Coexistence, my Ass!

Noam Shuster Eliassi grew up in Wahat Al-Salam/Neve Shalom — literally “Oasis of Peace” — the only bilingual, intentional community in Israel where Arabs and Jews choose to live together as equals. The village was often visited by the media, and as a child, Noam became one of its hopeful young faces. But as an adult, disillusionment has taken hold. After serving as a UN diplomat, she turned to comedy, creating a one-woman show — Coexistence, My Ass! — to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the lens of personal experience and biting humour.
Filmed over seven years as the region descends into escalating violence, director Amber Fares follows Noam as she comes to a growing realisation: there can be no peace without true equality. Through her performances in comedy clubs, appearances in the media, and engagement in the streets, the recent history of Israel unfolds — marked by rising internal tensions and a slow, insidious shift of public discourse and political choices toward the far right. And now, in the wake of the tragedies that have devastated the region since 7 October 2023, a pressing question emerges: is humour still possible? An unmissable film, in which comedy and sorrow are inextricably entwined.
Mourad-Anis Moussa

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