Saturday, April 26, 2014
A centuries-old tragedy brings teens together
The Times of Israel: When William Shakespeare wrote about the warring households in “Romeo and Juliet,” he wasn’t thinking about Jews and Arabs. Yet in Israel, more than 400 years later, his classic tale of feuds and betrayal served as a focal point of harmony for mixed audiences of Jewish, Muslim and Christian students.
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6 comments:
I never would have thought about it, but Romeo and Juliet is a very appropriate play to relate to the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Jewish and Arab children are raised with a deep set hatred for each other, rooted in conflict that is decades old, similarly to the Montagues and Capulets. But at the core, they are all just people and the hatred is entirely impersonal. Bringing Jewish and Arab teenagers together could be a very valuable initiative. I know that there are other types of programs that start trying to bring children together from a young age, but it is important to focus on them as teenagers as well. I watched a documentary last year where Jewish and Arab children were introduced and forced to discuss issues and play with one another, eliminating the hostility between them. But when they were revisited as teenagers, their old views on one another returned. For the conflict to ever be resolved, the teenagers need to be motivated to end it, so that there is a chance they may in the future.
I love this! I wish people were more accepting of each other and I think that art is such a great way to get people together. I think it's beautiful and so perfect for the situation to put on Romeo and Juliet. Sydney mentioned a documentary and though I never saw that documentary, I did watch a study about race and friendships in elementary school and what happens as they get older. I don't know, it just made me think about it. But I think that high school is the age when people start thinking for themselves in a sense. High school is when we begin to figure out who we are. They say we are extremely impressionable when we are young but when it comes to social awareness, I think it's the time when we start to discover who we are that really impacts who we become and how we decide to treat others in the future!
Though "Romeo and Juliet" is definitely not the "greatest love story of all time", it is still a valuable and classic tale that can teach a lot about love, acceptance, and miscommunication. I think it is great that teens are learning how to be better people and more loving towards each other after having learned of Shakespeare's work. It is exciting that his plays are still having such a huge impact of the world, and not just as required readings for school, but actually making a difference.
I love that this is so relevant. It makes me realize that things happen in a cyclical fashion in many ways. Many plays now that we don't understand or we don't think are relevant or good could become relevant in 400 years and thats just an interesting commentary on the human condition. Is is timeless? or is it very specifically in the right time. Is everything timeless if it becomes relevant again eventually. This article give you a lot of big questions to think about far beyond is Shakespeare relevant still.
Like Sydney, I never thought about applying the story of Romeo & Juliet to modern day conflicts, but its amazing to see just how much it still applies. This also shows just how timeless and great theater is! I agree with Becki in that this age group of students are the ones figuring out who they are and what they like and don't like. I definitely get the feeling that things like this are what is going to help end the conflicts, not all the other stuff that's going on (not that I really follow it anyways).
I've been to Israel and I was struck and disheartened by how poorly Muslims are treated. Jewish Israelis dominate Muslim Israelis. The conflict is between Muslim Palestinians and Israelis of all religions. Muslim Israelis want to be Israeli and want to be in Israel. The schools are segregated because of practical reasons. I mean, the government is Jewish. I don't believe in a religious government. Especially when it impedes on an important population of a country. Until there is no longer a religious government socially equality cannot be reached. In conclusion, I would say, as lovely as it is, that Romeo and Juliet is not related to Muslim/Jewish conflict within Israel.
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