Ralph Benmergui: My Israel is a five-part series for VisionTV that examines the past, present and future of Israel as the country marks its 60th anniversary. The program follows award-winning Canadian broadcaster Ralph Benmergui as he embarks on a deeply personal journey through this fascinating and troubled land.

Born in Tangiers but raised in Toronto, Ralph Benmergui is the product of several cultures: part Moroccan, part Canadian, and all Jewish. At Hebrew school, he was immersed in the post-Holocaust vision of a new kind of Jew: one who stood strong and free, rooted in the soil of an embattled but independent Israel.

Now, after decades of political strife, he finds himself struggling to reconcile the romantic ideal of his youth with the complex realities of present-day Israel.

Ralph Benmergui: My Israel brings one of Canada’s most renowned journalists face to face with Israelis from every stratum of society, and shows the Holy Land in ways that few Canadians have been privileged to experience. The series is a heartfelt exploration of belief and values, conflict and reconciliation, poverty and class, ethnicity and identity – all seen through the eyes of a Moroccan-Canadian Jew as he strives toward an understanding of this extraordinary country.

Ralph Benmergui describes this project as the most raw and personal of his 30-year career in broadcasting. “This trip was something I’ve always dreamed of doing,” he says. “I want people to see the real Israel, in all its complexity and beauty.”