Besides more good jokes, I learned a lot during my two weeks in Israel and in Arab East Jerusalem in the Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour.
People who live in conflict zones have a better sense of humor and outlook on life than the activists who claim to represent their interests 9,000 miles away in the safety of their suburban homes outside of Chicago.
Yes, Israelis and Palestinians in Israel and Palestine are more moderate, more open to new ideas and they struggle to preserve their humanity. And that includes keeping a sense of humor in the worst of times.
In contrast, the people who advocate on their behalf — usually self-appointed activists with money and clout, have little sense of humor, are more emotional and angered by events in the Middle East, and tend to have no sense of humor.
Maybe that’s why the Middle East conflict has raged on so long without resolution.
It’s the people here in the United States and the West on both sides, who want to keep the conflict going because, well, conflict and war is an industry. Where would all of the pro-Israel and pro-Arab activists be if they didn’t have a conflict to champion? Books. Speeches. Organizations. Funding. Festivals. Rallies. And a fast route to leadership without ever having too prove themselves as leaders.
I spent two weeks in Israel and in Arab East Jerusalem, although I did not get a chance to go to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. But I did speak with many Palestinians as well as Israelis who came to the five comedy concerts that I performed with fellow Chicago comedian and Southwest News-Herald columnist Aaron Freeman. The comedy tour was unique because in addition to pairing a Palestinian comedian (myself) with a Jewish comedian (Aaron Freeman), it also paired me with three Israeli comedians, Charley Warady, Yisrael Campbell (who I jokingly introduced as “The Zionist Entity” Campbell) and Yemeni-born Israeli comic Shachar Chason, a well-known comedy celebrity on Israeli TV.
It was an amazing tour. And we proved that Palestinian and Israeli comedians could go on stage and perform together. But more importantly, we proved that Palestinian and Israeli audiences could both enjoy the humor, even in the worst of times.
And the worst of times is hard to define in a region that constantly redefines the word “worst.” It’s always bad in Palestine and Israel when it comes to violence, although I still think it is safer than walking some neighborhoods in Chicago, New York or L.A.
The shows were standing room only. Sold out. And that is with only a few weeks lead time to promote. In the middle of the show, Israelis and Palestinians were firing at each other in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians and Palestinians were firing on each other in the West Bank, and a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up killing at least three civilians in Eilat, a resort at the southernmost tip of the Negev Desert.
Should we stop making jokes about ourselves in the face of all that carnage? Or, should we do what human beings always do, refuse to allow the tragedies that constantly pummel our existence to hijack our humanity? I discovered that in the midst of the worst moments of violence, Palestinians and Israelis seek to find ways to off-set the tragedy, the suffering, the anguish and the pain. They do that by refusing to give up on their humanity. They refuse to surrender to the terrorists and violence committed by both sides, and instead insist on being human beings with lives that they continue to hold as precious.
The terrorist who killed himself in a homicide attack against civilians in Eilat has no right to hold me hostage or hold any of the Palestinians or Israelis hostage.
If we had stopped our shows, and if Palestinians and Israelis stopped being human, running from life and hiding in hatred, then the terrorist suicide bomber would have stolen more than the three lives that were taken.
I refuse to allow the extremists to tell me how to live. Humor is a powerful way for people under siege to rejuvenate their spirits, to strengthen their resolve to live and to fight back against the fanatics. It’s not the only way, but it is one way.
The shows were covered by an endless stream of media that included ABC Nightly News, CNN, Time Magazine, the Jerusalem Post, Jordan Times, Cairo Middle East News, Haaretz Israeli newspaper and radio and TV stations around the world.
Only NPR’s Linda Gradstein said the shows were “not a story.” Sounds like Linda might have some issues with the whole conflict.
But more importantly, the enthusiastic response that the Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour received from the Palestinian and Israeli public convinced me that the pro and con “activists” (and some cynical media types) probably are the real reason why this conflict continues to rage and take lives.
Maybe if more people decided to stand up and reject the extremists, maybe, just maybe, we can find a way out of the conflict.
— You can watch some of the videos and media reports (minus NPR, of course) online at www.IPComedyTour.com.
