A Rabbi's LTTE: Cancelation of school's dance perfomance about Israeli-Hamas Conflict

[Ian David]

Was Cancellation Of Dance Performance Justified?

November 17, 2007

As a rabbi in the shoreline area, I feel it is important to respond to the Nov. 9 article regarding the Al-Ghad dance troupe's program at Old Saybrook High School . As a Jew, my relationship to Israel is complex, which sometimes means lovingly critiquing Israel's policies. Coincidentally, as an undergraduate, I spent a life-changing month living with a Palestinian family in Beit Sahour, the West Bank town that these dancers are from.

Although it is possible to engage with stories about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we must be deliberate about how we frame and contextualize these stories. A one-shot program does not build the trust needed to engage in useful dialogue. A program that only represents one side of a complex story does not provide the proper context in which to struggle with the issues.

From what I gather, this particular group had an agenda to correct what it perceives as an imbalance in what our students are already exposed to regarding Israel via the Western media. I know of other groups that bring Palestinian and Israeli speakers to communities who share multivocal perspectives to the conflict.

Unfortunately, this was a lost opportunity to teach that there are multiple perspectives to a story — a lost chance to learn about critical thinking when confronted with artistic expression. More thoughtful planning, including a plan to bring in Israeli voices, more investigation of Al-Ghad's agenda, and a deliberate framing of the discussion could have made this a positive, thought-provoking experience rather than a negatively charged one.

Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg
Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek Chester

More:
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-digedletboxb1117.artnov17,0,3633577.story