, you must admit.

Because of the Dwarves many exiles they had to pick up trades and skills they could take anywhere. The Dwarves became smithies and masons. Working with stones and steel. They didn't own land in their wanderings, they settled here and there, so farming wasn't a viable option. Jews were merchants. Money lending people. Currency changers. That's us. And the Dwarves even got a bad rap for being gold-hording, money-hungry, greedy, large nosed creatures. Come on! We share the curse of bad circumstance is all. But share it we do.

For a long time, the Dwarves were the only beings who withstood the evils of Sauron and the Ring. They couldn't be taken by it's power. Everyone else 'fell into it's darkness' but the Dwarves stayed strong. It's assimilation the way I see it. Everyone around them was buying into this new philosophy, this new outlook, but the Dwarves/ Jews were too stubborn and insular. They weren't having any of it.

I could go on, or not, but I would be remiss to not point out the biggest and most obvious similarity of them all: The Dwarves had their ancient homeland taken away from them and now they are returning to reclaim it! The Arkenstone/Temple and of course the Lonely Mountain/ Israel. Ya.

 It's an industrious ancient people who have long memories, don't believe in forgetting your enemy, are exiled from their homeland, have a special relationship with G-d (see Aulë referenced in other Tolkien's writings), live dispersed among other peoples but in their own communities, have their own language which they only use among themselves, physically not so attractive (except for Thorin, ladies. . .) and are stereotypically associated with a passion for wealth. Am I reading a lot into something that may not exist at all? Maybe. 

But that's what movies do. They touch us as people, right where we are, or rather, right where we want to be. They present us with stories which the audience relates to through the lens of our own experiences, cultures, biases and world views.

So kudos Peter! Bravo J.R.R. Yasher Koach! Here's one fan whose drinking the juice and going back for more.

Oh, and here's something to leave you with. Neil Finn's amazing rendition of the Song of Lonely Mountain. Lyrics below if you want to join me in reading into Jewish history and symbolism. 

To quote one excited reviewer "Neil Finn was right. Pop music does need more anvil". My g-d I agree.

Lyrics to “Song of the Lonely Mountain” by Neil Finn

Far over the Misty Mountains rise
Leave us standing upon the heights
What was before, we see once more
Our kingdom a distant light

Fiery mountain beneath the moon
The words unspoken, we’ll be there soon
For home a song that echoes on
And all who find us will know the tune

Some folk we never forget
Some kind we never forgive
Haven’t seen the back of us yet
We’ll fight as long as we live
All eyes on the hidden door
To the Lonely Mountain borne
We’ll ride in the gathering storm
Until we get our long-forgotten gold

We lay under the Misty Mountains cold
In slumbers deep and dreams of gold
We must awake, our lives to make
And in the darkness a torch we hold

From long ago when lanterns burned
Till this day our hearts have yearned
Her fate unknown the Arkenstone
What was stolen must be returned

We must awake and make the day
To find a song for heart and soul

Some folk we never forget
Some kind we never forgive
Haven’t seen the end of it yet
We’ll fight as long as we live
All eyes on the hidden door
To the Lonely Mountain borne
We’ll ride in the gathering storm
Until we get our long-forgotten gold
Far away from Misty Mountains cold.