Letter: Crossing Jerusalem Cancellation

dddd
19 Fulton Street, Suite 407

New York, NY 10038
tel: (212) 807-6222
fax: (212) 807-6245
e-mail: ncac@ncac.org
web: www.ncac.org
Joan E. Bertin
Executive Director
NCAC PARTICIPATING
ORGANIZATIONS
Actors Equity Association
American Association of
School Administrators
University Professors
University Women
American Booksellers
for Free Expression
American Civil Liberties Union
American Ethical Union
February 23, 2016
American Federation of Teachers

American Jewish Committee
American Library Association
American Literary Translators
North Miami Beach JCC Shuts Down Dialogue with

Cancellation of 'Crossing Jerusalem'
Association
American Orthopsychiatric Association
American Society of Journalists
& Authors
Americans United for Separation of
U.S. cultural institutions claim a key role in maintaining the openness of social
and political debate. But that role is threatened when those institutions fail to
take on passionate controversy around difficult subject matter.
Church & State

Association of American Publishers
Authors Guild
Catholics for Choice
Childrens Literature Association
A disturbing example of such failure is the cancellation of Crossing Jerusalem

by the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center (JCC) in North Miami
Beach, Florida, midway through the run of the play, in response to complaints
and claims that its message was "inappropriate and troublesome."
College Art Association

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
The Creative Coalition
Directors Guild of America
Dramatists Guild of America
First Amendment Lawyers Association
International Reading Association
Crossing Jerusalem, which opened on February 10 at the JCCs Cultural Arts

Theater (J-CAT), is a family drama set in Jerusalem during the 2002 intifada.
The play, by British playwright Julia Pascal (who is Jewish), reflects the
complex and much-contested political realities of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Pascal, who called the Miami JCC cancellation censorship, has said that the play
shows "the complexity of Israeli life."
Lambda Legal
Modern Language Association
National Center for Science Education
National Communication Association
National Council for the Social Studies
National Council of Churches
National Council of Jewish Women
National Council of Teachers of English
National Education Association
National Youth Rights Association
Work that addresses the Mideast conflict often provokes controversy and debate.
J-CAT was certainly aware of this, which is why they convened talk-back
discussions after the performances. However, yielding to continuing pressure
from critics, some of whom claimed the play presented a "false paradigm of the
Arab-Israeli conflict," the JCC's President & CEO Gary Bomzer canceled all
remaining performances on February 16th. He justified the cancellation as an
attempt to "avoid any further pain and to engage in rigorous, vibrant
conversation."
The Newspaper Guild/CWA

PEN American Center
People for the American Way
Planned Parenthood Federation
of America
Project Censored
SAG-AFTRA
Sexuality Information & Education
Council of the U.S.
Society of Childrens Book Writers
& Illustrators
Student Press Law Center
Censoring the play does nothing to promote conversation; on the contrary, it

cuts short any possibility for a productive debate by letting hecklers decide the
programming of an institution that should serve the community as a whole in
all its diversity of views. As a cultural institution, and specifically as an
Union for Reform Judaism

Union of Democratic Intellectuals
Unitarian Universalist Association
United Church of Christ
Office of Communication
United Methodist Church
United Methodist Communications
Womens American ORT
Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance
Writers Guild of America, East
Writers Guild of America, West
institution which carries on the Jewish tradition of open discourse and Talmudic debate, the
JCC's Cultural Arts Theatre has the opportunityand arguably even the obligationto present
to its audiences material that challenges and provokes thought. Indeed, Bomzer's cancellation
letter affirms the goal of the Center to "build a culture in which complicated questions are ones
we can openly discuss." Such a culture cannot be built if the Center censors a production after a
few members of the community object to it.
The Miami JCC is failing its membership when it betrays core cultural values of open debate by
succumbing to demands by some aggrieved patrons who don't like a work of art. What of the
many others who are finding meaning, validation, and truth in the drama of ideas? Those who
are offended need not attend. There will be other works of art that may speak more meaningfully
to them. But to shut down an already affirmed and successful showone that passed through a
process of refinement and approval to make it to the production stageis to betray
commitments, rights, and freedom of expression by suddenly declaring ideas that resonate with a
large part of the community impermissible.
It is hardly possible for cultural institutions to avoid controversy and still remain relevant; the
challenge is to work to make controversy productive. Reducing challenging, debate-provoking
programming for the sake of plays that shy away from asking tough questions impoverishes
community dialogue on precisely those sensitive topics where we need it most.
In his letter, Bomzer speaks of the need for the center "to engage in rigorous, vibrant
conversation that advances our community." Those aims would be best served by allowing
members of the community to see Crossing Jerusalem for themselves, and to participate in the
discussion it provokes. We urge the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center to reschedule the remaining performances of Crossing Jerusalem.
National Coalition Against Censorship

