Totally Booked with Zibby

Episode: Nim Shapira, TORN: The Israel–Palestine Poster War on New York City Streets
Date: December 3, 2025
Host: Zibby Owens (substitute host: Alex Strauss)
Guest: Nim Shapira, filmmaker of "Torn"

Episode Overview

This special episode of Totally Booked with Zibby features a recorded live conversation from an On Being Jewish Now event in New York City. The main focus is filmmaker Nim Shapira’s documentary, Torn, which captures the emotional and societal aftermath of October 7th, 2023, as reflected through the poster campaign for Israeli hostages, subsequent poster removals, and the deepening divides on New York streets. The episode delves into Shapira’s motivations, the polarized reactions to the posters, the challenges of documenting an ongoing tragedy, and broader questions about empathy, dehumanization, and dialogue amid conflict.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction and Immediate Reactions

• [03:23] Alex Strauss opens by acknowledging the impact of the documentary and introduces Nim Shapira.
• Nim provides context for his background as an Israeli-American, his professional experience in advertising and film, and the immediate decision to get involved after October 7th.

Notable Quote:

“I wanted to make a film that is an invitation for a conversation, and mostly a film that asks more questions than it gives answers.”
— Nim Shapira [04:20]

Motivation and Inciting Incidents for the Film

• Nim describes being in Israel during October 7th and volunteering with families of hostages, making videos for the missing.
• Two key events pushed him toward the documentary:
  1. The widespread appearance–and then removal–of hostage posters on city streets he intimately knows.
  2. The loss of social cohesion within his communities: as an artist, vegan, and gay man, facing shocking messages and rifts even among former friends and assumed allies.

Notable Quote:

“I always say, it’s important for me to say that I’m not the victim—there are people that lost their lives... But I think all of our mental health has declined as we are on the outer circles of what is happening.”
— Nim Shapira [07:27]

• He emphasizes that Torn is as much about America and New York as it is about the Middle East:

"Not only the posters were torn, but the social fabric of the city was torn as well."
— Nim Shapira [09:40]

Grappling with the Motive Behind Poster Removal

• Alex draws a comparison to 9/11, suggesting such acts of tearing down would have been unthinkable then.
• Nim explains he deliberately chose not to question “poster rippers” directly on camera, wanting instead to represent a spectrum of motivations, not to simplify or villainize.
• He shares a poignant story of an Indian man who, after being doxxed for tearing down a poster, went through a journey of education, dialogue, and ultimately remorse and reparative action.

Notable Quote:

“Nothing... in the world is black and white. There is a spectrum... yes, there are people who are anti-Semitic and ripping down the posters. But there are also people who... have only seen social media footage of what is happening in Gaza and they are sure these posters are evil.”
— Nim Shapira [13:10]

“Boycott is not advancing dialogue. We need more dialogue. We need to connect to people we disagree with and stop living in bubbles.”
— Nim Shapira [14:42]

The Making of the Film & Editorial Decisions

• Nim focused the film on the first three months of the war, stating that posters (as physical objects and symbols) would not last.
• Gathering footage involved combing through social media, news broadcasts from multiple sources (from Al Jazeera to Fox News), and interviewing a diverse group of Jewish New Yorkers.
• He highlights editing as the most challenging part, given the unfolding events even as he tried to craft a narrative.

Notable Quote:

“When people commend me for making a neutral film, I say: nothing is neutral in this life. I am a Jewish Israeli and I’m trying to zigzag between the narratives. But of course, it’s from my perspective.”
— Nim Shapira [22:20]

The Emotional Impact and Lessons Learned

• The conversation turns to personal and communal transformation.
• Nim reflects that with each viewing, the news and his own perspective shift. He began seeking answers to why someone could dehumanize a child (like Kfir Bibas) and “erase our grief.”
• He observes a widespread inability to hold two truths at once—acknowledging both Israeli and Palestinian suffering—a theme reinforced in the documentary.

Notable Quotes:

"When they tear down the posters, they are erasing our grief. They are taking away our grief."
— Nim Shapira [27:55]

“What surprised me the most is the fact that people can’t hold two thoughts... can’t understand... there are hostages that have been kidnapped... there is so much that’s happened. And, you know, I showed Alana on the stage... she has the most direct skin in the game.”
— Nim Shapira [29:30]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On his art and intention:
  “I wanted to make a film... that asks more questions than it gives answers.” [04:20]
• On the complexity of social response:
  “Not only the posters were torn, but the social fabric of the city was torn as well.” [09:40]
• On dialogue and boycotts:
  “Boycott is not advancing dialogue. We need more dialogue... stop living in bubbles.” [14:42]
• On the emotional toll and inability to acknowledge grief:
  "When they tear down the posters, they are erasing our grief. They are taking away our grief." [27:55]
• On his hope for dialogue:
  “If we can’t have peace, at least we can acknowledge that there is enough walls that we can cover our grief with the posters of our loved ones.” [28:40]

Episode Timeline & Important Segments

• [03:23] — Alex Strauss introduction & first question.
• [04:20] — Nim describes his background and what led to the film.
• [07:27] — Two key incidents that motivated Nim; community ruptures.
• [09:40] — Nim reframes the film as American, not Middle Eastern, in context.
• [11:23] — Why do people tear down the posters?
• [13:10-14:42] — The spectrum of motivations and the limitations of boycott.
• [21:45] — The practicalities of making the film during conflict.
• [26:36] — How the process changed Nim and what surprised him most.
• [29:27] — Loss on both sides and the challenge of holding space for both narratives.
• [31:27] — Film availability, Oscar hopes, and closing.

Conclusion

"Torn" invites viewers—and listeners—to grapple with the complexities of empathy, propaganda, and grief in an age of echo chambers and polarization. Nim Shapira’s conversation is a call for dialogue over boycott and for holding space for multiple truths, even in the face of profound loss.

Streaming link mentioned: torn-film.com
Oscar campaign in progress.

Host (Alex): “Thank you so much for making this piece... this documentation that really will live forever and hopefully people will get a better understanding.” [31:27]
Nim: “If you want to let your friends and family know, the film is streaming on torn-film.com... we are trying to win an Oscar with the best documentary... Odds are against us, but we’ll go as far as we can.” [31:27]