Arab Literary Travels

Natalie Bernstien: Background Page

Sayed Kashua was born in 1975 in the Arab Village of Tira. He was accepted into the School of Arts and Science in Jerusalem at the age of 15 where he was one of the few Arab students in his classes (Steir-Livny, Mendelson-Maoz 80). Following this he enrolled in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he began his career as a journalist and writer (Steir-Livny, Mendelson-Maoz 80). While living within Jerusalem, Kashua experienced life in a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem as well as West Jerusalem where he lived with his family in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood. His fiction examines the experience of being a minority with Jewish surroundings and ideas of belonging and identity. In 2007, the first season Kashua's telvision show Arab Labour premiered in Israel. Arab Labour follows an Arab family living in Israel and ridicules the stereotypes of Arabs and Israelis and the way they perceive each other in daily life. The main character, Amjad, represents the real life of Kashua – an Arab torn between the identities of two worlds.

In writing this show, Kashua hoped that comedy would alleviate tensions in the region and create a better future for his children. Following the 2014 Israel invasion into Gaza, Kashua realized that his television show and his attempt at alleviating tensions and combating racism were not as effective as he had once hoped. Because of this, Kashua and his family moved in Illinois where he began teaching at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Kashua continues to write for Haaretz newspaper where he publishes humorous anecdotal stories about the realities Arabs face living in Israel. Although Kashua does not physically live in Israel, he offers a powerful critique and voice to Israeli society. 

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