Hend Ayoub Travels from Israel to US, Making Art from Life

by Lynne Stevens

Hend Ayoub takes us on a gripping journey through her life, from her childhood as a Palestinian in Israel to her travel to the U.S. In her lively solo show, she confronts prejudice and misogyny as she searches for a “Home.”

Her family lives in Israel, as they have since before Israel was created in 1948. Before that, it was Palestine. Hend’s grandmother never tires of telling her how the Israelis took her land.

It’s a story we have heard many times. People of different religions have always lived side by side comfortably until an outside force declares an end. Even on television, the Israelis do not see the death and famine that we do. They are censored.

Ayoub slips flawlessly into many characters: from a tiny child, to her cigarette smoking mother, to her bent over grandmother. They all spring to life.

Five-year-old Hend is so excited to attend a Purim party with other children in her neighborhood. Her best friend Agneth will be there. Hend wears her princess tiara and twirly pink dress, eager to eat Hamantaschen with poppy seeds.

But Purim is a Jewish holiday. Hend is Palestinian, an Arab. And other children question why she is there. When they call her “a dirty Arab,” Hend gets so upset that she leaves the party without tasting any Hamantaschen.

So marks the beginning of a rude awakening to the hard truths of prejudice and discrimination she will encounter as she grows up.

Hend can’t wait to finish school and get a job in a café. But all the ads say they only hire candidates “after their military training is finished.” Since she is not Jewish  that rule does not apply to her. But still, she is not hired. After a few failures, it dawns on her that it’s a sly way of saying: No Arabs Need Apply.

Her mother, Nadia, is her biggest fan. Between puffs on her ubiquitous cigarette, she encourages Hend to be whatever she wants. Nadia teaches her daughter to be an independent woman.

A visit to a career counselor reveals that Hend is perfectly suited to be an actor. Nadia ecstatically urges her on. She is so enthusiastic that she urges Hend to go to America where they are not prejudiced. The audience bursts into laughter.

Then begins the arduous search for roles in the US. No matter where she goes, she is too Arab. Her accent is wrong. At auditions, she finds the same obstacles. They want to cast her as a terrorist’s wife, without even getting one line.

Later, going through the airline check-in with the cast of a play, she is the only one singled out, her baggage gone through. She boards at the last minute, humiliated.

Ayoub’s tale is not all doom and gloom. She lifts our spirits with delightful moments of hilarity. Yet, there is no denying the serious story underneath. I highly recommend Hend Ayoub’s gripping tale—told by her many self-created roles in this wonderful solo show.

 

“Home? A Palestinian Woman’s Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness” by Hend Ayoub, directed by Carey Perloff, costumes by Lex Noseworthy, scenic design by Kiki Hood, lighting by Liz Kreter-Killian, sound by James Ard, video by Spenser Matubang, by San Francisco Playhouse and Z Space, San Francisco.

Info: zspace.org & sfplayhouse.org – to August 16, 2025.

Cast: Hend Ayoub (in many roles).

Banner photo: Hend Ayoub. Photos: Jessica Palopoli