Israeli play Delivery to God delves deeper into religious norms and societal pressures women have to face. The directors chat with Shrabasti Mallik
Ever since theatre directors Ruthie Osterman and Amit Zarka performed their play Delivery to God at The Woman Festival in Israel in 2012, it has garnered rave reviews and has been appreciated for the subject it deals with. The play narrates the story of two girls searching for God and is composed of three parts representing different periods of their lives — childhood, adolescence and adulthood.
The play, Osterman says, is a complicated one because the customs and traditions of Israel are not easy to understand. It, however, has many parallels and Osterman feels that the Indian audience, especially the women will connect to it. “Even today, to a certain extent, women in India are expected to play a certain role in society and adhere to certain norms,” she says.
Delivery to God presents the growing up of two girls in a Jewish and religious society where they are expected to behave and conduct themselves in a certain way. The play begins with Zarka and Osterman playing the role of two children who learn the lessons of life through games and play. They are taught about the many rules and boundaries of religion, about modesty and how to say the name of God. “Through play and games they express themselves. There are a lot of religious texts that we are expected to learn by heart and in the play these girls learn them through games. They try to find their own way to survive within the boundaries,” says Osterman. In specific religious societies of Israel, if a boy touches a girl it is considered a sin. “Modesty is the most important value that is inculcated in a girl right from the time she is a child. In the play one girl has a sexual dream and therefore pinches herself hard because she feels that she has committed a sin,” she adds.
As they step into adolescence, things get tougher for them with the entry of three more girls. As children they are allowed to have their own identity and are allowed to choose a way to find their God. But when they grow up society becomes stringent in trying to keep them within the ‘rule’ where they are not permitted to stand out in the crowd, instead they are expected to share the same thoughts as others and dress similarly. Even the dressing pattern is regulated. “There is an instance in the play where the sleeves of a girl’s shirt is folded an inch above the elbow and all the other girls get busy in adjusting it. There is a lot of singing and dancing in this phase of a girl’s life because we are forced to stay as a group so that our individuality is lost in the crowd. It is a time when modesty reaches an extreme,” explains the director.
By the time the girls are women, they face inner struggle for identity and they face an intense emotional situation. They stand nearby an upside down tree, in tattered clothes, waiting for God. “This particular scene is a homage to Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot where two boys keep waiting for someone called Godot who never arrives,” says Osterman. Reaching womanhood is a life altering change for the two protagonists as they take their own path in the search of God. None of them can find God but they react to life in different ways. While one always has a fear of doing something wrong, the other one has full faith in God and is ready to sacrifice her life for Him. “The young girl who pinches herself after having a sexual dream grows up to become a fearful one. Every time she thinks she did something wrong, she punishes herself by inflicting physical pain upon herself. The other one, however, feels closer to God. There is an old Israeli belief that the way to God or to success depend on faith and fear. We have tried to show that through the play,” shares Zarka.