ATJT performs for peace at Pesach affair

Have you heard the one about the scorpion and the duck? According to Albert Greenberg, founding member of A Traveling Jewish Theatre, it goes something like this:

A duck gives a scorpion, which cannot swim, a ride across the river. When they get half way across, the scorpion venomously bites the duck.

"Why did you do that?" asks the duck of the scorpion. "Now we're both going to die."

The scorpion explains quite simply, said Greenberg, that "this is the Middle East."

Greenberg told this anecdote Sunday during ATJT's first-ever "Passover Performance for Peace" at Dolores Park in San Francisco.

The free event, featuring performances by the ATJT ensemble and the San Francisco Mime Troupe, was organized as a way to promote peace and justice between Israelis and Palestinians, without any political commentary.

"There are no easy answers to the situation in the Middle East," explained Beth Rubenstein, an ATJT board member, as she watched the performances on the lawn at Dolores Park. "But we have many voices in the community who are committed to peace, and today's performance speaks about that."

Referring to the duck and scorpion story, she emphasized the need for peace. Otherwise, "we're all going to go down," she said. "We're all losing right now."

About 65 people, both individuals and families, gathered at the park for Sunday's performances. Many were spread out on blankets while others sat in lawn chairs surrounding a small stage erected for the performances.

Nearby groups including Jews for Justice, Jews for Divestment From Israel and Amnesty International had set up tables with fliers. Most of the audience was made up of members from these groups as well as ATJT fans.

ATJT associate artist Aaron Davidman took the stage to reprise his role as Moses in an excerpt from ATJT's "God's Donkey."

Rubenstein explained how the excerpt, which touched on the Egyptians' unfavorable impression of the Jews, translated to the current situation in the Middle East.

"It's about the difficulties faced by two people trying to live on the same land," she said. "First it was the Egyptians worrying that the Jewish population would overrun them, and now it's the Jews with the Palestinians."

Davidman was followed by musician Barbara Borden, who rhythmically banged on a drum and engaged many in the audience with a chant about peace.

"We don't need bombs, we don't need knives, we don't need guns to save our lives -- just drums," they chanted along with her several times, Borden ending the chant with the words "and each other."

Other performers included Laura Simms and Emily Shihadeh. Simms, who is currently doing her one-woman show "Reconciled in the Book of Secrets, or How to Find Romania" at ATJT, told an Arab story from Morocco. Shihadeh, an American of Palestinian heritage, performed a piece from her narrative "Grapes and Figs Are in Season: A Palestinian Woman's Story."

Greenberg did a selection from the ATJT show "Fatherless Sky"; Cantor Richard Kaplan of Conservative Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland and Helen Stoltzfus of ATJT sang from the Song of Songs; and the San Francisco Mime Troupe performed a selection from its Obie Award-winning play "Seeing Double," about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Despite a sudden overcast sky, the performers and most in the audience were optimistic about achieving peace in the Middle East.

ATJT ensemble member Naomi Newman, for instance, took the stage holding an orange, and described the growing custom of placing the fruit, as a feminist symbol, on the Passover seder plate. She asked that the audience help start a new custom by using a fig or a date.

"The date on your plate will symbolize your dedication to making sure that liberation and freedom will exist for the Palestinian people," she said, as the audience applauded.