Perah Istar is a 60 minutes documentary about the complicated relationship between people and pigeons in modern cities.
In ancient times, it was considered the bird of fertility and love (perah Istar, the Semitic word for dove, means the bird of Aphrodite). The three main monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – venerate it. In the Middle Ages it became the symbol of peace…
So how on earth did they end up being considered a ‘rat with wings’ or a city parasite? What happened to this small domestic bird, highly esteemed for its virtues and long admired for its beauty? Why so many people hate pigeons or are terrified of them, although others love them and are even obsessed with them?
The indisputable fact is that urban residents are forced to co-exist with pigeons. “Perah Istar’ chronicles this interesting cohabitation.