The Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem hosted more than 1,300 people – young and old – for exhibitions and a series of moving theater performances during the Sukkot holiday aimed at promoting the values of tolerance, unity and the acceptance of differences in society.
Entry was free for all visitors with the declared aim of imparting the values of tolerance as a common thread that connects us all.
MOTJ featured a special first-time production for youth and adults titled “In Line for Heaven.” The play addressed the experiences of Arab and Jewish teenagers from Jaffa – the actors are themselves youth-at-risk – and the way they navigated the riots that erupted there on the sidelines of Israel’s anti-Hamas operation in the Gaza Strip in 2021.
Highlighting tolerance and unity
The show was put on by the Young Voices Ensemble, a non-profit theater group based in Jaffa that provides a protected space for youth from disadvantaged backgrounds – Arabs and Jews including new immigrants from the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, and migrants from Africa – where they can realize their love for the theater and receive a mental, physical and intellectual response in a reality that does not always allow for such.
“Performing at the museum was a natural place since the play is about tolerance. The play teaches how to accept the other and how to be tolerant within a diverse society amid all of the divisions in Israeli society,” explained Oren Cohen, CEO of the Young Voices NGO. “Instead of going out to the streets and to fight, the children brought their anger and frustration to the stage and sat with a playwriter to tell their story and that turned into the play.”
The play, which is put on for all high school students in Tel Aviv as well as at universities across the country, the young people use the theater stage to navigate the tensions in their city while, at the same time, promoting values of equality and tolerance.
“We, at MOTJ, had the pleasure to partner with Young Voices and bring this play, that highlights tolerance and unity, to Jerusalem. The purpose of MOTJ is to spread the values of tolerance to Israel’s diverse society and beyond and this play is one of the ways to get that done,” said Jonathan Riss, the MOTJ operations manager.
The other performances were “Presenting a Point of Light,” which focused on the idea of tolerance as accepting differences in society, and “Louisa,” which explored self-acceptance and acceptance of others in society.
