Children of the Nadi perform a play for the village

In January 2018 the Wahat al-Salam - Neve Shalom Theater Group opened for the younger of the two groups in the Nadi Youth Club (grades 4-8). The theater group was directed by actress Yasmin Bar Shalom Agmon, who grew up in the village and is currently studying acting in the Nissan Nativ Acting Studio.

In the beginning of 2018, the Nadi became a unit of the village’s educational association, whereas previously it was part of the municipality. The theater group was among the first Nadi Youth Club activities to develop. The Nadi continues in its role of providing a weekly framework for the children to learn and practice communication and leadership skills, while helping to create cohesion between the large group of young people growing up in the village.

As a final project of the school year, the theater group produced a play that was based on a children’s version of "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" by Berthold Brecht. The play deals with the question of whether legal justice is moral and whether the right to property, which stands at the center of our lives, should take precedence over justice.

The play was written in German and first performed in English in the 1940s, and later translated and adapted for children in Sweden. The theater group of the Nadi adapted it and performed it in both Hebrew and Arabic.

The group worked on the play every Friday for six months. They learned drama, practiced acting and finally performed the play for parents and village members. It was a great success! Next year, the group will continue to develop, and we look forward to seeing many more shows!

That what is here, should belong to those who deserve it—
The children to the motherly,
So they may thrive,
The wagons to the good drivers,
So they are well driven,
And the valley to those who water it,
So it may bear fruit.

(Berthold Brecht / From the Caucasian Chalk Circle)