Caryl Churchill's 7 Jewish Children playlet, inspired by Gaza, which I actually heard recited earlier this evening–i.e., it continues to resonate–now has a Palestinian spinoff: from Um Khalil, 7 Palestinian Children, in the same mode, of parents discussing what to tell a child. It is even angrier than Churchill's play, and more politically wrenching. Excerpt:
Tell her that Dr. Salman [Abu Sitta, chronicler of erased Palestine] warns the Jewish people,
“. . . the history of Jews will ultimately be marked indelibly, and above all other historical
events, by what they have done in Palestine.”
Tell
her that you may as well forget saying you’re Palestinian if Jews are
in the room.
Tell her that if Jews are in the room the room fills up
with their suffering, and there is no room for yours. Tell her that if
you find yourself at a workshop about social oppression with
African-American table mates and they tell you their hot button is that
they don’t like it when people ask “What are you,” and you tell them,
“I like it when people ask me what I am because my people are vilified
and demonized as terrorists and I like to tell them what I am so
they’ll see we aren’t all terrorists,” to forget getting up and
speaking to the group even if your table mates force you because no
sooner than you’re done speaking a Jew in the room will stand up and
say “I am a Jew and we are hated all over the world so I don’t tell
people that I’m Jewish because Jews get killed for being Jews.” No,
don't tell her that because it's Anti-Semitic.
Tell her that you
may commemorate the Holocaust every day, but may not teach about
injustice in regard to Palestine. No don't tell her that. Tell her that
one must sort of teach around injustice and Palestine. Tell
her you may teach Cry, the Beloved Country, but don't talk about
apartheid and Palestine. Tell her that we're the Jews' Jews and
Hitler's final victims. Tell her that we're f*****d. No, don't tell her
that. Tell her that we will "forget the bitter days." Tell her "we
shall return." Tell her that one day we will not be forced to keep many
things inside us.
Tell her that she has every right to live on her own land and to tend her own olives.
Thanks to Lawrence of Cyberia.
