MHiiTE
My Heart is in the East
But the rest of me far in the West
- Yehuda Halevi (1090)
My Heart is in the East is a play by Jessica Litwak that deals with East and West, Jews and Moslems, Men and Women - and offers a vision of peace.
The My Heart is in the East (MHiiTE) project centres around this play that shines a light on a cultural heritage neglected by most Western narratives: La Convivencia, when Moslems and Jews were able to co-exist fruitfully for centuries. Not through rose-tinted spectacles, but by the working out of differences in religion, gender, social status through the transformative power of language and the imagination. MHiiTE seeks to explore a shared identity around what binds us rather than divides us – both 1000 years ago and today.
In addition to the play itself, we as a collective will be providing different strands of community engagement: workshops, classes, seminars, discussions, and more - Napoli. These activities will extend intercultural dialogue and create connections across faiths, borders and communities.
What People Are Saying
“The play exposes our near sightedness in how we see history. We need to hear this history.”
— Emma
“The play lets us dream of a possibility for peace.”
— Tom
“Really enjoyed it. The two of them were phenomenal.”
— Josephine
“It ignites our curiosity and desire to learn about the history.”
— Liz
“From an Islamic perspective, we're taught to find common ground with Jews & Christians: "Say: O people of the Book! come to common terms as between us and you…” So that might explain why I’m particularly sensitive to these notions of differences. That the project is an exploration of this very narrative immediately grabs me.”
— Reza
