Peace Oil and My Name is Rachel Corrie, at the Seattle Repertory Theater Through May 6, 2007

Olive Branch Enterprises is proud to offer Peace Oil at the Northwest Premier of My Name is Rachel Corrie at the Seattle Repertory Theater running through May 6th. Peace Oil is on sale at the theater gift shop. Half of proceeds benefit the theater.

Following the performance on Sunday April 1st, a lively discussion was held with a panel including the parents of Rachel, Craig and Cindy Corrie. Their calm, persistent commitment to carry on the work of their daughter to achieve a just settlement of the conflict was greatly appreciated by all present. Also on the panel were Amin Odeh and Ed Mast, from the Palestine Information Project and Judith Kolicoff of Jewish Voice for Peace.

The play itself was powerful with a strong performance by actress, Marya Sea Kaminski. Based on the diaries of Rachel, the script reveals a brilliant, original, youthful mind. She is full of hopes and aspirations that will lead her to actions requiring far more courage then most of us have.

In Rafah in the Gaza Strip we see her fears and self-doubts grow as the terrible conditions she has thrust herself into begin to have their impact. Her faith in humanity is at once shaken by the cruel repression she sees, yet reaffirmed by the courage of those resisting it. In the end, her deep commitment to changing the ugly reality that Rafah has become during this intense time of the intifada, leads her to stand before a moving bulldozer. The image of her alone, confronting this destructive power, forces us to look within and reflect on our willingness to sacrifice for others whose lives, at least on the surface, seem disconnected from ours. Rachel has become a mirror for all of us, especially here in the Northwest where her life has deepened our connection to the conflict in Israel Palestine.

The Yuval Ron Concert, March 18, 2007

Music is the universal language of humanity and this ensemble of musicians from all around the Mediterranean, speaks it clearly and joyfully. The Yuval Ron Ensemble, led by Israeli, Yuval Ron, had the audience of some 300 or more enthralled by the sounds of oud, harmonium, percussion, woodwinds, Arabic vocals as well as the hypnotic vision of a Sufi whirling dervish. Sights and sounds filled the cavernous sanctuary of St. Marks Cathedral on Capitol Hill in Seattle and filled hearts with hope and a strong sense of the power in the underlying unity among peoples of all faiths and ethnicities.

Find Common Ground, a sponsor of the event, made Peace Oil available in the lobby and as a gift to supporters of the event. Almost sixty bottles were distributed.