The Invaders’ Fear of Memories

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Artists

Benjamin Rivers, writer and actor

Linda Wise, director

Full Event Details

The Invaders’ Fear of Memories is a solo theatre piece based on the life and diaries of Yousef Nachmani – a Russian Jew who migrated from Tsarist Russia to Ottoman Palestine in 1907. Nachmani became Director of the Jewish National Fund in the Galilee and subsequently played a central role in the ethnic cleansing of thousands of Palestine’s indigenous inhabitants. The play offers a perspective into the origins of settler-colonialism and apartheid in modern day Israel, exploring themes of loyalty, violence, ideology and grief.

The Invaders’ Fear of Memories is performed by Ben Rivers, the great grandson of Nachmani. Over the course of the play, Rivers performs 12 characters and sings in Arabic, Hebrew, Ukrainian and Yiddish. The production is directed by Linda Wise, an original member of the iconic Roy Hart Theatre Company. Since August 2023 The Invaders’ Fear of Memories has been performed to audiences in Australia, France, Mexico, South Africa and Spain.

The script for this production includes excerpts from the diaries of Yousef Nachmani. It also draws from testimonies contained in Illan Pappe’s The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, along with interviews from The Diaries of Yossef Nachmani, a documentary by the Israeli journalist and filmmaker, Dalia Karpel.

The title for this play, The Invaders’ Fear of Memories, is a line taken from ‘On this Land’, a poem by the Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish.

Yousef Nachmani was born in 1891 as Yousef Agranovsky to a Jewish family in Oleksandria, Russia (now Oleksandria, Ukraine). At the age of 15, Yousef, along with his father and brother, were arrested by Russian authorities for their involvement in Poale Zion, a militant group that advocated Zionist ideology. In 1907 Yousef fled to Ottoman Palestine where he joined an urban commune in Jerusalem whose members included David Ben-Gurion and other future Zionist leaders. In 1911 Yousef moved to the Galilee, where he became an early member of Hashomer, a Jewish defence organisation responsible for guarding Jewish settlements in the Yishuv. Yousef later went on to become a senior officer in Haganah and then Director of the Jewish National Fund in Eastern Galilee. In this role, Yousef acquired Arab lands for the Jewish National Fund, often secretly and with the assistance of Arab collaborators. From 1935, Yousef began a diary that documented his own involvement in the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland.

AUDIENCE REVIEWS

The Invaders’ Fear of Memories is a visceral depiction of events that occurred during the colonisation of Palestine. Ben Rivers’ commanding solo performance provided the audience with a firsthand account of the terror that Zionist gangs inflicted on indigenous Palestinians in the process of clearing Palestine of its inhabitants. At the end of the play I was, as I am sure others were, reduced to tears.

– Dr. Adel Yousif, Senior lecturer, University of Tasmania, Australia.

The Invaders’ Fear of Memories is a jaw-dropping tour de force through history that has never been more relevant. Ben Rivers deftly slips between characters to create a collage of voice and song that is both powerful and rich with devastating truth and subtly observed nuance.

– Emily Conolan, Author and refugee advocate, Australia.

The Invaders’ Fear of Memories, a one-man play by Ben Rivers, is both an urgently needed piece of history and an extraordinary work of art. Rivers, portraying twelve characters, brings to life his own great-grandfather’s story, first as an oppressed Jew in Tsarist Russia and then his inexorable transformation into an active participant in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homeland. With gorgeous, stirring songs in Ukrainian, Yiddish, Hebrew and Arabic woven throughout, The Invaders’ Fear of Memories‘ confronts us with the tragic cycles of history in which we are still caught. It could not be more relevant in today’s violent world.

– Jo Salas, Author and co-founder of Playback Theatre, New York.

As a Syrian refugee, this play hit me with the reality of a history we know too well – the painful, sad and frightening truth of an injustice that has been happening for more than a century. I believe The Invaders’ Fear of Memories should be on every stage in the world, telling the story of an occupied land called Palestine!

– Hane Alrustm, Psychoanalyst and human rights activist, Syria/Belgium.

The Invaders’ Fear of Memories, is a difficult yet powerful piece. Based on the diaries of Yousef Nachmani, the play provides a personal lens on how Palestinians were brutally displaced and answers why the Zionist movement seeks to erase Palestine and the Palestinians.

– Reem Dajani, Mental Health Advisor, Palestine/Jordan.

The Invaders’ Fear of Memories is strong medicine for Nakba deniers and defenders of ‘good Zionist intentions’. Rivers does not shy away from the bloody truth; he peels back the legendary JNF mythic lie of ‘making the desert bloom’ through his great-grandfather’s own words.

– Melissa Nussbaum Freeman, Spiritual & Cultural Life Organising Manager, Jewish Voice for Peace, USA.

To be in the audience of The Invaders’ Fear of Memories is to feel yourself simultaneously in the past and in the present. As Walter Benjamin might put it, this play blows us backward into the future– and both places are equally urgent, complex, and human. And while we may be “just” watching as audiences in a theatre, it is resoundingly clear that we are also all active participants in how the story is still– devastatingly– playing out today. As a performer, Ben brings this story to light with a simple intimacy and kindness, issuing an invitation to honour complexity and ambivalence while also giving us the opportunity to connect to feelings that connect us as humans: wild hope, fervent belief, impassioned outrage, enduring love, and deep and persistent mourning.

– Katie Pearl, Professor of Theater, Wesleyan University, USA.

Benjamin Rivers’ performance of The Invaders’ Fear of Memories, directed by Linda Wise, is a sobering, thoughtful, deeply felt play, based on the diaries of his great-grandfather. This is a courageous, riveting piece – and « uplifting » because its stand is conciliatory of maybe the only kind that can face the future with the needed regret, tolerance and equity. It does theatre itself a great favour.

