By Merri Ansara
MAPA cosponsored Najla Said’s one-woman play “Palestine” at Easthampton CitySpace on August 7. Merri Ansara presented the following introduction and ending statement at the event.
When I saw Najla Said perform her play Palestine in Boston in March, my overwhelming thought as I laughed and cheered and shed tears was: I see my Arab father in her Arab father; my extended family in her extended family. Najla sees us, and speaks for us. Through her, we can be seen by others. Immediately I asked her if she would come to Easthampton. Our community was in the midst of a successful campaign to pass a call for a Ceasefire in Gaza and I wanted to add to that voice for peace a voice that spoke about who and what Palestinians and Arab Americans are. Najla is just the person to do so.
As of 2024, approximately 222,000 Palestinians live in the United States. They are a part of the approximately 4 million Arab Americans who have settled here in periodic waves over the last 3 centuries. We are part of the fabric of the country and at the same time we often and especially these days seem especially singled out, caricatured and vilified – or we are invisible. We want to hold to our warm, family-oriented, culturally rich heritage and identities, strongly also identifying with Palestine no matter where we’re from, and yet we want also to fit in to this society. It’s hard to recognize ourselves in the Public Space and, frequently, to be recognized.
Six million Palestinians live in diaspora outside of Palestine itself. Many still have the keys to their houses, the deeds to their lands. They follow what is happening to their relatives at home with horror and pain. The Lebanese grocery store owner I saw last week spoke of his love of Palestine. My brother was in Jordan 10 days ago, talking with people about setting up mobile surgical units that can evade the bombs. All of us also know that no matter how great the destruction in Gaza, no matter what, Palestine will live. They cannot kill all 5 million Palestinians there, and the 6 million Palestinians in diaspora will not renounce their birthright or their families. We all stand with them.
Najla’s is a personal story. Yet by the end of the play, if you are Arab American, I hope you have seen yourself, as I did. If you are not Arab American, I hope that you will see Arab Americans and Palestinians from new angles. If you are from another marginalized or even any immigrant group, I hope that you can relate what you have seen to some of your own experiences. At any rate, at the end of the play I hope that you will stay for discussion and questions and answers with Najla.
We are grateful to CitySpace, to Burns Maxey and Zoe Fieldman, for their collaboration in presenting this play and all their work to promote it; to Massachusetts Peace Action Education Fund for supporting our fundraising and sponsorship efforts for the Middle East Children’s Alliance; to Easthampton Public Library for bringing copies of Najla’s memoir into our branch and asking Carolyn Cushing to facilitate a reading and discussion of the book; to Galaxy Restaurant and especially Kim Douglass for organizing a taste of Palestinian food on their menu; to the businesses, institutions and individuals in Easthampton that came together to sponsor the play; to Easthampton Media for technical help; to Amy Merrill of HerStoryIs for inspiration and support; to Janell, Trevor, Kim, Kiam, and others from Easthampton for Peace who have worked tirelessly to line up sponsors and spread the word of the production; a huge thanks to Kiam for his tireless, talented and good humored work to put together the program book; and above all to Najla Said for her willingness to bring her play, her voice and her depiction of her and our reality to our small community of Easthampton. A longer version of Najla’s story is available as the book Looking for Palestine from Penguin Books.
The event was a fundraiser for Middle East Children’s Alliance, which, amidst the ongoing attack on Gaza, provides emergency assistance to families who have fled their homes to seek shelter with relatives, as well as procuring emergency medical supplies for hospitals and clinics. You can still make tax-deductible donations to MECA through MAPA Education Fund online, or write a check to MAPA EF with Najla Said on the memo line and mail to MAPA EF, 1991 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140.
AT END OF PLAY:
Thank you Najla. That was a brilliant performance. Now, everyone, given the hour, as soon as the mics are set up, we’ll move straight to questions and answers, comments and discussion. Note again that there are books for sale in the lobby, including Najla’s Memoir, Looking for Palestine, stickers and buttons and a box for donations to the Middle East Children’s Fund. The donations are tax deductible. You can use your credit card with the QR code or you can write a check or pay cash – we have receipts for your donation.
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Merri Ansara is a Massachusetts Peace Action Board Member and active in several working groups, including Cuba and Fund Healthcare Not Warfare.
