By Motti Lerner

Directed by Sinai Peter

Produced by Theater J

Reviewed by Ronnie Ruff

The view from the bright, sun-washed living room in this middle eastern village is unlike any you see on CNN every night. No smoke from exploded car bombs and the carnage that ensues, no images of children with tears rolling down their young, innocent faces. What we do see could be a modern vacation home in the hills of southern California or maybe Italy’s southern Adriatic coast. It is the visual similarities to our own world that draw us into this Israeli family’s home and then into their complicated lives.

Shmuel’s (Michael Tolaydo) family is one of the families that has settled in Palestinian lands beyond pre-war borders and the fierce international conflict. Set in the not too distant future, the family is dealing with the daily problems of an average American family: pregnancy, infertility, visiting family members, building a new home and just getting everyone to the dinner table. It is not long before the TV flickers for breaking news; an announcer on cable news describes a potential Palestinian – Israeli peace accord that one would think would have this family jumping for joy. Nothing could be further from the truth however because Shmuel is a local right wing political leader who has led his people into the settlement they call home. The potential accord would mean his family would have to leave their homes much like the Palestinians that they replaced. [Read more...]