– Enrique Pardo, Founder and co-director, Pantheatre, France.

The Invaders’ Fear of Memories by Ben Rivers, is a powerful account of the silent and violent periods of settler colonial expansion into Palestine, told through different generational accounts of Ben’s Family. I would definitely recommend watching this!

– Irfaan Mangera, Human rights activist and educator, South Africa.

The Invaders’ Fear of Memories gently draws us into its world, and then cracks open our hearts, awakening, longing for humanity to rise up and renew our dedication to Life. A powerful and difficult story told with love and compassion.

– Marya Lowry, Professor Emerita (Brandeis University) and award-winning actor, USA.

The Invaders’ Fear of Memories is an extraordinary production coming at an extraordinary time. The fact that it was primarily written from diaries, makes it an authentic and personal experience of history. This is invaluable given the distortions written about the formation of the State of Israel. Over the course of the play, Ben Rivers moves cleverly from character to character, spanning generations and countries, over a period of 45 odd years. The Invaders’ Fear of Memories evoked joy and sadness, bringing tears to my eyes and laughter as well. This play offers a crucial perspective on an important historical moment. A better understanding of the path Israel followed, can lead to a better understanding and empathy for the people of Israel / Palestine.

– Rina King, Chair of South African Jews for a Free Palestine, South Africa.

This play offers a powerful reminder of theatre’s role in society as it gently but critically tackles the complexity of a major geo-political narrative. Through a considered weaving of characters’ stories and observations, Rivers uses a Theatre-of-Testimony approach to invite audience members into a deep listening of the human perspectives and contradictions that underpin the Palestine-Israel conflict.

– Hamish Neill, Drama for Life Creative Research Hub Director, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

While the current crisis in Palestine continues to unfold, The Invaders’ Fear of Memories shows the history of invasion and settlement over a forty year period, beginning early last century. The story is told through a series of intimate portraits as Ben Rivers moves seamlessly from one character to the next, each vividly alive in the present moment. Written in the spirit of truth-telling, the voices of the characters are unforgettable and the performance deeply moving. I loved this play; a complex story was simply told and its honesty and humanity left me with hope for the future.

– Julie Hunt, Author, Tasmania, Australia.

Ben Rivers picks up the words of his great grandfather, embodies the dreams of two peoples, then delivers a mortal wound into a promised homeland. The Invaders’ Fear of Memories brings me to imagine, then to tears, as dreams turn to nightmares. The diaries and songs seduce us to celebrate our human spirit, then turn us to ponder our capacity for immense cruelty. Rivers’ journey is a beautiful solo performance that stirs all the right emotions.

– Robert Alcock, Film Director & Editor, Tasmania, Australia.

Ben’s performance was vulnerable, captivating, and sparked deep reflection on the multiple narratives and experiences that contribute to our retelling of history. There was not a moment wasted in the play; every song, footstep, breath all contributed to situating the audience within his grandfather’s perspective.

– Liam McLaren, President, Tasmanian University Student Association, Australia.

A heartrending play, with a nuanced script and a standout acting performance from Ben Rivers. Through a series of dramatic historic portraits of Jewish and Arab characters, Rivers illuminates the complex political dilemmas that led to the founding of the nation of Israel within the country of Palestine in 1948, and the human tragedies that followed.

– Anne Morgan, Author, Tasmania, Australia.

In addition to the hosting venues, the following groups/organisations helped to organise performances and appeared as official partners on promotional materials for The Invader’s Fear of Memories:

● South African Jews for a Free Palestine, South Africa

● Tasmanian Students for Palestine, Australia

● Tasmanian University Union Muslim Society, Australia

● Friends of Palestine Tasmania, Australia

● Hobart Playback Theatre, Australia

● Tasmanian University Student Association, Australia

● Artistas por Palestina, Mexico

● Tepoztequisimo, Mexico

● Judías por Palestina, Mexico

● Asociación Mexicana de Judies Interdependientes, Mexico

● Asamblea Interuniversitaria y Popular por Palestina, Mexico

● BDS Galiza, Spain

Speaker Biographies:

Benjamin Rivers, actor and writer of The Invaders’ Fear of Memories. Ben Rivers is an actor, psychotherapist and applied theatre practitioner. He has taught and practised in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and North America, working extensively with communities impacted by political violence and collective trauma. Ben is the founder of Dawar Arts (Cairo, Egypt). He also lived and worked for several years in Jenin Refugee Camp, Occupied Palestine, where he co-founded The Freedom Theatre’s Freedom Bus project, an initiative that uses interactive theatre and cultural activism to bear witness, raise awareness and build alliances throughout occupied Palestine and beyond. Ben is of Jewish descent. He currently lives and works between Europe, Australia and the Middle East. More here: www.benjaminrivers.org

Linda Wise, director of The Invaders’ Fear of Memories. Linda Wise was born in Kenya and trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She worked with Roy Hart from 1969 until his death in 1975. Linda was a member of the original Roy Hart Theatre and became a founding member of the Centre Artistique International Roy Hart in the South of France. Linda won the 1988 French Jean Vilar Prize for her direction of Melville’s Moby Dick, and performed Nedda in the OBIE award winning adaptation of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci. In recent years she has directed, among other things, a series of solos for women performers, and a Jazz Opera co-produced by Boreas Teater and the Oslo National Theatre. Linda has taught voice in the National Theatre Schools of Copenhagen, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Scotland and is a visiting teacher at the Limoges and Strasbourg French National Theatre Schools. Linda collaborates with an international circle of artists and thinkers in the field of therapy, archetypal psychology and mythology.

More here: https://pantheatreportugal.wordpress.com/linda-wise/

 

Organisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):

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