''The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem'' (Hebrew: מלכת היופי של ירושלים) is an Israeli television series based on the novel of the same name by Sarit Yishai-Levi.

Overview

The series started airing on June 7, 2021, on the

Yes Drama Yes Drama (styled as yes Drama and formerly called ''yes stars Drama'') is an Israeli television channel carried by the Israeli satellite television provider ''Yes (Israel), yes'', which broadcasts United States, American, England, British, Can ...

channel. The first two episodes of the series have been available on Yes VOD since June 3, 2021. At an event held in East Tel Aviv in December 2021, Yes unveiled its new original productions for 2022. It officially announced that the series had been renewed for a second season, which was screened toward the end of 2022. Filming of the series began in the summer of 2020 in various locations in the city of

Safed Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel. Safed has been identified with (), a fortif ...

, among them, at the

Frenkel Frenel Museum Frenkel Frenel Museum is an art museum in the northern Israeli city of Safed. It was also known as Frenkel's Castle in the press. History The museum is in the former home of Franco-Israeli international artist Yitzhak Frenkel. It was opened in ...

and the Beit Castel Gallery. It closed the Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles in May 2022. The first half of Season 1 premiered on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

in the UK, France, the U.S., Argentina, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and other areas of Europe on May 20, 2022, and the second half premiered in the same regions on July 29, 2022. Season 1 became available on

in Australia, Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand, and South Africa on February 9, 2023. Season 2, re-edited as 16 episodes from its original broadcast of 26 episodes in Israel, became available on Netflix in all the aforementioned countries above on July 14, 2023.

Plot summary

The series tells the story of the Ermoza family, intertwined with the history during Ottoman Empire, Ottoman rule and then under the Mandatory Palestine, British Mandate for Palestine. It also explores the family's fortunes during the subsequent periods of depression and war. The series' plot takes place simultaneously on two timelines wherein present and past stories are presented alternately, centered around Gabriel (Michael Aloni) and Rosa Ermoza (Hila Saada), and their three daughters. The eldest, Luna (Swell Ariel Or), is her father's favorite; Rachelika, and Becky. The relationship between Gabriel and Luna contrasts with his lack of love for his wife, Rosa. Her jealousy of Luna leads to complex conflicts in the family.

Cast

Production

After the novel sold more than 300,000 copies, Yes Drama bought the rights and adapted the book ''The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem'' as a daily melodrama series. The creators are the screenwriters Shlomo Mashiach, Esther Namdar Tamam, and director Oded Davidoff, with Artza Production. Filming for the series began in the summer of 2020 in various locations in the city of

, including the

and the Beit Castel, Beit Castel gallery. The daily TV series is based on the plot of the novel. The novel tells the story of the Ermoza family of Jerusalem. They are a Sephardi Jews, Ladino-Sephardic family that was cursed: The women who marry into the family are not loved by their husbands. The novel follows three generations of family from before the establishment of Israel until the 1970s. The theme song is written by Daniel Salomon (musician), Daniel Salomon.

References

External links