Coexistence at the "Jaffa Arab-Hebrew Theater"

In the city of Yaffo (Jaffa), along the coast north of Jerusalem, residents continue to turn to the arts as a medium through which to express ideas of coexistence.

According to Israel 21c:

[The Arab-Hebrew Theater has been around since 1998, surviving the dark days of the second intifada, the Second Lebanon War and Operation Cast Lead. The troupe comprises two veteran theater companies that previously worked in the area independently: Ezrati's 'Local Theater,' established in 1990, and the Arabic-language 'Al-Seraya,' which first started performing in 1997. Together with his partner Gaby Aldor, Ezrati reached out to Adiv Jahshan, director of Al-Seraya, to establish the Arab-Hebrew Theater.

With its mixed Arab and Jewish population, Jaffa is the perfect place for the troupe to operate. In the spirit of true coexistence, the troupes both work independently, performing plays strictly in Arabic or Hebrew, and hold joint productions in which they mix actors and languages. All the performances are held in the Al-Seraya House. Originally built in the 18th century as a khan (a lodging house or inn), it was later used for purposes as diverse as a governor's mansion and a soap factory.

Today the building is a national landmark, housing both a museum of archaeological finds from ancient Jaffa, and the Arab-Hebrew Theater. The actors with the Local Theater have hailed from all over the country, but are "now mostly Tel Aviv transplants," Ezrati says, while the members of Al-Seraya come mostly from Jaffa.

The joint efforts are 'joint' in every sense of the word, with productions, scripts, and even performance dates decided upon together. The productions chosen generally reflect the troupes' point of view on coexistence, Ezrati explains. For example, he says, the theater's production of 1001 Nights last year was chosen not just because it's a good story, but because it has an important message for Arabs and Jews.

(Hat-tip to Libby and Len Traubman)