Nathan Axelrod

Nathan Axelrod, 1946
Nathan Axelrod, 1963

Nathan Axelrod (7 April 1905 – 6 October 1987) was a Belarusian and Israeli pioneering filmmaker. He is known for his "Carmel Diary" newsreels he produced for some 30 years, and his feature-length films.

Life and career

Nathan Axelrod was born on 7 April 1905, in Dubrovna, Russian Empire (now Belarus), to a Jewish family.[1][2][3] He emigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1926.[2][3] He was involved in Zionist activities, and spent time in prison for this.[1]

Axelrod founded the production company Moledat together with Yerushalayim Sega, one of his relatives.[1] By 1935, he shifted his business to new company called Carmel Films.[1] Axelrod's "Carmel Diary" was a news reel "diary" produced for more than thirty years, and was popular within the Hebrew-speaking public.[1] Between 1927 and 1958 he made about 450 newsreels. His Carmel Diary business was created under Herzliya Studios, until he retired from his work in 1956.[1] It continued to be produced without him under the name "Carmel Diary Herzliya".[1]

Axelrod continued his attempts to create feature films while he made newsreels. In 1932, he served as the cinematographer and editor of "Oded the Wanderer", which was the first full-length film produced in the region.[1]

In 1947, he filmed Jewish detainees at Nazi death camps in Cyprus.[4]

He and his wife Leah had four sons.[5]

Death and legacy

Axelrod died on 6 October 1987, and was survived by his wife, three sons, and grandchildren.[3]

His granddaughter Naama Axelrod was interviewed about his life by Rotem Pesachovish Paz.[6] Many of his newsreels are preserved as the Nathan Axelrod Newsreel Collection at the Jerusalem Cinematheque's Israel Film Archive.[7]

Filmography

  • Oded the Wanderer (1932), as cinematographer and editor[8]
  • M'Al Hahuravot / Me’al ha-khoravot (Over the Ruins) (1938), as producer
  • Don Quixote and Sa'ad Pancha (Hebrew: דן קישוט וסעדיה פנצ'ו, lit.'Dan Quihote V'Sa'adia Pansa'; 1956), as producer
  • True Story of Palestine (Hebrew: עץ או פלסטיין, romanizedEtz O Palestina; 1962), as director along with Joel Silberg and Uri Zohar
  • Girls' Paradise Eilat (1964)

See also

References

  1. ^ abcdefgh"נתן אקסלרוד" [Nathan Axelrod]. ספר הקולנוע הישראלי (cinemaofisrael.co.il) (in Hebrew). 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  2. ^ ab"סרטים של נתן אקסלרוד" [Nathan Axelrod]. ארכיון הסרטים הישראלי - סינמטק ירושלים (Israel Film Archive, Jerusalem Cinematheque) (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  3. ^ abc"Nathan Axelrod, film pioneer, dies at 82". Trove (Obituary). The Jerusalem Post International Edition. 14 October 1987.
  4. ^Teutsch, Yitzhak (July 23, 2019). "The Cyprus Detention Camps: The Essential Research Guide". Cambridge Scholars Publishing – via Google Books.
  5. ^""מילדות גדלתי עם ההבנה שאנחנו חלק ממשהו גדול" ★ Special interview with Naama Axelrod - Audition". October 19, 2022.
  6. ^""I grew up with the knowledge that we were part of something big": Interview with Naama Axelrod".
  7. ^"The Nathan Axelrod Newsreel Collection". Jerusalem Cinematheque – Israel Film Archive.
  8. ^"Oded The Wanderer". Israeli Cinema & Film Collection. The University of Texas at Austin.