Every year our favorite Bellingham movie theater The Pickford hosts Doctober, a month long celebration of documentary film. This year they are showing a film: Shalom on a Monday evening, and we will watch it as our gathering for the evening!
If you would like to join us, please email Pastor Emma (emma@echoesbellingham.org) to let her know so she can get you a ticket. We would gladly accept donations to cover the cost of attending the film, but most importantly want you to attend, so don’t let cost be a barrier.
This documentary looks at the conflicts across religion and culture in Israel from a Palestinian Muslim, an Israel Jew and the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. After the film we will have the option to discuss the film and go for a bite to eat/beverage at a nearby restaurant.
SHALOM: Set within the unlikely refuge of the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, Shalom unfolds as a deeply moving and unexpectedly resonant portrait of care, coexistence, and life amid conflict. At the center of the film is Shalom, a beloved rhinoceros whose declining health forces a difficult reckoning for the people who care for him. Among them are Rushdi, a Palestinian Muslim from East Jerusalem, and Gilad, an Israeli Jew from West Jerusalem, whose differing views on how to respond to Shalom’s suffering reveal larger questions about responsibility, compassion, and the meaning of freedom. As visitors from across Jerusalem's religious, ethnic, and political divides wander the zoo's pathways, war and political turmoil intensify beyond its gates, casting a shadow over this fragile shared space. When Shalom's story comes to an end, new challenges emerge with the arrival of another rhinoceros and an unusual task: finding a way for two powerful male rhinos to coexist within a confined habitat. Rich with humor, tenderness, and unexpected symbolism, Shalom transforms the daily rhythms of a zoo into a poignant reflection on captivity, coexistence, and the enduring hope for peace in a deeply divided land.
Tickets: https://www.pickfordfilmcenter.org/movie/shalom?date=2026-10-12#/movie/shalom
Trailer: https://youtu.be/QBgnv1tcJeM
We encourage you to check out the whole Doctober lineup