Pissing off Jews ... and Germans

Caryl Churchill's new eight-minute (!) play about the Gaza conflict is angering right-wing Jewish commentators. But read through to the final paragraph of Charlotte Higgins' article today in The Guardian — has it gotten to the point where we can criticize no one for anything but the accused plays the race/ethnic/religious card?

ADDED 2/19/09:
Text of the play, *Seven Jewish Children,* is here.

A New York Times blog response, with links to reactions by theater critics, is here.

Note how the script is full of contradictions: tell the children this / no, tell them that. While it's true that the Royal Court production is a benefit for a Palestinian medical organization and that Churchill is clearly being critical of some Israeli political positions, the main impression I get from reading it is that she's portraying how conflicted Israelis themselves are about this intractable situation in the Middle East.

Productions are planned in L.A. and in New York.

An appeal to local theaters, whether professional, amateur or academic: Churchill has licensed the play for free to any theater. It's only 10 minutes long. The script is available above. We ought to produce it in Spokane. Invite representatives from Temple Beth Shalom. Invite Palestinians (if any) from the new South Hill mosque. The news dept. at the Inlander has contacts with local and regional Palestinian activists

Bobo is not well informed about the Middle East, but he'd welcome a brief bit of political theater that could get Jews and Palestinians in a room talking, along with world citizens who don't otherwise have a stake

We could do this two weeks from now on a Monday night. Why NOT take it on? Because it might lead to controversy? Personally, I don't mind being told that I'm uninformed or naive or stupid IF the criticism is accompanied by reasonable arguments pro and con about an issue like this one -- an issue on which, just possibly, there might be diplomatic developments within the next few years (despite the prospect of Israel's rightward tilt under Benjamin Netanyahu).

[ photo of Caryl Churchill from wsu.edu ]