Men of Israel

Men of Israel is a 2009 gay pornographic film released by Lucas Entertainment studio. Journalists from The Atlantic, Out Magazine and Yediot Aharonot noted it as a landmark film as the first pornographic movie shot on location with an all-Israeli cast; while Tablet magazine and the Los Angeles Times remarked on it being the first to feature an all-Jewish cast. Director Michael Lucas—who is Jewish and obtained his Israeli citizenship (made aliyah) in 2009—undertook the film as "a bold move to promote Israeli culture and tourism" and to counterbalance what he saw as biased portrayals of Israel in mainstream media. Director Michael Lucas was born in Soviet Russia and experienced antisemitism at an early age, which led him to form a strong connection with his Jewish identity and the state of Israel. Lucas is particularly well known for his activism and outspokenness on a variety of issues in LGBT and Jewish cultures. Hezbollah's attacks in the 2006 Lebanon war stirred Lucas to go to Israel to entertain gay soldiers who are allowed to serve openly in the military. The trip stirred debate in Israeli society, which is pulled between a progressive, almost secular Tel Aviv—named the "gay capital of the Middle East" by Out Magazine—and the conservative, Ultra Orthodox community centered in Jerusalem. His New York Blade columns on Ultra-Orthodox Judaism and Islam sparked a campus debate at Stanford University in February 2008 when Lucas was invited to give a speech to students. The New Republic and the New York City media have called him the "Lion of Chelsea" and the "last of the New York porn moguls". He contends that his film Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita is the most expensive gay porn film ever made, with a budget of $250,000 and multiple celebrity cameos. In 2009, Lucas was inducted into the GayVN Hall of Fame, noted for "his stature as an A-list director and performer". According to Lucas the intent of the film is to help viewers see Israel for its geographic features and history, and a place not much different than Prague or Palm Springs: an inviting LGBT vacation destination where handsome men have sex.