OBLAST by
A Birthright Data Analysis Intern gives an end-of-quarter presentation. What begins as a Powerpoint on declining enrollment and political ambivalence grows stranger and stranger as it turns into a tale of the Intern’s relationship. Ever since the Intern’s partner learned about Birobidzhan - the USSR's Jewish Autonomous Oblast and the world’s first (semi)autonomous Jewish state – she’s become obsessed. She...
A Birthright Data Analysis Intern gives an end-of-quarter presentation. What begins as a Powerpoint on declining enrollment and political ambivalence grows stranger and stranger as it turns into a tale of the Intern’s relationship. Ever since the Intern’s partner learned about Birobidzhan - the USSR's Jewish Autonomous Oblast and the world’s first (semi)autonomous Jewish state – she’s become obsessed. She digs through books and online archives, and eventually travels to the remote province for a research project. But when she returns, the Intern notices some changes. She emits a constant hum, interferes with the WiFi, and is intent on convincing the Intern to send future Birthright participants to the Oblast. In this TED Talk gone awry, the Intern tests how propaganda, nation, and memory unravel when we set Israel and Birobidzhan side-by-side.