Motti Lerner
Encyclopedia
Motti Lerner is an Israel
i playwright and screenwriter
, in Israel. His great-grandparents immigrated to pre-state Israel in 1882 from Romania
and Russia, and became farmers.
and physics
at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
. In 1975 he began studying theatre at the Hebrew University, and continued in theatre workshops in England and the San Francisco Dancers' Workshop in San Francisco (1976)
, where he produced experimental and street performances. From 1978 to 1984 he was a dramaturge
and director at the Jerusalem Khan Theatre
, where he directed his own play The princess and the Hobo, Gotcha by Barrie Keeffe
, and Magic Afternoon by Wolfgang Bauer. He began writing plays and film scripts in 1984 and moved to Tel Aviv
. Since 1986 he has taught playwriting at the Drama School of the Kibbutzim College of Education in Tel Aviv. From 1992 to 2007 he taught political playwriting at Tel Aviv University
. In 1992 he wrote his first television play, Loves at Betania which was produced by Israel's Channel 1
. In 1993 he was a Visiting Professor at The Oxford Centre for Postgraduate Hebrew and Studies, in 1997 was a Visiting Professor at Duke University
Theater Program in North Carolina
, and in 2006 and 2007 was a Visiting Professor at Knox College, Illinois
.
Motti Lerner is one of the pioneers of radical political theatre in Israel, and one of the country’s leading writers of documentary drama and television docudramas. In the 1980s and 90s, his plays Kastner, Pangs of the Messiah, and Pollard, and the documentary drama serials The Kastner Trial and Bus No. 300, placed him at the center of the Israeli theatre and television milieu, and aroused public debate on subjects at the heart of Israel’s political and ideological life: the Holocaust, the occupation of Palestinian territories
, Israeli society’s moral ethos, and Israel-Jewish Diaspora
relations. In 1997, The Municipal Theatre of Heilbronn
, Germany, staged The Murder of Isaac, a play about the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
. To date the play has not been produced in Israel, following claims that it is anti-Semitic. During a Knesset
plenum debate, several Knesset members demanded that the government request from the German government that it close down the play. The Israeli government rejected this demand. Following The Murder of Isaac Lerner’s writing became more radical. Israeli theatres rejected many of his new plays, and staged only those not dealing with controversial political issues, such as Hard Love, (Haifa Municipal Theatre
, 2003), and Passing the Love of Women, (Habima National Theatre, 2004). His more controversial plays have been staged successfully in Europe and the US, including Coming Home, Pangs of the Messiah, The Murder of Isaac, and Benedictus.
From Prof. Gad Kaynar's preface to Seven Plays by Motti Lerner (published by Tel Aviv University, 2009):
“The illusion that we can save the world by writing is a vital component in the drive to write”. This title, borrowed from Motti Lerner’s essay ‘Playwriting in Wartime’ expresses the tendentious poetics characterizing Lerner’s dramatic writing, which is presented in the seven plays of this anthology. In the postmodern world of shattering of forms and the sanctification of chaos, of ideological anti-structuralism, of ‘Things fall apart; the center cannot hold’, Motti Lerner, in his writing for stage, screen, and television, is one of the last Mohicans who believe that the world can be rationalized and saved through art, that we must still execute the role of the theatre allotted to it by Hamlet in his monologue to the players: ‘to hold, as ‘twere, the mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure’.
Manifested in each of the plays in this anthology is the firm belief in the ability of theatre to influence reality, to change it by changing the audience’s consciousness. Lerner's theatre is a continuation of the social and political struggle by different means. Therefore Lerner’s ideational philosophy, as worded in essays, articles, interviews, and lectures, is strongly linked to its theatrical application. This link is accurately reflected in a paragraph from a lecture given by Lerner – the most prominent neo-Aristotelian writer in Israeli drama – at the 2005 Jerusalem Conference: ‘Catharsis is the most profound and effective dramatic tool. There cannot be a good dramatic play that does not contain catharsis. Therefore the Israeli playwright also has to employ it, otherwise his play will be ineffective. The fact that catharsis is a tool borrowed from Greek theatre cannot disqualify its use. The question is not whether or not to use catharsis: the question is how to use it, which values to endow through it. If it is possible through catharsis to endow values of love of man, the centrality of man in our universe, his freedom of choice, his responsibility for his choice, and his sovereignty over his life – then it must be used.’
