Israeli Jewish comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi takes us on a journey in this eye-opening new documentary. It’s an oddly named essay called “Coexistence, My Ass! The film explores her singular life experience growing up in Neve Shalom/Wahat as-Salam, a rare, mixed Israeli-Palestinian intentional community. Through her humor, Shuster Eliassi aims to demystify the nuances of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through her work, she questions audiences to reconsider their perceptions of living in harmony.
Born to an Iranian-Jewish mother and a Romanian Ashkenazi Jewish father, Shuster Eliassi’s progressive upbringing favored the cultivation of introspection. Her parents, described as “woke, progressive leftists,” instilled in her a belief that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve equal human rights. She is trilingual in Hebrew, Arabic, and English. Her multicultural upbringing gives her the ability to shape stories that resonate across cultures.
Shuster Eliassi’s standup comedy routine interrogates the idea of coexistence through the lens of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. She has developed her material through performances at various venues, including a regular spot on a television show and an invitation to further develop her act at Harvard. Her music video “Dubai Dubai,” which humorously critiques Arab countries for exploiting the Palestinian cause, gained viral attention and sparked conversations about the politics of representation.
The funny man’s mission to connect disparate cultures goes far past the mic. Shuster Eliassi has engaged with Palestinian neighbors and learned Arabic from Palestinian educators, fostering a deeper understanding of their experiences. She has personified the concept of peace to dozens of celebrities who have journeyed to her small village, including Academy Award-winning actress Jane Fonda.
In her documentary, Shuster Eliassi asserts that many sentiments expressed in the film echo those of Palestinians who have long been marginalized. Most troubling of all, perhaps, is her suspicion that audiences prefer to hear a message of normalization, pacification and coexistence from an Israeli Jew rather than from Palestinians.
“A lot of what we’re saying in this film, Palestinians have been saying for a really long time. And I say to the audiences, that if they feel relieved or reassured because they hear it from an Israeli Jew – why don’t you believe Palestinians?” – Noam Shuster Eliassi
Beyond these incisive criticisms of our hyper-militarized world, she powerfully describes the genocide and dehumanization of Palestinians as an act of self-dehumanization. Shuster Eliassi argues that most Israelis still have no idea what Palestinians in the occupied territories experience on a daily basis.
“Because Israelis were never confronted with decades of illegal occupation and actually controlling Palestinian people – Israelis were never confronted with what it’s actually doing to the moral fabric of our society.” – Noam Shuster Eliassi
Shuster Eliassi’s critique reaches comedians who use humor to serve the apparatus of propaganda, and not the tool of social critique. She links their actions to those of American comedians who unwittingly aided and abetted the creation of disastrous political narratives.
“It’s like American comedians who contributed to the re-election of Trump. You’re like, ‘Oh my god, this is how you’re using this tool that was designed to fight against fascism?’” – Noam Shuster Eliassi
As a peace-building practitioner, Shuster Eliassi has collaborated with organizations including the United Nations. Her experiences have shaped her belief that meaningful coexistence can only be achieved when individuals confront the root causes of conflict.
“But to me, it was so clear that we will only be able to taste coexistence after we talk about the root of the problem and we act on it.” – Noam Shuster Eliassi
Now expecting her first child, Shuster Eliassi has found herself on stage less often in Israel lately. All of these things—shrinking venues, almost no audience engagement—have made it practically impossible for her to communicate her message at home. Even with these obstacles, she’s hopeful as her work continues to create spaces to interchange and engage knowledge.
Looking back on her formative years, Shuster Eliassi considers herself fortunate to have grown up in a place where her neighbors prioritize living together while navigating their differences. She explores how lives of all kinds can be made deeper and more interesting through engagements with other cultures.
“I often think about how I just got lucky, to have this opportunity to exist with Palestinians and have Palestinian neighbors and friends.” – Noam Shuster Eliassi
Shuster Eliassi’s journey is a testament to a deep dedication to understanding and depicting the complexities of identity and relationship, born through strife. Her work and the questions it raises push audiences to engage critically with the stories we tell about coexistence, and fight for a greater justice and equality.