“Coexistence, My Ass!”: A ComedianS Journey Through a Collapsing Peace Process
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A searing new documentary, Coexistence, My Ass!, chronicles Israeli comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi’s attempt to use humor as a bridge in a region seemingly steadfast to burn it, and the shattering impact of recent events on any hope for near-term peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The film, born from a stand-up routine developed at Harvard, charts a five-year course marked by both artistic evolution and escalating geopolitical crisis.
From UN to Stand-Up: an Unexpected Pivot
In the late 2010s, Shuster Eliassi was working at the United Nations, continuing a lifelong dedication to fostering peace between Israelis and Palestinians, when she experienced a moment of revelation. Inspired by the improbable rise of Volodymyr Zelenskyy – a Jewish comedian who transitioned from a sitcom role to the Ukrainian presidency – she considered a new approach to her activism: comedy. “Perhaps, if she were to take her political career seriously, she should start writing jokes,” the film recounts.
It proved a potent strategy. Fluent in Hebrew, Arabic, and English, Shuster Eliassi possessed a unique ability to connect with diverse audiences. What began as short comedic videos on social media quickly led to an invitation from Harvard to develop a full-fledged stand-up routine. this routine would directly challenge conventional notions of coexistence, particularly as they are applied – and often misapplied – within the Israeli-Palestinian context.
A Childhood in the “Oasis of Peace”
Shuster Eliassi’s perspective is deeply rooted in her upbringing. She grew up in Neve Shalom / Wahat as-salam (“Oasis of Peace”), one of the few intentional communities in Israel designed for integrated Jewish and Palestinian living. the daughter of an Iranian-Jewish mother and a Romanian Ashkenazi Jewish father – described as “woke, progressive leftists” who believed in equal rights for both Israelis and Palestinians – she was, in her own words, a “literal ‘poster child for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.””
Her childhood was characterized by genuine interaction with Palestinian neighbors, Arabic language education from Palestinian teachers, and even a shout-out alongside her Palestinian best friend, Ranin, from actress Jane Fonda. Her parents intentionally chose to live in the community as a political statement, prioritizing lived integration over mere dialog. “There was always a sense of doing – not just talking about the alternative, but with your individual choices, doing it,” Shuster Eliassi explains in the film.
Deconstructing “Coexistence” with Humor
The core of Shuster Eliassi’s act – and the documentary’s title – is a pointed critique of the often-superficial rhetoric surrounding coexistence. She found the concept frequently used as “a nice decoration,” devoid of genuine reckoning with the underlying issues of occupation and inequality. “It’s like how Trump can come here and say that he is making peace – these are words,” she observed. “Nobody is ‘against’ coexistence.”
Her show, Coexistence, My Ass!, directly confronts this dissonance, using self-deprecating humor and sharp observations to expose the complexities of the situation. She riffs on everyday experiences – asking Palestinian neighbors for kebabs on Israeli Independence day (“no agenda,just tahini!”) and her Jewish mother’s interference in her dating life – to illustrate the absurdity and contradictions inherent in the pursuit of peace under occupation.
Speaking shortly after a ceasefire was announced – a ceasefire that she notes has not fully halted the killing in Gaza – Shuster Eliassi reflects on the fragility of hope and the enduring human capacity for resilience. She marvels at her own “luck” to have grown up with Palestinian neighbors and friends, lamenting how easily things could have been different. “There is something irrational about hope,” she concludes. “And it’s very similar to coexistence – these are what our human tendencies can lead to, if we are dedicated to humanity.”
