Agnes Caffin’s Scheherazade And The Kosher Delight is a lesson in the limits of tolerance.
Presented free of charge on line by the Toronto Jewish Film Foundation, this unusual French movie mainly unfolds in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Paris. Although it was released in 2011, its message is timeless and universal.
In the opening scene, the camera pans on Scheherazade (Nailia Harzoune), an attractive young woman. She is wearing a jersey emblazoned with the words “I’m a Muslim” as she walks toward her destination.
Why anyone would want to make that kind of a statement is odd. It is eye-catching, if not juvenile. Caffin was probably trying to create a frisson of tension early on in her 20-minute picture.
Scheherazade, in fact, is answering a newspaper ad. An upscale kosher restaurant requires a worker, and she thinks she can fill the role. There are two problems. She does not have a work permit, and she is a Palestinian.
Esther (Fanny Ardant), the prejudiced proprietor, is shocked by her presence and has no intention of hiring Scheherazade, who hails from the Gaza Strip via Damascus. Esther is suspicious of her dark eyes, never mind the rest of her identity.
Esther’s behavior is not really surprising. Israel and the Palestinians have been at each other’s throats for decades now, and Jews supportive of Israel tend to mistrust Palestinians.
Joseph (Jacky Nercessian), a wise old man who seems to be Esther’s relative, is more open minded. He convinces Esther to give her a break. Esther is receptive to Joseph’s suggestion. Her ad has gone mostly unanswered, and Scheherazade seems competent enough.
At first, Esther and Scheherazade quibble over the salary. Then they delve into more substantive matters. Scheherazade admits she is not “crazy” about Jews, but discloses that a Jewish man saved her brother’s life. The details of this incident remain unexplained.
Esther is a good listener, but she cannot overcome her fixed view of Palestinians. In her opinion, they are violent people.
On her first assignment, Scheherazade drives Esther to the coast. They get to know each other better as the walls of suspicion begin to fall. Now they can relate to each other as human beings rather than as political adversaries. Now they can learn that tolerance is a positive value to be cherished.
Such values are rare in the wake of the October 7, 2023 massacre in southern Israel and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. What tolerance there was on both sides prior to Hamas’ attack has given way to anger and vengeance. One wonders whether Scheherazade And The Kosher Delight, a competently-crafted movie, could have been made today. In this respect, it feels like a time capsule.