At the Jaffa Theatre: A Joint Journey of Two Bereaved Fathers – One Israeli and One Palestinian

The Jaffa Theatre is launching a new play based on a true story: the shared journey of two bereaved fathers – one Israeli and one Palestinian – who, in an extraordinary and courageous way, transformed their personal grief into a force for reconciliation. The two went on to become the joint chairpersons of the Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Families Forum for Peace.The play is inspired by the sweeping novel by Irish-American author Colum McCann, who deeply researched the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

About McCann’s book Apeirogon, critics have written, among other things:“An achievement of unimaginable scale”…“Apeirogon will have a powerful impact on anyone who reads it, and it may well have profound consequences for the future of this place”…“A wide-ranging masterpiece”…“This beautiful and deeply felt book is, above all, an extraordinary act of listening”…

The play portrays the profound transformation experienced by the two fathers:Rami Elhanan, the Israeli whose daughter Smadar was killed in a 1997 Jerusalem bombing; andBassam Aramin, the Palestinian whose daughter Abir was killed by a rubber bullet fired by Border Police officers in 2007.Rami had not been politically active, but meeting members of the Bereaved Families Forum gradually changed his views, and he eventually joined the organization.

Bassam, at age seventeen, assisted a group that threw grenades at an Israeli army jeep. He was arrested and sentenced to seven years in prison. During his imprisonment, he studied the Holocaust and came to believe that resistance to the occupation must be nonviolent. This shift in perspective led him to become one of the founders of the organization “Combatants for Peace.” After his daughter Abir was killed by a Border Police rubber bullet, he joined the Bereaved Families Forum.

Both Rami and Bassam began their political paths with hostility toward the other side, but each embarked on a long, complex personal journey that led to a deep change in consciousness. Eventually, they met as joint chairpersons of the Parents Circle – Bereaved Families Forum, channeling their private grief into a struggle for peace.

In addition to Rami and Bassam and their families, the play features a range of Israeli and Palestinian characters: soldiers, police officers, doctors, a prison guard, and a judge – together forming a mosaic of voices depicting the complex relationship between Israelis and Palestinians.

At a time of deep turmoil and one of the most challenging periods in the history of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and amid grave concern for the future of the place we live in, Apeirogon presents a courageous dialogue about loss, solidarity, and hope – an artistic work that opens the possibility of imagining a different future.

Playwright: Avner Ben Amos

Director: Sinai Peter

Duration: Approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes

For dates and ticket reservations:

https://www.jaffatheatre.org.il/shows/rami-bassam-apeirogon/