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Thursday, February 01, 2007

Final show moved to larger venue and sold out By Ray Hanania

Current mood: determined
Category: Travel and Places

The final show of the Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour moved from an 80 set theater to one that could hold 250 plus seats. The line was out the door at Kol HaNeshama in West Jerusalem, in the Bakah Neighborhood. The place was swarming with reporters and journalists and the every seat was taken with people standing or leaning against the wall.

The audience was predominantly Israeli, but there were many Palestinians who attended who could travel through the checkpoints, mainly from Ramallah and Bethlehem. One Palestinian woman came up to me and thanked me saying, "We need something to lift our spirits and help Israelis see that Palestinians are human just like them. We need to stop the hate and this is great."

I was moved by her comments, and the comments of about a dozen Palestinians who came to see the show, including a group that had worked on a prior video we did several years back for Comedy for Peace.

Each show just got better. The Syndrome in Jerusalem was phenomenal and I didn't think it could get better. Then the American Colony hotel in the Pasha Room in East Jerusalem, which had many Palestinians in the audience, also did tremendously. The American Colony show was a press preview show and nearly every reporter attended, most to enjoy the show, all agreeing (except one troubled journalism soul) said the show was an amazing demonstration of how Palestinians and Israelis can get together. Then, we visited the Anglican School in Jerusalem and performed for and spoke with the high school student assembly. The students, Palestinian, Israeli and European, couldn't stop laughing. In fact, I was walking up Ben Yehude Street when seven of them yelled for me and we had a great time talking about the show and hope for the future.

Tzavta in Tel Aviv broke all limits and attracted a near full house, more than 180 people. The amazing thing is that we had less than one week to publicize the Tel Aviv show. Phenomenal show again. The audience, and the media, raved. And last night, Wednesday Jan. 31, we capped off the evening with a two hour show at Kol HaNeshama, off Emek Refaim Street. Wow. I met Gershon Baskin, members of the SVS listserve, reporters from a dozen Middle East and Western news organizations who were excited about the possibility of more shows.

One reporter asked a tough question, noting that I am "American," not Palestinian, and Charley and Yisrael are also American-born, not Israeli, and Aaron Freeman is African American. And Shachar Chason was the only Israeli, from Yemen. I told the reporter, "When I walk through a checkpoint or travel through Israel's airport in Ben Gurion, do you think the security there say that, oh, Ray Hanania is an American, no problem? They search me as a Palestinian. Question me and recognize me as a Palestinian. As for Charley and Yisrael, they are Israeli citizens. Who is a real citizen of Israel? Palestine? And even the United States?

The point is that this is the first show ever in which Israelis and Palestinians and Jews have performed together. Ever. And when we take it to the territories and Arab capitols like Cairo and Amman, it will be the first time Israeli and Jewish comedians will have joined a Palestinian comedian and maybe by the even more Palestinian comedians.

The point is that the conflict is about Palestinians and Israelis. Not Syrians and Jews. Not Egyptians and Jews. Not Lebanese and Jews. This conflict is about Palestinians and Israelis and getting them together is a major achievement which allows the everyday people to look through not only the conflict, the violence and the hatred, but the extremists who seek to hijack and control the people so they can continue with their mission of exploiting suffering on both sides.

We have already shattered that glass and proven this concept can work. Some may not like it, but they don't control our people any more. The public has shown that the public is tired of the violence and hatred.

Another tough question addressed the suicide bombing in Eilat on Monday just after the Tel Aviv show. The cowardly murderer who killed innocent civilians at a tourist site bakery could not even dent the resolve I saw in Israelis. That violence only undermines the justice of the Palestinian cause. That kind of violence is driven by vicious hatred fed to our people and our children by the fanatics. There are fanatics and extremists on both sides and the people need to stand up to them. My answer to the question, "What right does a murderer, criminal have to prevent Palestinians and Israelis from living as human beings respecting each other and seeking ways to end the conflict the right way? Who is the killer and his or her sponsors who use violence not as legitimate resistance but as a vicious form of vengeance for their own personal satisfaction and political gains. They want to destroy the peace process and they wish to control our lives, forcing us into occupation.

We are saying we will not allow them to do that.

I won't let the fanatics hijack my humanity with their hatred and their insanity.

Ray Hanania