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i playwright and screenwriter
Early life
He was born as in Zikhron Ya'akov, a village south of HaifaHaifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, in Israel. His great-grandparents immigrated to pre-state Israel in 1882 from Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Russia, and became farmers.
Education
He was educated at the local and regional schools. In 1967-1970 he studied mathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
. In 1975 he began studying theatre at the Hebrew University, and continued in theatre workshops in England and the San Francisco Dancers' Workshop in San Francisco (1976)
Life and career
In 1977-78 he founded and directed the Maduga Experimental Theater, as part of The Jerusalem TheaterJerusalem Theater
The Jerusalem Theater is a center for the performing arts in Jerusalem, Israel. The theater opened in 1971. The complex consists of the Sherover Theatre, which seats 950, the Henry Crown Symphony Hall with 750 seats, the Rebecca Crown Auditorium, with 450 seats, and the Little Theater with 110...
, where he produced experimental and street performances. From 1978 to 1984 he was a dramaturge
Dramaturge
A dramaturge or dramaturg is a professional position within a theatre or opera company that deals mainly with research and development of plays or operas...
and director at the Jerusalem Khan Theatre
Jerusalem Khan Theatre
The Jerusalem Khan Theatre is the only repertoire producing theatre in Jerusalem. The theatre is located near the Jerusalem Railway Station, in an old caravanserai building.-History:...
, where he directed his own play The princess and the Hobo, Gotcha by Barrie Keeffe
Barrie Keeffe
Barrie Colin Keeffe is an English dramatist and screenwriter, best known for his screenplay for the 1981 film The Long Good Friday....
, and Magic Afternoon by Wolfgang Bauer. He began writing plays and film scripts in 1984 and moved to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. Since 1986 he has taught playwriting at the Drama School of the Kibbutzim College of Education in Tel Aviv. From 1992 to 2007 he taught political playwriting at Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
. In 1992 he wrote his first television play, Loves at Betania which was produced by Israel's Channel 1
Channel 1 (Israel)
Channel 1 is one of the oldest television channels in Israel and one of five terrestrial channels in the country...
. In 1993 he was a Visiting Professor at The Oxford Centre for Postgraduate Hebrew and Studies, in 1997 was a Visiting Professor at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
Theater Program in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and in 2006 and 2007 was a Visiting Professor at Knox College, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Motti Lerner is one of the pioneers of radical political theatre in Israel, and one of the country’s leading writers of documentary drama and television docudramas. In the 1980s and 90s, his plays Kastner, Pangs of the Messiah, and Pollard, and the documentary drama serials The Kastner Trial and Bus No. 300, placed him at the center of the Israeli theatre and television milieu, and aroused public debate on subjects at the heart of Israel’s political and ideological life: the Holocaust, the occupation of Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
, Israeli society’s moral ethos, and Israel-Jewish Diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
relations. In 1997, The Municipal Theatre of Heilbronn
Heilbronn
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
, Germany, staged The Murder of Isaac, a play about the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin
' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
. To date the play has not been produced in Israel, following claims that it is anti-Semitic. During a Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
plenum debate, several Knesset members demanded that the government request from the German government that it close down the play. The Israeli government rejected this demand. Following The Murder of Isaac Lerner’s writing became more radical. Israeli theatres rejected many of his new plays, and staged only those not dealing with controversial political issues, such as Hard Love, (Haifa Municipal Theatre
Haifa Theatre
The Haifa Theatre is the municipal theater company of Haifa, Israel.Haifa Theater, Israel's first municipal theater, was established by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi.Founded in 1961, the Haifa Theater employs Jewish and Arab actors, and has an international reputation for performing provocative works...
, 2003), and Passing the Love of Women, (Habima National Theatre, 2004). His more controversial plays have been staged successfully in Europe and the US, including Coming Home, Pangs of the Messiah, The Murder of Isaac, and Benedictus.