Dramatists Legal Defense Fund
Arts Integrity Initiative
American Booksellers for Free Expression
Endorsed by:
David Ben-Arie, actor, composer, playwright, sound designer (Sound designer for Crossing
Jerusalem)
Sara Brookner, Association for Jewish Theatre member-at-large and dramaturg
Christopher Buchanan, independent NYC [laywright
David Y. Chack, Producing Artistic Director of ShPIeL-Performing Identity Chicago and

Professor at the Theatre School at DePaul University
Stacie Chaiken, writer-performer-educator, Los Angeles
Elaine Clayton, artist and author, Westport, CT
Carl C. Cole, Commissioner Emeritus, DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities
David Copelin, playwright / dramaturg / Dramatists Guild member
Cynthia DeShola Coleman, activist and CEO of the Timothy Dawkins-El Project
Edward Einhorn, Artistic Director, Untitled Theater Company No. 61
Gordon Edelstein, Artistic Director, Long Wharf Theatre
Henrik Eger, Ph.D., editor, www.DramaAroundTheGlobe.com
Christine Evans, playwright and Assistant Professor, Georgetown University
Chris Finan, American Booksellers for Free Expression
Rebecca Joy Fletcher, playwright, performer, cantor and Jewish educator (Chicago)
David A. Goldenberg, documentary filmmaker, Rhode Island
David Ira Goldstein, Artistic Director, Arizona Theatre Company
Wendy Graf, playwright/DGA member
Anna Hayman, Managing Director, CultureHub
Michelle Hensley, Artistic Director, Ten Thousand Things Theater, Minneapolis, MN
Jamil Khoury, Founding Artistic Director, Silk Road Rising, Chicago
Larry Kunofsky, playwright
Joshua Ford, playwright, Dramatist Guild, Association for Jewish Theatre member
Mira Hirsch, Past President, Association for Jewish Theatre
Motti Lerner, playwright
Jennifer Mendenhall, former artist in residence, Theatre J, DCJCC, actor
Lisa Mount, consultant, perform, producer, Georgia
Adrienne Nelson, actor/dialect coach/teaching artist, Washington, DC
Jenny Paul, actor/producer, producer of "Crossing Jerusalem" North American Premiere
Sinai Peter, Visiting Professor, American University, Independent Director, Haifa Israel; former
Artistic Director, Haifa Municipal Theatre, Israel
Gail Prensky, Executive Director, The Jdische Kulturbund Project

Tom Prewitt, Artistic and Executive Director, WSC Avant Bard
Ari Roth, Founding Artistic Director, Mosaic Theater Company of DC
Linnea Sage, actor in the original U.S. premiere of Crossing Jerusalem
Aaron Mack Schloff, DG member
James Sherman, playwright/DGA member
C Denby Swanson, playwright
David Winitsky, Artistic Director, Jewish Plays Project
Laura Zam, independent playwright/performer, Washington, DC
Karen Zacarias, playwright, Dramatist Guild member, Washington, DC

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dddd

19 Fulton Street, Suite 407

February 23, 2016

American Federation of Teachers

North Miami Beach JCC Shuts Down Dialogue with

Church & State

A disturbing example of such failure is the cancellation of Crossing Jerusalem

College Art Association

Crossing Jerusalem, which opened on February 10 at the JCCs Cultural Arts

The Newspaper Guild/CWA

Censoring the play does nothing to promote conversation; on the contrary, it

Union for Reform Judaism

National Coalition Against Censorship

David Y. Chack, Producing Artistic Director of ShPIeL-Performing Identity Chicago and

Gail Prensky, Executive Director, The Jdische Kulturbund Project

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