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April 9, 2010
Punchlines for Peace
If we can laugh together, we can live together.
REBECA KUROPATWA
The first-ever performance by the Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour filled Winnipeg’s West End Cultural Centre’s theatre with an eclectic audience last month.
Co-founder Ray Hanania was born to Palestinian-Christian parents and grew up in Chicago. A journalist and radio talk show host by trade, Hanania writes for several North American and Middle Eastern publications. He founded this talented troupe with Charley Warady, an American-born Jew who migrated to Israel, and Aaron Freeman, an African-American convert to Judaism. Rounding out this motley crew, but absent for their Winnipeg show, is sometimes-troupe member Yisrael Campbell, an American-born Catholic who converted to Judaism and migrated to Israel.
“Palestinians and Israelis are human beings first, and humor is a powerful way for humans to energize their faith in humanity,” said Hanania. “We don’t make fun of the tragedy of the Middle East conflict, but we do laugh about the stupid logic that often drives people to do crazy things.”
Hanania shared jokes about how, as a Palestinian, he is treated when traveling around the world, about his experiences flying the Israeli airline El Al, and on being an Arab Christian – who is married to a Jewish woman.
Funded by the Hillel Israel on Campus Coalition’s Israel advocacy grant project, Punchlines for Peace was organized by a broad mix of University of Manitoba and University of Winnipeg student groups.
As president of the Jewish Student Association and Hillel at the U of M, Eyal Kraut was on the event’s interfaith planning committee, along with students Asma Mneina, Samantha Loxton, Robin Super and Talia Joundi.
Mneina and Kraut came up with the idea of putting on a Jewish-Muslim program last November. They told the Independent, “We agreed it’d be a great idea, as, to our knowledge, there’s never been a Jewish-Muslim student connection like this before, so this would be a great way to build bridges.
“Once we all met and talked to each other, it quickly became clear that we’re all university students who like hummus and comedy,” they joked, “and our political views don’t have to hinder our relationships.”
Warady performed well-received jokes about driving (with the driver-is-always-right mentality, versus the pedestrian) and going to see a movie in Israel, where they still include a hafsaka (intermission).
“I live in Israel and had read about Ray on the Internet,” said Warady. “He told me that a Palestinian and an Israeli stand-up comedian have never shared the same stage. Although Arabs and Jews, and Palestinians and Jews have, a Palestinian and an Israeli [Jew] never have.” They kicked off the comedy tour two years ago.
Although Warady and Hanania have felt resistance within their respective communities, Warady said, “It doesn’t matter. We’re not idealists. We’re realists. We make people realize, above all else, that there’s hope. Ray coined the phrase ‘If we can laugh together ... we can live together,’ and that’s pretty much true.”
A realist, Warady said, “We’re not out to change anyone’s mind. If you laugh at something during the show, we’ve done our job. If you walk away with a greater awareness, we’ve done one better.”
Freeman, a stand-up comedian, author, cartoonist, blogger and veteran of Second City, said of Warady’s participation, “adding an Israeli to the show was a no-brainer.”
Freeman joked about his experience converting to Judaism, including having a brit (circumcision).
“The tour travels the world to preach ... ‘If we can laugh together, we can live together.’ Even if that’s untrue, it’s a message worth spreading, because it promotes optimism, which will be essential for any real solution.”
For information on the Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour, visit ipcomedytour.com.
Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.
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