7 Jewish Children, a play for Gaza
Posted: February 10th, 2010 | Author: Moonstar Silverwolf | Filed under: Gaza, Israel, Theatre | Tags: 7 Jewish Children, Caryl Churchill, Gaza, Israel, Palestine | View CommentsSeven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza is Caryl Churchill’s response to the 2008-2009 Israel military strike on Gaza, and first performed at London’s Royal Court Theatre on 6 February 2009. Churchill, a patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, has said that anyone wishing to produce it may do so gratis, so long as they hold a collection for the people of Gaza at the end.
The play consists of seven scenes spread over roughly seventy years, describing certain events in recent Jewish history that the play alludes to only indirectly : The Holocaust, Jewish immigration to Palestine, the creation of Israel, the flight or expulsion of Palestinian Arabs, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the dispute over water, the First Intifada, the building of the West Bank barrier, Palestinian suicide attacks, Hamas rocket attacks, and the 2008 bombing of Gaza.
The next three videos are the Lebanese American University’s student production of this play, followed by the full text of the play which was provided via the http://www.guardian.co.uk. At the end of the text, you can download the text in PDF format and find information on how to produce the play free of charge as long as you charge no admission and set up a collection for medical aid for Palestinians.
Seven Jewish Children – a Play for Gaza
Caryl Churchill
No children appear in the play. The speakers are adults, the parents and if you like other relations of the children. The lines can be shared out in any way you like among those characters. The characters are different in each small scene as the time and child are different.
1
Tell her it’s a game
Tell her it’s serious
But dont frighten her
Dont tell her they’ll kill her
Tell her it’s important to be quiet
Tell her she’ll have cake if she’s good
Tell her to curl up as if she’s in bed
But not to sing.
Tell her not to come out
Tell her not to come out even if she hears shouting
Dont frighten her
Tell her not to come out even if she hears nothing for a long time
Tell her we’ll come and find her
Tell her we’ll be here all the time.
Tell her something about the men
Tell her they’re bad in the game
Tell her it’s a story
Tell her they’ll go away
Tell her she can make them go away if she keeps still
By magic
But not to sing.
2
Tell her this is a photograph of her grandmother, her uncles and me
Tell her her uncles died
Dont tell her they were killed
Tell her they were killed
Dont frighten her.
Tell her her grandmother was clever
Dont tell her what they did
Tell her she was brave
Tell her she taught me how to make cakes
Dont tell her what they did
Tell her something
Tell her more when she’s older.
Tell her there were people who hated jews
Dont tell her
Tell her it’s over now
Tell her there are still people who hate jews
Tell her there are people who love jews
Dont tell her to think jews or not jews
Tell her more when she’s older
Tell her how many when she’s older
Tell her it was before she was born and she’s not in danger
Dont tell her there’s any question of danger.
Tell her we love her
Tell her dead or alive her family all love her
Tell her her grandmother would be proud of her.
3
Dont tell her we’re going forever
Tell her she can write to her friends, tell her her friends can maybe come and visit
Tell her it’s sunny there
Tell her we’re going home
Tell her it’s the land God gave us
Dont tell her religion
Tell her her great great great great lots of greats grandad lived there
Dont tell her he was driven out
Tell her, of course tell her, tell her everyone was driven out and the country is waiting
for us to come home
Dont tell her she doesnt belong here
Tell her of course she likes it here but she’ll like it there even more.
Tell her it’s an adventure
Tell her no one will tease her
Tell her she’ll have new friends
Tell her she can take her toys
Dont tell her she can take all her toys
Tell her she’s a special girl
Tell her about Jerusalem.
4
Dont tell her who they are
Tell her something
Tell her they’re bedouin, they travel about
Tell her about camels in the desert and dates
Tell her they live in tents
Tell her this wasnt their home
Dont tell her home, not home, tell her they’re going away
Dont tell her they dont like her
Tell her to be careful.
Dont tell her who used to live in this house
No but dont tell her her great great grandfather used to live in this house
No but dont tell her Arabs used to sleep in her bedroom.
Tell her not to be rude to them
Tell her not to be frightened
Dont tell her she cant play with the children
Dont tell her she can have them in the house.
Tell her they have plenty of friends and family
Tell her for miles and miles all round they have lands of their own
Tell her again this is our promised land.
Dont tell her they said it was a land without people
Dont tell her I wouldnt have come if I’d known.
Tell her maybe we can share.
Dont tell her that.
5
Tell her we won
Tell her her brother’s a hero
Tell her how big their armies are
Tell her we turned them back
Tell her we’re fighters
Tell her we’ve got new land.
