Both supporters and critics have cited Israel as an example for the U.S. to emulate in combating "terrorism." How has Israel shaped -- either by example or more directly -- U.S. law and policy on "terrorism"? How has cooperation between the two governments affected the Palestinian diaspora in the U.S.? We will bring together litigators, analysts, and prisoners' advocates to explore these questions.

Please join us for a panel discussion with videos and presentations by representatives from the Jenin Freedom Theatre in Palestine. The panelists will discuss the following:
 

• What is it like to make theater in Occupied Palestine and why is this work important?
• What is the relationship between theatre and politics in Palestine as practiced at The Freedom Theatre?
• How does the theatre continue its work under severe repression, murder and arrests?
• What are the similarities/differences in acting education between the U.S. and Palestine?

Raphael Greenberg is a senior lecturer in the field of archeology at Tel Aviv University. Currently, he is working on the West Bank and East Jerusalem Archeological Database Project, which lists the archeological sites that have been excavated by Israel in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967. 

As part of this project, he published a book entitled: Israeli Archeological Activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem: A Sourcebook. His research focuses on two distinct fields: Early Bronze Age research, and the impact of archaeology in the present. His research covers questions such as the formation and dissolution of early urban societies in the Levant, long and mid-range interaction, migration and trade, and social and economic aspects of ceramic industries (most recently, the Kura-Araxes interaction sphere). Moreover, his work on archaeology in the present includes teaching and writing about community archaeology and the politics of the archaeology of ancient Jerusalem...

Midway through Camus's classic The Stranger, an unnamed Arab is killed. Leaping from this moment and working backwards through possible histories of tangled romance, ethnic conflict, and random violence, playwright Betty Shamieh has crafted a new play inspired by this unknown character. Infused with elements of Middle Eastern oral storytelling traditions and dance, The Strangest is an absurdist murder mystery about two Algerian brothers who vie for the love of the same woman. Their bitter rivalry ends with one brother being inexplicably gunned down by a French stranger.

Following the reading, the writer and director will be joined in discussion by moderator James Schamus.