Saturday, May 2

Controversial play about Israeli history getting Canadian premiere

A controversial new play about Israeli history that has been slammed by some as anti-Semitic and praised by others as thought-provoking is set to make its Canadian premiere in Montreal on Sunday.

"Seven Jewish Children - A Play for Gaza" is a 10-minute performance by British playwright Caryl Churchill, inspired in part by the most recent Gaza conflict.

The play includes several scenes where Israeli adults ponder how they will explain key moments in Israeli and Jewish history to their children, who are never seen on stage.

The chronological work begins with the Holocaust and ends with the recent Israeli offensive in Gaza.

The work, readily available on the Internet, has been widely criticized by Jewish groups as anti-Semitic and one-sided and for allegedly portraying Israeli adults as dishonest and demonic.

But Independent Jewish Voices, a group that is critical of Israel's occupation of Palestine and is sponsoring the Montreal reading of the play in French and English as well as a Toronto performance in mid-May, says the play raises challenging issues that should be discussed.

Share:

0 Have Your Say!:

Post a Comment