MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE

Congratulations to Bethel College (in North Newton, Kansas) for

presenting the play: MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE. I saw the

excellent production tonight (Feb. 1) at the college. It is a one woman play

about the life and death in Gaza of a young American woman working

with an NGO trying to make life as tolerable as possible for the Palestinians

in the Rafah region of southern Gaza. She was killed in March, 2003, by

an Israeli bulldozer as she put herself between the machine, operated

by an Israeli soldier, and the home of the Palestinian doctor's family

she had been living with. An amazing young actress, Renee Reimer,

played Rachel, and the play was professionally directed by

Megan Upton-Tyner of Bethel. The original play was taken

from the writings of Rachel Corrie, edited by Katharine Viner and

the well-known actor Alan Rickman. I worked in Gaza this past

April with Physicians for Social Responsibility, so Ms. Reimer had me in

tears several times in her 90 minute passionate and realistic portrayal

of Rachel and the horrors of life in the Gaza Strip. There is even some

well-placed humor which keeps hope alive for many of the earth's oppressed

and terrorized people including the 1.6 million living in the world's

largest outdoor prison, the Gaza Strip. Many thanks to Renee, Megan, Bethel

College, and, most of all, to Rachel Corrie for their courage, life, and art.