With the current genocide of the Palestinian people and an intense global scrutiny of the Israeli government’s ongoing war crimes, one of the western responses to that is to show antisemitism is also rapidly on the rise.

Here in Los Angeles, this has translated into a rush of plays and films being produced that evoke the traumatic memories of the Holocaust and/or the plight of the Jewish people. Out of all of them, Stephen Laughton‘s One Jewish Boy, now having its west coast premiere at the Echo Theater Company, stands out in the most unique sense.

The play questions whether or not the trauma of one’s Jewish identity and the past can blind one to their most immediate surroundings, especially when it comes to their loved ones. With two excellent actors navigating their way through a challenging argumentative play through the nuanced direction of Chris Fields, One Jewish Boy is a dynamic and extremely valid work of art absolutely worth watching.

A love story set over a decade, One Jewish Boy stars Zeke Goodman as Jesse, a nice Jewish boy from North London. Jesse falls hopelessly for Alex, a young woman of mixed race played by Sharae Foxie. The love between Jesse and Alex is real, pure and absolute — but Jesse has never been able to shake off the memory of a traumatic event that changed him forever. Can the fear of hatred be worse than the hate itself?

I’ve heard about Stephen Laughton for a few years since his One Jewish Boy had its world premiere in London back in 2018 and the feedback from both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli sides that responded negatively to it; the former from misguided folks who cannot differentiate between Judaism and Zionism and unfortunately let their prejudice get the better of them, and the latter because pro-Israelis were upset that at the end of each performance during the play’s four-week run, collections were taken for Medical Aid for Palestinians, a charity that delivers healthcare for Palestinians affected by the genocide, and Rabbis for Human Rights, an Israeli organization that focuses on settlements and human rights violations.

What’s also good to know is that Laughton describes himself as a “romantic Zionist” with an attachment to the Jewish homeland but is highly critical of blockades and settlements. While I have many, many thoughts about how one can possibly be a romantic Zionist, all of this information will be most beneficial for those who are interested in watching this play.

How does one acknowledge the pain and trauma of one’s identity, especially when one is constantly reminded of their marginalization and lack of worth because of it? This is the overarching question that both Jesse (Zeke Goodman) and Alex (Sharae Foxie) must contend with in their relationship. Jesse never really saw himself as Jewish, let alone having any attachment to Israel, while Alex is more than aware of her Black skin color affecting every choice she makes and the way the world perceives her.

But because of Jesse’s white privilege, his life was pretty cozy until a brutal antisemitic hate crime shattered his world view and made him even more acutely aware of his Jewish identity to the point of sheer obsession. This becomes a turning point for both of them in their decade long relationship that ultimately crumbles because Jesse starts believing that Alex is antisemitic towards him, one of the defining moments when she did not want their newborn son to be circumcised and Jesse saw that refusal as “blood libel”. During this time, topics of Zionism, Palestinians, Benjamin Netanyahu all get discussed and brought about in a chaotic manner that almost overwhelms the play but become instrumental in Jesse’s fear that the world hates Jewish people.

There’s no doubt that this is a challenging play to take in as it’s a tragedy of two lovely individuals who are desperately trying to make their relationship work. Sharae Foxie and Zeke Goodman are incredible actors who find the love and charm in between the storms as their chemistry is the strongest asset to the play along with the stunning set design work by Justin Huen, and nuanced direction by Chris Fields.

The only major flaw I find is with the script itself, the argumentative and unnatural writing of the language particularly grating when the couple are fighting with each other and the constant jumps back and forth in time that serve to be more jarring than beneficial. I have to give the actors credit for undertaking this extremely difficult challenge and I can only imagine they will find even more grace and nuance with more performances under their belt.

One memorable set design element I want to talk about is when the walls display all the antisemitic slogans every time Jesse is reliving his hate crime. In all the horrific words, one particular area stood out with the words “Muslims Out.” While I can see this being confusing to audience members as antisemitism is usually only associated with Jewish people, Semites apply to all who speak a semitic language and that includes both Jews and Arabs. It is an often ignored detail and something I commend this production for pointing out that antisemitism is a term that applies to both Jewish and Muslim folks.

This small set design detail also reflects the play itself and the question that Alex begs of Jesse to let his trauma go and focus on the here and now, to focus on the smaller details of life. While there is no escaping the cruelty of the world, there is no path forward without letting go of the past. It does not mean to forget or even to forgive but when Jesse starts freaking out that they’re out to get all the Jews, Alex goes, “Who, Jesse? Who’s out to get you?” This panic that Jesse feels and expressed through words on stage is the question that must be asked now as the western world silently watches the Palestinian genocide unfold because there is the implicit belief that the world is only safe for the Jewish people when everyone who hates them or might possibly hate them is eradicated.

“Never Again”, the Jewish saying goes. But for many of my Jewish peers, particularly the anti-Zionist Jewish community, it is “never again for anyone.” May this play along with similar Jewish works that raises questions like Reading Hebron and Seven Jewish Children light the way for a better future that ensures the safety of all Jewish people around the world while upholding the sacred vows of love and compassion for all, especially for the Palestinian people.

ONE JEWISH BOY
• Written by Stephen Laughton
• Directed by Chris Fields
• Starring Sharae Foxie and Zeke Goodman
• Presented by The Echo Theater Company, Chris Fields artistic director

WHEN:
March 19 through April 28
• Previews: March 19–March 21: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m.
• Performances: March 22–April 28: Fridays and Mondays at 8 p.m. / Saturdays at 7 p.m. / Sundays at 4 p.m. plus three Thursdays at 8 p.m.: April 10, April 17, April 24

WHERE:
Echo Theater Company
Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039

PARKING:
FREE in the Atwater Crossing (AXT) lot one block south of the theater.

TICKET PRICES:
• Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays: $38
• Thursdays: $20
• Mondays and Previews: Pay–What–You–Want

HOW:
www.EchoTheaterCompany.com
(747) 350-8066