The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem – The True Story, Cast, And More

“The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” spans the 1920s to the 1940s. It is the story of the Ermoza family, a Sephardic clan in Jerusalem that owns a “delicatessen” — their struggles, triumphs, and despair.

Based & created on a chart-topping novel by Sharit Yishai-Levi, the series follows the ups and downs of the Ermozas, an upscale Sephardi family in pre-state Jerusalem. Awkwardly toggling between the early 1920s and late ’30s, the drama emphasizes the female head of the family, Merkada, and her luxurious son, Gabriel.

They are a Ladino-Sephardic family that was cursed: The married women face alienation from their husbands. The novel trails three generations of family from before the establishment of Israel until the 1970s.

Plot:

The series expresses the story of the Armoza family, entwined with the history of Ottoman rule & then under the British Mandate for Palestine. It also discovers the family’s fortunes during the subsequent periods of depression and war.

Occurring during the Ottoman Empire and the subsequent British Order, the extravagant costume drama centers on the Ermoza family, wealthy Sephardic merchants who own a shop in Jerusalem’s Machane Yehudah.

Merkada is the unkind and powerful materfamilias of the family. Her son, Gabriel, marries Rosa, and the two have three daughters: Luna, Rachelika, and Becky. The series follows the family’s romances and outlawed loves, tragedies, and battles in a changing, turbulent time and place.

Theme:     

The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem is an astounding story about mothers & daughters, secrets & betrayals, and a binding curse. Gabriela’s mother, Luna, is the most good-looking woman in all of Jerusalem, though her famed beauty & charm appear secretive to everyone but her daughter.

• Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) language, culture, and history
• Sephardi-Ashkenazi relations
• Arab-Jewish relations
• Ethics and Pre-State Jewish Underground Defense Organizations

Background & Production:

After vending more than 300,000 copies of the original novel, YES Drama bought the rights & reformed the book “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” as a daily melodrama series. Initial filming for the series began in the summer of 2020 in several locations in Safed, including the Frenkel Frenel Museum and the Beit Castel Gallery.

The screenwriters created it, Shlomo Mashiach Esther Namdar Tamam, directed by Oded Davidoff, with Artza Production. The series “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” is established in the novel’s plot.

TBQJ Main Characters, Cast & Crew:

Series cast:

1. Swell Ariel Or as Luna Ermoza (played in 70 episodes)
2. Michael Aloni as Gabriel Ermoza (44 episodes)
3. Hila Saada as Roza Ermoza (44 episodes)
4. Itzik Cohen as Avraham (44 episodes)
5. Yuval Scharf as Rochel (44 episodes)
6. Israel Ogalbo as David Franco (44 episodes)
7. Eli Steen as Rachel Ermoza (44 episodes)
8. Irit Kaplan as Mercada Ermoza (44 episodes)
9. Mali Levi as Victoria Franco (44 episodes)
10. Tom Hagi as Efraim Siton (44 episodes)
11. Luna Mansour as Aisha (44 episodes)
12. Hisham Suliman as Kahlil (44 episodes)

Series crew:

1. Oded Davidoff (Director)
2. Shlomo Moshiah (Writer)

TBQJ Release Dates:

The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem is an Israeli television series based on the novel by Sarit Yishai-Levi. It aired on the Yes Drama channel on June 7, 2021. The initial two episodes of the series have been available on Yes VOD since June 3, 2021.

YES Productions officially proclaimed the series renewal for a second season, available towards the end of 2022.

The first half of Season 1 premiered on Netflix in the UK, France, the U.S., Argentina, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and other areas of Europe on May 20, 2022. The second half premiered in the same regions on July 29, 2022. Season 1 became available on Netflix in Australia, Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand, and the Republic of South Africa on February 9, 2023.

Moreover, season 2, re-edited as 16 episodes from its original broadcast of 26 episodes in Israel, became available on Netflix in all the countries mentioned above on July 14, 2023.

TBQJ Seasons And Episodes:

The production team of “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” has released the novel-based series in 2 seasons. Netflix released Season 1 in two parts – Part 1 in May 2022 with ten episodes and Part 2 in July 2022 with ten episodes.

Season: 01, Part 01, Episodes: 10

Season: 01, Part 02, Episodes: 10

Season:02, Episodes: 1

TBQJ Reference:

Conclusion

This historical drama series, based on a bestselling novel, speaks the story of three generations of the Ermoza family in Jerusalem, bridging from the early to the mid-20th century. Under the surface of Sephardic mythology and the all-important facade of honor and sedateness lies the story of a troubled family whose sons and daughters carry with them a curse of loveless marriages.

The novel explores the rich tapestry of Jerusalem’s history, culture, and society, providing readers with a flashy and immersive city experience. Luna’s journey is marked by love, heartache, and resilience as she steers the challenges of her time.

The story of the affluent family is set against the backdrop of resistance to the Ottoman regime and later to that of the British in pre-State Israel. It seamlessly weaves in other historic milestones and narratives from the early days of Israel.