The Story
Four American former raft guides are improbable explorers of a dying river on the border between Israel, Jordan, and Palestine.
Yet the Jordan River holds a deeply rooted place in the psyche of three of the world’s major religions, appearing throughout sacred texts, music, and media. So much so that when we learned of the Jordan’s decline to the point of near extinction, it struck a chord we weren’t even aware existed.
The Jordan River has played a major role in shaping human society as we know it, providing fresh water and fertile soil for some of the earliest civilizations and witnessing the rise and fall of empires. It is was Jesus’ baptismal waters, it is the lifeblood of the Jewish holy-land, and its banks are the burial grounds for the Prophet Muhammad’s closest companions.
For centuries, the lower Jordan Valley served as one of the largest bird migration sites in the world, as well as the biologically diverse sanctuary where the flora and fauna of the East African and West Asian continents come together.
The Problem
Today the river tells a different story from the life-giving tale it has told for a millennium.
Today the waters reveal the story of the impact of human political conflict as Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel take from the Jordan River without international regulation or waste-management infrastructure. The tension between the riparian nations has led to negligence and mistreatment of the watershed. A lack of a trilateral water management agreement has allowed for excessive extraction, harmful waste practices, and a tendency to assign blame to others rather than take responsibility for the river’s well-being. As a result, the Jordan River has seen its water flow reduced by 96% over the last fifty years.
The Mission
Our journey took us from the northern tributaries of the river, across the sea of Galilee, and south towards the dead sea.
We encountered many people along the way who shared a deeply rooted history and love for the river and its life-giving waters. Our documentary aims to bring attention to this sacred river’s decline and shed light on the many potential solutions to a seemingly insurmountable issue.