Dialogue Through Culture - Keeping the Hope Alive

Background

Recent studies (Israel in the Age of M&M) and our own experience have shown that students are craving for a positive message - a message of hope, to come from the Middle East. That they are tired of militant rhetoric and the never-ending quarrel, that seems to turn them away from engagement with the Jewish community.

In response to this challenge the Israel Center has decided to dedicate the spring semester Scholar-and-Artists-in-Residence Series to the topic of co-existence and dialogue. We also decided that the appropriate way of bringing the message would be through dialogue between Jewish and Arab artists. Students seem to be much more receptive to the message of artists than that of politicians. Furthermore culture has a very powerful way of sending important messages.

The Program

During the spring semester the Israel Center will bring to Bay Area college campuses a 3-part series that is a dialogue through music, dance, and theater. All 3 performances will be offered by a Jew and Arab, who collaborate in their respective artistic fields. A facilitated Q&A and a dialogue will follow each performance. The performances can be staged at small theaters as well as classroom settings.

• Part I: A Dialogue through Theater: Ambassadors of Very Good Will
  January 23-31, 2004
  Ibrahim Mia'ari is an actor in the Acco Theater and Meirav Kupperberg studied acting at Haifa University and is involved in community theater projects in Haifa. These actors (currently involved with the Traveling Jewish Theater's "The Middle East Project") come together to reveal the human experience and the human stories at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through their acting. More info...

• Part II: Neighbors Meeting
  March 1-12, 2004
  is a production where two friends, and neighbors from
  the Galilee, Nassim Dakwar, an Arab musician, who plays the Ud and the violin, and Pablo Ariel, a Jewish actor, who has performed with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, meet and have an intimate dialogue Through music and "object theater".

• Part III: Coexistence Through Dancing
  April 12-23, 2004
  Rabeah Morkus is a Palestinian actress and
  dancer from Kfar Yasif, and Sharon Eskenazi is a Jewish dancer from Kibbutz Cabri. They are working together to foster tolerance and coexistence through their dancing.

Corresponding exhibit:

COEXISTENCE: A traveling art show
In addition, the Israel Center has recently acquired an exhibition of posters from The Museum on the Seam titled Coexistence. The Israel Center is happy to offer this exhibition to the Hillels for an extended period of time.