Order 1031893: Churchill′s Seven Jewish Children is anti-semitic. Agree or disagree.

Is Caryl Churchill's play Seven Jewish Children antisemitic?

Charlotte Higgins

The fast-response, eight-minute play that Churchill has written for the Royal Court in London has provoked a furore

Wed 18 Feb 2009 05.14 EST

First of all – I should say that I heartily recommend that you go and see Churchill's Seven Jewish Children yourself, if you can get to the Royal Court theatre in London. It's free to get in, it's only eight minutes long, and it's on until 21 January.

The play did not strike me as antisemitic and I do not now believe it to be antisemitic.

The work contains seven short scenes marking seven moments in Israeli history from the Holocaust via the first intifada to the present day. In those scenes Israeli adults discuss how they will explain those moments to an absent child. Here's an example of a few lines from the

last section of the play.

"Tell her she can't watch the news Tell her she can watch cartoons Tell her she can stay up late and watch Friends. Tell her they're attacking with rockets Don't frighten her Tell her only a few of us have been killed... [etc]"

The work is thus focalised entirely through these putative Israeli families, and not through any voice from the Palestinian territories or Gaza. It is not even handed. It is one sided.

Be that as it may, I cleave strongly to the view that it is possible to be critical of Israel without being antisemitic, and I do not believe that Churchill is making or otherwise implying universal claims about the Jewish people in this play.

This is not an opinion shared by all. As I pointed out my G2 Diary today, Melanie Phillips has mounted a passionate and strongly argued diatribe against it in the Spectator blog. The Jewish Chronicle reports other strong views here. The theatre critic of the Sunday Times was deeply critical here.

On the other hand, various critics have supported the play – including Michael Billington, the critic of the Times here, and Susannah Clapp.

It is certainly the week for outrage against plays: over at the National Theatre, there has been a similar row at the perceived racism of Richard Bean's England People Very Nice. I'm torn between being pleased that at least people care enough about the theatre to make a fuss about it – and depressed about a culture in which these kind of arguments become filled with unreasoned fury.

Since you’re here … … we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too.

I appreciate there not being a paywall: it is more democratic for the media to be available for all and not a commodity to be purchased by a few. I’m happy to make a contribution so others with less means still have access to information. Thomasine, Sweden If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as $1, you can support the Guardian – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

Support The Guardian

Topics Culture Charlotte Higgins on culture Israel Gaza Caryl Churchill blogposts