Rachel Corrie
Rachel Corrie
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| MaryLynn Mennicke as Rachel Corrie |
Separate actors played Rachel as a youth (Annie Sullivan) and as an adult (MaryLynn Mennicke), and another served as narrator and also played the part of Rachel’s father (Marshall Hambro). The young Rachel shared her early upbringing in Olympia, Washington and how she became involved in and ultimately dedicated her life to peace and social justice. The adult Rachel shared excerpts from some of her writings done after she traveled to Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip she felt the world had forsaken.
Rachel’s writings told of things she learned about, such as the 8 year old Palestinian boy who was shot and killed by an Israeli tank just two days before she arrived in Rafah in January, 2003. She wrote about the destruction of homes, roads, olive groves, and wells, and the construction of a separation wall that have devastated a people already struggling for their survival.
In one letter that was sent just a few days before her death, she mentioned that although she had been subjected to threats, she didn’t feel at risk in Rafah. She anticipated leaving soon, but said she’d like to stay and perhaps teach English, especially if she could learn more Arabic.
Her father’s writings told a much different story of constant fear for Rachel’s safety despite pride that she was living out her convictions, and ultimately that she gave her life trying to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves.
As the narrator told of Rachel’s death, the adult Rachel cited a letter’s close, “Much love Poppy”, several times as she faded into the background.
After the play, the audience participated in a discussion that was facilitated by Karen Redleaf, a Jewish activist for Palestinian rights, and Florence Steichen, a sister of St. Joseph, who lived and worked in Bethlehem during the first Intifada and has returned several times since. Redleaf mentioned being well educated in Israeli institutions, which she said meant she had “much to unlearn”. She described Zionism as a political ideology that promotes expansion of a Jewish State and that the vast majority of Zionists in America are Christians. She mentioned how Palestinian refugees are refused the right to return to their homeland while Jews can come from anywhere in the world and be welcomed in what is termed “going up”. Steichen told of the many ways in which Palestinians tried nonviolent resistance during the first Intifada, in stark contrast to what often gets reported in the media here.
Much more information about Rachel Corrie and what is being done to remember her is available at the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice (http://rachelcorriefoundation.org). An eye opening memorial to children killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts is at the Remember These Children site (http://rememberthesechildren.org). The play was compiled and edited by Frances Ford, directed by Sally Childs, and produced by the War Plays Project, Inc., 711 Jessamine Ave. E., St. Paul, MN 55106.
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