NEW YORK - The Ally at the Public TheaterItmar Moses is balancing on a razor’s edge with his new play “The Ally”, now at the Public Theater. The story takes place in September and early October 2023 on an unidentified college campus. “Early October” being the operative phrase here, because it takes place before October 7. The reason this factoid is critical is because this play examines in minute detail the relationship of Israel to Gaza. Are the Israelis doing to the Palestinians what Hitler did to them or are they the stewards of a homeland where the Jewish are safe in spite of the fact that Arab countries surround them.I am reminded of a movie I saw years ago. It was a Canadian film. Two rabbis are walking home through a park on a summer afternoon. They are exchanging pleasantries when a rainstorm hits. They take shelter in a gazebo. Soon, their discussion turns to theology, and the two men are on different sides. I cannot remember what the exact subject was; I only remember the marvel of the switch from a mild discussion into a full-blown argument. There was yelling and gnashing of teeth. There were hot tempers and indignation. Blood pressure was escalated, no doubt. This looked like the end of a friendship.After a bit, however, the rain abated. As it did, the two men de-escalated the exchange, stepped out of the gazebo, and continued their walk, chatting amiably as they had before.That scenario does not quite play out here. What does is the fact that Judaism is shown to be a religion of discourse. As one of the students on the college campus that is the center of events says: “… I don’t know about you but to me Judaism has always been about questioning. You know? It's about wrestling with the big ethical and moral quandaries of the day and then admitting none of us really knows the answer. It’s a whole religion built on questions, or at least I thought it was: we argue about everything, even with ourselves. Get two of us in a room; you get four opinions.”Now, this is a very fine observation, but what follows is the actual demonstration of this quote.A new Jewish/Palestinian student organization on said campus needs a faculty advisor so they can hold meetings and invite controversial authors to speak. They seek out Asaf Sternheim (Ben Rosenfield), who is a not-very-busy writer and professor. He is all for this idea and accepts on the condition that he can read their “Manifesto” first. Funny thing, it has been authored by his ex-girlfriend Nakia Clark (Cherise Boothe), who just happens to be living in the same town. They have not seen each other in decades – what ARE the odds??? The manifesto is a reaction to a police killing of a black man suspected of stealing cars. There is a video and the only person on the planet who has not watched it is Sternheim.When Sternheim reads the Manifesto, he questions the line item that singles out Israel as a perpetrator of genocide (remember this is BEFORE October 7), and that pulls him up short. Why Israel alone?There ensues debate of Olympian dimensions. And Sternheim is in the exact middle. Reuven Fisher (Ben Rosenfield) is on the side of Israel. Farid El Masry (Michael Khalid Karadsheh) is onto the side of Palestine as is his fellow student, ally and organizer Rachel Klein (Madeline Weinstein). Sternheim’s wife Gwen Kim (Joy Osmansky) is on her own side of her job as a Community Relations Administrator. Nakia is joined by Baron Prince (Elijah Jones) in defending the manifesto as is.The four sides circle Sternheim like tag teams. Radnor is made of stern stuff. He never leaves the stage and spends almost half his time listening – actively listening – to everyone else stew in their own juices. In the end there is no answer bestowed on us. What remains, carefully crafted by Moses and director Lila Neugebauer, is a boatload of questions.THE ALLY by Itmar Moses, Directed by Lila NeugebauerWITH Cherise Boothe, Elijah Jones (Baron), Michael Khalid Karadsheh (Farid), Joy Osmanski (Gwen), Josh Radnor (Asaf), Ben Rosenfield (Reuven), and Madeline Weinstein (Rachel).The production includes scenic design by Lael Jellinek, costume design by Sarita Fellows, lighting design by Reza Behjat, and sound design by Bray Poor.Through March 24 at the Public Theater. Tickets HERE.Readers may also enjoy our reviews of Jelly’s Last Jam, The Maid and the Mezmerizer, Seven Year Disappear, Until Dark, This is Not a Time of Peace, The Connector, Aberdeen at the SOHO Playhouse, and The Days of Wine and Roses.https://youtu.be/oyzoGp4eCB4?si=EIrVievSFHl-yYET