From Prof. Gad Kaynar's preface to Seven Plays by Motti Lerner (published by Tel Aviv University, 2009):
“The illusion that we can save the world by writing is a vital component in the drive to write”. This title, borrowed from Motti Lerner’s essay ‘Playwriting in Wartime’ expresses the tendentious poetics characterizing Lerner’s dramatic writing, which is presented in the seven plays of this anthology. In the postmodern world of shattering of forms and the sanctification of chaos, of ideological anti-structuralism, of ‘Things fall apart; the center cannot hold’, Motti Lerner, in his writing for stage, screen, and television, is one of the last Mohicans who believe that the world can be rationalized and saved through art, that we must still execute the role of the theatre allotted to it by Hamlet in his monologue to the players: ‘to hold, as ‘twere, the mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure’.
Manifested in each of the plays in this anthology is the firm belief in the ability of theatre to influence reality, to change it by changing the audience’s consciousness. Lerner's theatre is a continuation of the social and political struggle by different means. Therefore Lerner’s ideational philosophy, as worded in essays, articles, interviews, and lectures, is strongly linked to its theatrical application. This link is accurately reflected in a paragraph from a lecture given by Lerner – the most prominent neo-Aristotelian writer in Israeli drama – at the 2005 Jerusalem Conference: ‘Catharsis is the most profound and effective dramatic tool. There cannot be a good dramatic play that does not contain catharsis. Therefore the Israeli playwright also has to employ it, otherwise his play will be ineffective. The fact that catharsis is a tool borrowed from Greek theatre cannot disqualify its use. The question is not whether or not to use catharsis: the question is how to use it, which values to endow through it. If it is possible through catharsis to endow values of love of man, the centrality of man in our universe, his freedom of choice, his responsibility for his choice, and his sovereignty over his life – then it must be used.’
Plays
- Kastner (1985), A political/historical drama about the negotiations conducted by the JewishJewsThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
community in Hungary during World War II with Adolf EichmannAdolf EichmannAdolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
, head of the GestapoGestapoThe Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
Unit 4-B, on rescuing the remnants of European Jewry. Originally produced by the Cameri TheaterCameri TheaterThe Cameri Theater , established in 1944 in Tel Aviv, is one of the leading theaters in Israel, and is housed at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center....
of Tel Aviv. Also produced by the Heilbronn Theatre, Germany (1988). - Paula (1987), A monodrama about Paula Ben-GurionPaula Ben-GurionPaula Ben-Gurion was the Russian-born wife of David Ben-Gurion the founding Prime Minister of Israel. They had three children together: Geula, Amos and Renana....
, the wife of the first prime minister of Israel, in which she questions many of the issues her husband dealt with. Produced by the Cameri Theater of Tel Aviv. - Pangs of the Messiah (1988) A political drama about the right-wing settlers in the West BankWest BankThe West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
who oppose the peace treaty between Israel and the PalestiniansPalestinian peopleThe Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
, and blow up the holy mosqueMosqueA mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s in Jerusalem to sabotage it. Originally produced by the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv. A new version of this play was produced at Theater JTheater JTheater J is a professional theater company located in Washington, DC, founded to present works that "celebrate the distinctive urban voice and social vision that are part of the Jewish cultural legacy" as a self-mission.-Organization:...
in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
(2007) and won a nomination for the Helen Hayes Best Play Award (2008). It was also produced in Chicago and Cleveland (2009). A production by Untitled Theater Company #61 is planned for October/November in New York. - Exile in Jerusalem (1989) Originally titled Else. A drama based on the last five years of the life of the great German-Jewish poetess Else Lasker-SchülerElse Lasker-SchülerElse Lasker-Schüler was a Jewish German poet and playwright famous for her bohemian lifestyle in Berlin. She was one of the few women affiliated with the Expressionist movement. Lasker-Schüler fled Nazi Germany and lived out the rest of her life in Jerusalem.-Biography:Schüler was born in...
, who fled Nazi GermanyNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in 1933 and found refuge in Jerusalem where, in spite of her greatness, she died isolated and forgotten. Originally produced by the Habima National Theatre, Tel Aviv. Also produced by The Jewish Ensemble Theatre in Detroit (1993), Tri-Bühne Theatre in StuttgartStuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
(1994), Williamstown Theatre FestivalWilliamstown Theatre FestivalThe Williamstown Theatre Festival is a regional summer stock theatre on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, founded in 1954 by Williams College news director, Ralph Renzi, and drama program chairman, David C. Bryant. The theatre was conceived as a way to use the Adams...
, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
– with Julie HarrisJulie HarrisJulia Ann "Julie" Harris is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has won five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1994, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame...
in the title role (1994), the Wienkelwiese Theatre in ZürichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
(1995), Theatre J in Washington, D.C. (1998), La-Mama TheatreLa MaMa Experimental Theatre ClubLa MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is an off-off Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, and named in reference to her. Located on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the theatre grew out of Stewart's tiny basement boutique for her fashion designs; the boutique's space acted as a theatre for...
in New York (1998), Freie Bühne theatre in ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Salt Pillar Theatre in MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
(2000), Bimah Theatre in Berlin (2002) - Pollard (1994) A political drama about the scandal created by the Israeli intelligence services that hired an American Jew employed by the US Navy to spy for Israel. Originally produced by the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv.
- Autumn (1996) A drama about a doctor who immigrated from Poland to pre-state Israel in 1896 to become a farmer. After 30 frustrating years on the farm, he falls in love with his former lover’s daughter, but is caught by his wife and children who kill him to stop the affair. Originally produced by Beit Lessin TheaterBeit Lessin TheaterBeit Lessin Theater is a theater in Tel Aviv, Israel.Established in 1978 by Yaakov Agmon for the Histadrut, the theater resided in Lessin House until moving to the old residence of the Cameri Theater in 2003....
, Tel Aviv. Also produced by the Heilbronn Theatre, Germany (1996) - The Murder of Isaac (1999), A drama about the assassination of Yitzhak (Isaac) RabinYitzhak Rabin' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
, Israel’s prime minister, following his peace negotiations with the Palestinians. The play explores the infrastructure of Israeli society in an attempt to present the internal ideological and religious conflicts that led to this tragic event. Originally produced by the Municipal Theatre of Heilbronn, Germany. Also produced by Center Stage TheatreCenter Stage (theater)Center Stage is the state theater of Maryland and Baltimore's largest professional producing theater. Center Stage was founded in 1963 as a regional playhouse....
in BaltimoreBaltimoreBaltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, US, in 2006. - Coming Home (2003) A one-act play about a young soldier who returns from his army service in the occupied territoriesIsraeli-occupied territoriesThe Israeli-occupied territories are the territories which have been designated as occupied territory by the United Nations and other international organizations, governments and others to refer to the territory seized by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria...
suffering severe Posttraumatic stress disorder. Originally produced by Tzavta Festival for One-act Plays (2003). Also produced as part of the play GEGENSETIEN written by a group of 8 Israeli and Palestinian writers in Heilbronn, Germany (2003), and by the Golden Thread ProductionsGolden Thread ProductionsGolden Thread Productions, is a theatre company founded in 1996 in San Francisco, California that promotes theatre as a forum for cultural exchange, exploring Middle Eastern culture and identity as represented throughout the globe...
in San Francisco (2003, 2009). - Hard Love (2003), A drama about a secularSecularitySecularity is the state of being separate from religion.For instance, eating and bathing may be regarded as examples of secular activities, because there may not be anything inherently religious about them...
writer and his ultra-OrthodoxOrthodox JudaismOrthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
ex-wife who are trying to re-marry after twenty years of divorce, but discover that they have changed so much that living together has become impossible. Originally produced by the Haifa Municipal TheatreHaifa TheatreThe Haifa Theatre is the municipal theater company of Haifa, Israel.Haifa Theater, Israel's first municipal theater, was established by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi.Founded in 1961, the Haifa Theater employs Jewish and Arab actors, and has an international reputation for performing provocative works...
(2003). Also produced by Theatre Or in Durham, North CarolinaDurham, North CarolinaDurham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
in 2005, by Bimah Theatre in Berlin (2006), by The Jewish Theatre of the South in Atlanta (2008), and by Old Mutual Theatre in JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa (2008) - Passing the Love of Women (2003) A drama inspired by "Two", a short story by Isaac Bashevis SingerIsaac Bashevis SingerIsaac Bashevis Singer – July 24, 1991) was a Polish Jewish American author noted for his short stories. He was one of the leading figures in the Yiddish literary movement, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978...
