Saria Idana's Homeless in the Homeland takes audience members on a trip of
self discovery. (Photo Courtesy of Saria Idana)

Longing for a place in which to belong, a young American Jewess makes her voyage to the holy land where she finds herself torn: At once she is mesmerized by the prayers yearning for the divine that fill Jerusalem's air. But instead of feeling at home in the Jewish state, she feels homeless in a place where God is divided by walls of separation.

Homeless in the Homeland, written and performed by Saria Idana and directed by Shyamala Moorty, is a one-woman show that takes its audience on Idana's journey to Israel and the West Bank as she struggles with her identity and her desire for self-determination for all people.

Fusing journalistic theater with dance, poetry and song, Idana seamlessly morphs into a diversity of characters, all based on real people she encountered along her journey: whether an early Zionist pioneer who envisioned a Jewish state far different from what Israel has become; an Arab farmer whose resistance to the occupation is to simply live in his home and drink tea; or an African American reggae singer, who claims to belong to the real Hebrews, whom he says are the rightful heirs of the land.

Through taking us on her journey, centered on a Birthright Israel trip, Idana transports the audience beyond the hearsay--bringing to life real voices, which humanize the conflict. Her intention to spark further discussions and empathy is fostered through a talkback held after each show, where difficult questions are addressed in a respectful space.

"There's information the Jewish community needs to hear and doesn't hear, or it isn't presented in the right way for them to hear, and there's information that would give the Muslim-Arab world a greater perspective," said Idana. "But the show is also for an American audience, to have an outreach about the occupation in the arts community."

Though aimed at a wide audience, her story is particularly poignant for this generation of young Jews, many of who have made similar journeys to Israel on "Birthright" trips, free 10-day trips for Jewish young adults.

In the play, she describes arriving in Israel as her tour guide booms, "Welcome Home!" in a thick foreign accent, and gives her a hug, as if they are two members of a long separated family.

Feeling disconnected from her hometown of New York City, Idana is thrilled by a place where a Jew is the norm and not an exception. But at the same time she feels deeply uncomfortable with the privilege of being unconditionally embraced in a land where it's easier to be a Jew than a Palestinian.

Another one of Idana's goals is to show that being an American Jew can often be complicated and that there are many ways to be Jewish.

"The first night a young Jewish brother cried throughout the entire show, not just about the occupation, but about grappling with issues of what it means to be a Jewish American person, and I said to him, I made this show with you in mind."

However, hers is also a unique narrative--though Idana identifies as culturally Jewish, she was brought up learning Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam, from her parents.

 "The first word I used as the name for God was Allah, not Hashem," said Idana.

The O word

It took Idana three years after her first trip to Israel to finally overcome her inhibition and produce the show.

"It's very unpopular in the Jewish community to talk about the occupation," said Idana. "I've only recently found a community of Jewish friends and so I had a deep fear of being excluded from the community more than I already am."

In the show one of the Israeli characters she plays says, "the biggest enemy of love is fear, and we are all afraid." That fear of danger, held deep in the Israeli and Jewish psyche, is a reason why many find it difficult to open up conversations on the occupation.

At the same time, Idana shares the fear of aiding or being associated with more extreme anti-Israel groups, instead wanting to walk a middle line.

Still, Idana was shocked to receive her first piece of hate mail before the opening night, which called her "a self-hating Jew."

"It said, 'How dare you support Palestinian terrorists?' And I thought that's interesting because I don't. And it continued, 'You're a self-hating Jew and a disgrace to the Jewish people.'"

Building Bridges in Los Angeles

Idana is also a participant of the L.A.-based NewGround Fellowship, which aims to forge relationships between Muslims and Jews.

Rather than aiming to solve the Middle East conflict in a few months, the program intends to build trust and understanding between the two communities.

"I'm not interested in talking about policy, I'm not a politician, I'm an artist," Idana said.

Stage manager Eliana Kaya is also a Jewish fellow at NewGround.

"I wouldn't have done this show before NewGround. It has given me a new appreciation for process and building a relationship with people who I have conflict with," said Kaya. "Her show is very brave, and she does it with integrity, which strikes closer to the truth."

The show left much room for unanswered questions, and Idana said she's still in the process of digesting it all.

At the end of Homeless in the Homeland as Idana returns from her trip still grappling with her identity, she tries to take pride in being an urban American Jewess, while mocking the lack of definitive Jewish culture, and recognizing its limitations.

"I am home everywhere and never home," her character says.

Homeless in the Homeland will be running June 5th and 6th at Art Share in Downtown LA.