Seven Jewish Children - A Play for Gaza

by Charles Lenchner

category: Middle East

Published April 04, 2009 @ 11:26AM PT

Caryl Churchill wrote this play shortly after the Israeli invasion of Gaza as a cry of protest. Shortly after it came out, parts of the Jewish establishment in Britain got a little irate:

Some even accused Churchill of blood libel, of perpetrating in Seven Jewish Children the centuries-old lie, used to incite homicidal anti-Jewish violence, that Jews ritually murder non-Jewish children. A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews told the Jerusalem Post that the "horrifically anti-Israel" text went "beyond the boundaries of reasonable political discourse."

Tony Kushner and Alissa Solomon wrote about the play in the Nation, connecting the current furor with related incidents such as the suppression of the play 'My Name is Rachel Corrie' in New York City. Kushner and Solomon aren't saying though, that the words of Seven Jewish Children should be taken lightly:

There are passages, particularly in an ugly monologue near the play's conclusion, that are terribly painful to experience, especially for Jews.

I read this extended quote, and understood right away why this is so infuriating to so many supporters of Israel.

Tell her, tell her about the army, tell her to be proud of the army. Tell her about the family of dead girls, tell her their names why not, tell her the whole world knows why shouldn't she know? tell her there's dead babies, did she see babies? tell her she's got nothing to be ashamed of. Tell her they did it to themselves. Tell her they want their children killed to make people sorry for them, tell her I'm not sorry for them, tell her not to be sorry for them, tell her we're the ones to be sorry for, tell her they can't talk suffering to us. Tell her we're the iron fist now, tell her it's the fog of war, tell her we won't stop killing them till we're safe, tell her I laughed when I saw the dead policemen, tell her they're animals living in rubble now, tell her I wouldn't care if we wiped them out, the world would hate us is the only thing, tell her I don't care if the world hates us, tell her we're better haters, tell her we're chosen people, tell her I look at one of their children covered in blood and what do I feel? tell her all I feel is happy it's not her.

The thing is, I've been in countless conversations in Israel and with Jews in the US where people said these things. Even on this very site, there are individuals who express such sentiments. It's a service to the truth that we hear these difficult and painful things.

This sentence:

Tell her they did it to themselves. Tell her they want their children killed to make people sorry for them, tell her I'm not sorry for them, tell her not to be sorry for them, tell her we're the ones to be sorry for, tell her they can't talk suffering to us.

Is as close to the heart of why Israeli and American Jewish political culture is the way it is. To change it, we need to open up our hearts and take it in. What do we have to offer that can replace such self serving venom with basic human solidarity? I'm not sure that the rage we feel at the people who think this way is the most effective tool in our kit.

Read the entire play here.

Watch the first half below: