KIDS Children's Play Leads To Peace MET DEE COUNTRY CORNERS 13 MILE ROAD AT SOUTHFIELD ROAD 647.4646 SOUTHEAST CORNER ON 13 MILE RD SIDE Extends Best Wishes To Its Valued Customers and Friends For A Joyous and Health-Filled New Year OPEN YEAR-ROUND - 7 DAYS A WEEK MON.-SAT. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. — SUN. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. • FRESH SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE • FRESH CUT PINEAPPLE • FRESH BREADS • FRESH FRUITS & VEGETABLES • DELI DEPT. INCL. KOSHER PRODUCTS • GOURMET SECTION • FRESH CUT FLOWERS & PLANTS • DAIRY DEPARTMENT HAPPINESS & HEALTH STEVE FINK MASTER PLUMBER WITH NEVER ENDING THANKS FOR HIS FRIENDSHIP & EXPERTISE SHARPS BIG & TALL THE STORE 26333 SOUTHFIELD AT 10 1/2 MILE • LATHRUP VILLAGE HOURS: M-F 10am-9pm, SAT 9am-6pm, SUN 12n-5pm *559-7334 120 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1991 NECHEMIA MEYERS Special to the Jewish News eace Child, a musical presented by young- sters from Kibbutz Maayan Zvi and the Arab village of Faradis, is extraor- dinarily naive. It is based on the premise that Jewish and Palestinian children, working together, can force the leaders of their respective peoples to talk peace and, sooner or later, to make peace. One thing for sure, the per- formance — and the two years spent preparing it — created bonds between the children of Maayan Zvi and Faradis that had not existed before. For even though they live only a couple of miles apart, just south of Haifa, it was only through this common endeavor that they became acquainted with one another. Peace Child did not originate in Israel. It evolved, over a decade ago, from Peace Book by Englishman Bernard Benson, which was turned in- to a play by David Woollcombe of the BBC. Then music was added by another Englishman, composer David Gordon. In its original version, Peace Child featured youngsters from the U.S. and the USSR who banded together to pre- vent the outbreak of a nuclear war between the two super- powers. The Lathrup Village (Mich.) Youth Theatre produc- ed Peace Child in July 1989. Later versions were adapted to the situations prevailing in various strife- torn corners of the world. Thus when Peace Child was produced in Belfast, the pro- tagonists were Protestant and Catholic youngsters. The musical was brought to this country by Yael Drouyan- off, a veteran Israeli actress and peace activist, who call- ed in Hanan Peled, a well- known playwright and script- writer, to prepare a heavily revised Israeli version. Each Israeli production of Peace Child and the one I saw last week was the fourth — came about because a par- ticular drama coach became excited about the idea. At Maayan Zvi it was Efrat Gal, who then convinced both her fellow kibbutzniks and the people of Faradis to support the project. Working together with Hal- ed Muasi, principal of the Faradis Primary School, and Edat Abed El Hamid, an p English teacher in the school, she organized a weekly drama group of kids from Maayan Zvi and Faradis that met alternately in the two communities. The first stage, which took a year, was for- mally devoted to learning theater techniques, but, in fact, its main purpose was to allow the youngsters from both places to become ac- quainted with one another. Also, since the play is bil ingual, the boys and girl from Faradis spent a lot of time and effort polishing up their Hebrew, while those from Maayan Zvi learned a modicum of Arabic. Only during the second year did Efrat begin working with her charges on the musical itself. This was not Its main purpose was to allow the youngsters from both places to become acquainted with one another. easy against the background of the intifada and the Gulf War, but she and her col- leagues at Faradis managed to hold the group together even when there was a spate of stabbings and Scuds. Peace Child was to have been presented at both Maayan Zvi and Faradis, but it couldn't be put on at the Arab village for lack of facilities. So the poeple of Faradis — the men in Western clothes and the women in traditional Moslem dresses and head coverings — came to see it • in the kibbutz auditorium. They may not have under- stood every word, particular- ly in the Hebrew parts, but they clearly enjoyed the musical, as did the Jews in the audience. But the most enthusiastic people involved were the kids themselves. Moran of Maayan Zvi, for ex- ample, said it freed her of the prejudices she had about Arabs. Lubna, a girl from Faradis, said essentially the same thing, that the ex- perience "had completely changed her ideas about Jews." And Amar, a boy from Faradis, clearly spoke for youngsters from both com- munities when he declared: "I only hope that what we learned about peace becomes a reality." ❑