(written in collaboration with Israel Zamir) about two yeshivaYeshivaYeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
students in 19th century Poland who discover that they are homosexual, and one of them has to disguise himself as a woman so he can live together with his lover. Originally Produced by Habima National Theatre, Tel Aviv. Also produced at Theatre J in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
(2004). - Benedictus (2007), A political thriller that takes place 72 hours before an American attack on the nuclear facilities in IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. An Iranian-born Israeli arms dealer tries to rescue his sister from Teheran and offers arms to an Iranian politician, who struggles to postpone the American attack. Originally produced by the Golden Thread ProductionsGolden Thread ProductionsGolden Thread Productions, is a theatre company founded in 1996 in San Francisco, California that promotes theatre as a forum for cultural exchange, exploring Middle Eastern culture and identity as represented throughout the globe...
in San Francisco. Also produced at the LATC in Los Angeles (2007) and Theatre J in Washington, D.C. (2009)
Television and film scripts
- Loves in Betania (1992) A 60-minute television drama about the dramatic changes that took place in the social and moral structure of the kibbutzKibbutzA kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
in the 1990s. - The Kastner Trial (1994) A three-part television drama, based on the Kastner Affair, in which the leader of Hungarian Jewry during World War II was accused of collaboration with the Nazis in the extermination of Hungarian Jewry, and who was later assassinated by a right-wing militant Jew in Tel Aviv in 1957.
- Bus Number 300 (1997) A five-part television drama about one of the most traumatic scandals in the Israeli secret services: Four Palestinian terrorists hijacked a bus and were stopped by the Israeli armyIsrael Defense ForcesThe Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
. Two of them were taken alive after the army assaulted the bus, interrogated by the secret service, and killed immediately afterwards. The government issued a statement that all four terrorists were killed in the attack, but press photographers had taken pictures of the two terrorists taken alive. The drama explores the struggles between the government, the attorney general, and the secret services that were trying to bring the scandal to an end, each according to their own interests. - Egoz (1998) A three-part television drama about the flight of MoroccanMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
Jews to Israel in the 1950s and early '60s. The drama focuses on the organizing of a group of 44 Jews by the MossadMossadThe Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
, their journey from CasablancaCasablancaCasablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
to the Mediterranean, their embarking on the Egoz, which sank in a storm. - The Institute (2000) A 12-part television drama series that takes place in a psychotherapyPsychotherapyPsychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
institute and deals with the life of the therapists, their different patients, and the relationships between the therapists and their patients. - A Battle in Jerusalem (2002) A three-part television drama that takes place during the 1948 Israeli War of Independence. A group of 20 soldiers is sent to take an Arab position near Jerusalem. After twenty hours of terrible fighting they decide to retreat, but as they are unable to carry their wounded, they blow up the position with the wounded in it.
- The Silence of the Sirens (2003) A TV feature film that takes place in the headquarters of Israeli Army Intelligence during the 10 days prior to the Yom Kippur WarYom Kippur WarThe Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
in 1973. The film explores the reasons why the head of military intelligence couldn't foresee the coming war, despite the accurate information in his possession. - Altalena (2008) A feature film about the arms vessel sent by the French government to the IrgunIrgunThe Irgun , or Irgun Zevai Leumi to give it its full title , was a Zionist paramilitary group that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization haHaganah...
right wing underground in Israel in 1948, and was destroyed by the Israeli government, an event that shaped Israel's internal politics for decades. - Spring 1941 (2008) A feature film inspired by short stories by Ida FinkIda FinkIda Fink 1 November 1921 – 27 September 2011) was an Israeli Polish-language Jewish author who wrote about the Holocaust.-Biography:Ida Fink was born in Zbaraż, Poland in 1 November 1921. Her father was a physician, and her mother worked as a teacher in a local school. She was a student of...
about a Jewish family in Poland in 1941 trying to survive the Nazi occupation. A Polish-Israeli co-production with Joseph FiennesJoseph FiennesJoseph Fiennes is an English film and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayals of William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, Sir Robert Dudley in Elizabeth, Commisar Danilov in Enemy at the Gates, Martin Luther in Luther, Merlin in Camelot, and his portrayal of Mark Benford in the...
and Claire Higgins in the leading roles.
Awards
- 1985 - Best Play Award for Kastner
- 1994 - Best TV Drama Award for The Kastner Trial
- 1995 - Prime Minister of Israel Award for Writers
- 2002 - Best One-act Play for Coming Home
- 2003 - Best TV Feature Film for The Silence of the Sirens