Between the River and the Sea

“The complexity I’ve lived with all my life has forced me to be alone with my position. If I’m already alone anyway, why not be alone in front of an audience.” Yousef Smeid, born in Haifa, a Palestinian Israeli actor “seeks to understand how to navigate the world where he always finds himself ‘in between”. The one-man show Between the river and the Sea written with Isabella Sedlack and performed in the Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin “is a heartfelt plea for sharing unheard stories and for listening”.  www.gorki.de/en/between-the-river-and-the-sea. When we saw Between the River and the Sea, we wanted to share the experience with you because it challenges polarisation.

To-day’s Palestinians and Israelis who strive to resolve the havoc created by centuries of oppression are an inspiration for our common humanity. Parents of the children of Palestinians and Israelis killed in the conflict help each other in the Parents Circle Families Forum.  https://www.theparentscircle.org  Journalists risk their lives to present what is happening on the ground (+972 Magazine – https://www.972mag.com ). Standing Together is a grass-roots movement of Israelis and Palestinians which seeks equality with “social, economic and environmental justice” for everyone. They work together to set up community centres, to challenge settler violence in the West Bank, and help humanitarian aid to Gaza. (https://www.standing-together.org ).

For centuries empires and dynasties have moved boundaries and renamed territory in Palestine and Israel. The Roman Empire finally defeated rebellions of the Jews between 132-136 intensifying the Jewish diaspora.  The Ottoman Empire held power for hundreds of years. When the Ottoman Empire was defeated in World War 1, the British obtained a mandate from the League of Nations in 1922 which included the aim of the Balfour declaration to establish “a national home for the Jewish people” alongside the Palestinian Arabs. The Mandate ended in 1948.  (source Wikipedia). The legacy of fragmentation, polarisation and fear of the last century leaves space for exploitation by to-day’s oligarchs, dynasties, terrorists, fundamentalists and magnates.

The foundations of a lasting peace depend on resisting exploitation and polarisation. How can we best support the people in Palestine and Israel and their diasporas in local communities everywhere to find the space “in between”? Yousef Sweid is a graduate in theatre studies from Tel Aviv University who now lives in Berlin. His exuberance and humor brings past history and the unbearable present into our lives. For more about his extensive experience – see Wikipedia.  We want to see more performances of Between the Rivers and the Sea in Ireland and England.  Contact the director/author Isabella Sedlack: mail@isabellasedlak.com

Photo: Esra Rotthoff