11/11/09
Friends of Palestine WA
P.O. Box 1410
West Perth 6872
Ph: 0407 8…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIENDS OF PALESTINE WA CONDEMNS KULCHA’S DECISION TO CANCEL THE PERFORMANCE OF SEVEN JEWISH CHILDREN: A PLAY FOR GAZA THAT WAS DUE TO TAKE PLACE THIS SUNDAY.
FURTHERMORE, FRIENDS OF PALESTINE WA IS DISAPPOINTED THAT CONTRADICTORY REASONS HAVE BEEN GIVEN FOR THE CANCELLATION.
As part of its ARTillery Youth Arts Festival, the WA branch of Amnesty International was due to hold a performance this Sunday of Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza, a six-page long, ten-minute piece written by the British Jewish playwright Caryl Churchill in response to Israel’s massacre in Gaza last northern winter. The play was premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London on February 6th and has since been performed in several other places around the world, including to an audience of 700 at the State Library of Victoria in May.
The play itself is composed of seven scenes addressing various aspects of recent Jewish history, from the Holocaust, the foundation of the state of Israel, through to Israel’s recent assault on the people of Gaza. It can be downloaded at the following address:
www.royalcourttheatre.com/files/downloads/SevenJewishChildren.pdf
For unknown reasons, the Fremantle venue that was due to host the performance, Kulcha, decided at the last minute to cancel the play. Thus far, separate enquiries from members of Friends of Palestine WA have elicited contradictory reasons for the cancellation.
In response to the cancellation, Friends of Palestine WA convener Alex Whisson said: “Amnesty was due to hold a performance of the play at Kulcha on November 14th and the play has now been canceled. We have been given contradictory reasons for the cancellation. We are outraged that a play written by a Jewish playwright principally in response to Israel’s massacre in Gaza last northern winter could in any way be considered offensive let alone anti-Semitic. This is a question which should not only concern Palestine solidarity activists but anyone with an interest in preserving free expression in a supposedly democratic society.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR COMMENT PLEASE SEND AN E-LETTER TO friendsofpalestinewa@gmail.com OR CALL ALEX WHISSON, CONVENER OF FRIENDS OF PALESTINE WA, ON 0407 850 962
Can this Page please be edited it is a Lie. Ms Churchill is not Jewish. By saying she is, it is making the readers on this site think that they play isn’t and can not be offensive to Jewish people. This is not the case, many Jews find this play extremely offensive.
Frances mckenna, your post doesn’t sit well with me. You are saying that it is Ok to have public screening of things that are deeply offensive. Where is the line? Should we be letting people put on plays that promote murder or films that tell the public lies. This isn’t Fascim its in the interests of the public. No one has banded the play, you can watch it online. But to put on in the public and promote it as main stream art is offensive in misleading to the public.
hard to know what this play was about Since we were all deprived of seeing it and Judging for ourselves if its contents were offensive or not Gee I thought I lived in a FREE country (just another illusion by the looks of it !) who do these people think they are to “censor ” a play and “decide ” FOR US THE PEOPLE ?
what is this FACISM ?
“We are outraged that a play written by a Jewish playwright principally in response to Israel’s massacre in Gaza last northern winter could in any way be considered offensive let alone anti-Semitic.”
Alex can you please explain. You have gone on the public record stating that Ms Churchil is Jewish and that since she is Jewish her play can not be anti-Semetic. The fact is she isn’t Jewish and her play is extremely offensive.
Jay
If Ms Churchill had seen fit to write a play that showed Palestinian children wrapped in “suicide belts” spouting racist hatred as a justification of killing civilians, then at least it would be true, because that actually happens, and there’s tons of evidence of that.
However “Seven Jewish Children” is fiction, and there’s no evidence whatsoever that Jewish parents behave that way.
I have searched all over the internet to find out if Caryl Churchill is actually Jewish and I haven’t found anything to back your claim up. Can you please your source that can verify it.
Consider the outcry if Ms Churchill had seen fit to write a play that showed Palestinian children wrapped in “suicide belts” spouting racist hatred as a justification of killing civilians. Such a play should deservedly be banned as spreading simplistic stereotypes would serve no purpose other than creating hatred of Palestinians. The same logic should apply to Ms Churchills current production. Freedom does not entail the right to spread Goebbels like propoganda. With freedom comes responsibility to contribute to creating a safer just society where hatred of one group is not promoted under the guise of freedom of speech.