6
Dont tell her
Dont tell her the trouble about the swimming pool
Tell her it’s our water, we have the right
Tell her it’s not the water for their fields
Dont tell her anything about water.
Dont tell her about the bulldozer
Dont tell her not to look at the bulldozer
Dont tell her it was knocking the house down
Tell her it’s a building site
Dont tell her anything about bulldozers.
Dont tell her about the queues at the checkpoint
Tell her we’ll be there in no time
Dont tell her anything she doesnt ask
Dont tell her the boy was shot
Dont tell her anything.
Tell her we’re making new farms in the desert
Dont tell her about the olive trees
Tell her we’re building new towns in the wilderness.
Dont tell her they throw stones
Tell her they’re not much good against tanks
Dont tell her that.
Dont tell her they set off bombs in cafes
Tell her, tell her they set off bombs in cafes
Tell her to be careful
Dont frighten her.
Tell her we need the wall to keep us safe
Tell her they want to drive us into the sea
Tell her they dont
Tell her they want to drive us into the sea.
Tell her we kill far more of them
Dont tell her that
Tell her that
Tell her we’re stronger
Tell her we’re entitled
Tell her they dont understand anything except violence
Tell her we want peace
Tell her we’re going swimming.
7
Tell her she cant watch the news
Tell her she can watch cartoons
Tell her she can stay up late and watch Friends.
Tell her they’re attacking with rockets
Dont frighten her
Tell her only a few of us have been killed
Tell her the army has come to our defence
Dont tell her her cousin refused to serve in the army.
Dont tell her how many of them have been killed
Tell her the Hamas fighters have been killed
Tell her they’re terrorists
Tell her they’re filth
Dont
Dont tell her about the family of dead girls
Tell her you cant believe what you see on television
Tell her we killed the babies by mistake
Dont tell her anything about the army
Tell her, tell her about the army, tell her to be proud of the army. Tell her about the family of dead girls, tell her their names why not, tell her the whole world knows why shouldnt she know? tell her there’s dead babies, did she see babies? tell her she’s got nothing to be ashamed of. Tell her they did it to themselves. Tell her they want their children killed to make people sorry for them, tell her I’m not sorry for them, tell her not to be sorry for them, tell her we’re the ones to be sorry for, tell her they cant talk suffering to us. Tell her we’re the iron fist now, tell her it’s the fog of war, tell her we wont stop killing them till we’re safe, tell her I laughed when I saw the dead policemen, tell her they’re animals living in rubble now, tell her I wouldnt care if we wiped them out, the world would hate us is the only thing, tell her I dont care if the world hates us, tell her we’re better haters, tell her we’re chosen people, tell her I look at one of their children covered in blood and what do I feel? tell her all I feel is happy it’s not her.
Dont tell her that.
Tell her we love her.
Dont frighten her.
© Caryl Churchill Ltd, 2009
Please feel free to download the play. This play can be read or performed anywhere by any number of people. Should you wish to apply for rights, please contact ruth@casarotto.co.uk, who will license the performances free of charge provided that no admission fee is charged and that a collection is taken at each performance for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), 33a Islington Park Street, London N1 1 QB. Tel: 020-7226 4114. Website: map-uk.org. Email: info@map-uk.org
Hard copies can be obtained from Nick Hern Books, 14 Larden Road, London W3 7ST. Email: info@nickhernbooks.demon.co.uk
The text must be performed as written. No changes of any kind can be made to the title or text of the play.
A year ago today, November 5th, 2008 – The Israeli military entered the Gaza Strip ending a four month cease-fire between Hamas & Israel. This raid into Gaza resulted in the death of six Palestinians. Hamas responded with rockets into southern Israel which caused no injuries.
Late in 2008, Israel would begin “Operation Cast Lead” which Israel deemed a necessary fight to rid Gaza of Hamas and defend Israel from rocket fire. For 22 straight days, US made and purchased military weapons fell onto Gaza causing destruction and further humanitarian problems. As reported recently by the UN sponsored “Goldstone” report, it is clear that Israel violated the international laws of war, targeting civilians, schools & hospitals. Bulldozing land, killing livestock, destroying a sewage treatment plant & cutting the people off from clean water or supplies to rebuild. Furthermore, there is evidence that Israel used illegal weapons such as depleted Uranium which burns the skin causing serve pain and suffering.
Israel continues to refuse to support any investigation into how it conducted this operation. And, the United States continues to support Israel. You, as a citizen of the United States are responsible for these acts just as much as the solider who pulled the trigger because your leaders continue to support Israel without question. You, America – you are allowing these people to starve, to die, to suffer.
