Shocking news broke this morning about the murder of Juliano Mer-Khamis in a refugee camp in Jenin where he lived. The 53 year-old apparently fell victim to masked gunmen who opened fire on his car. I met Juliano on a few occasions and his work and dedication for the Palestinian cause was remarkable. His loss will be tremendously felt. (Image right: Juliano working with Palestinian kids at the theater)
I had first learned about Juliano through a movie about his mother Arna. The film, "Arna's Children," is the story of Arna Mer, an Israeli Jewish woman who served in the Israeli Palmach (Armored Brigades) only to marry a Palestinian man and dedicate her life to working with Palestinians. She opened a theater in Jenin's refugee camps which became a source of comfort and an arena for expression for countless refugee children. In the film about the theater and Arna's work, which was made by her son Juliano, Juliano returns to the camp after the intifada to find out what happened to the kids he remembered from the theater his mother established. Through interviewing those that remained, he found out many of them had been killed.
To continue his mother's work and provide a creative space for Palestinian children, Juliano established the Jenin Freedom theater. Through his work, he gave voice to Palestinian children to express themselves through art. He was also a tireless advocate for Palestinian independence in his individual capacity. As a filmmaker, actor and artist, Juliano could have chosen to live in many places, but he spent a great deal of time living in the refugee camp of Jenin where he worked on the Freedom Theater. Ultimately, he gave his life there. (Image right: Entrance to the Jenin Freedom Theater)
Last night I happened to be watching Miral, the new movie by Julian Schnabel based on the story of a Palestinian girl, written by Rula Jebreal. I noticed immediately that among the cast which included Frieda Pinto, Willem Dafoe and Hiam Abbas, Juliano Mer-Khamis made an appearance as well. He plays the short roll of Sheikh Sabah for those who see the film. I could never have imagined when seeing him on screen last night that I'd be writing about his murder this morning. Juliano's mother, Arna, lost a battle to cancer after dedicating her life to Palestinian kids in Jenin. Juliano, who continued her work, joins her as well as another activist on behalf of Palestinians taken from us too early.
At this time it is still unclear who murdered Juliano or what the motive was. He had received death threats in the past from conservative elements of Palestinian society who were displeased with the artistic expression being made available to refugee children. Two things are perfectly clear, however: 1) Who ever killed Juliano Mer-Khamis must be brought to justice and has dealt a blow to efforts give to Palestinians a voice through artistic expression, and 2) Juliano's contributions will be missed, as they were appreciated, and not easily forgotten.
*UPDATE: This youtube clip below gives you an idea what kind of person Juliano was, why his work was so important, and why despite his tragic loss, it must be continued.
The full movie "Arna's Children" appears below and is worth watching:
2 comments: on "UPDATED: Juliano Mer-Khamis: Taken Too Soon"
there are two items I noted in above post...that are contradicted in several other reports...one from Palestine Chronicle report earlier, that said Juliano was shot in the theater....as opposed to in a car. The other is that though there are some who were 'displeased' with artistic license available to the children of Jenin camp...which has been in existence for many years in various configurations....there is no doubt at all that there exists an "element" within the occupiers chain of command that would happily make such a Palestinian/ArabJew an "example"...least any others with similar tendencies step forward. Just as with the itamar murders immediate pronouncement was made as to whom the perpetrators were..here too once his body (evidence) was removed to Abu Kabir forensics (the scene of nefarious coverups and mysteries) the issue of mistaravim arose. They are idf'ers who don Khaffiyas and other traditional garb before committing crimes. Pronouncements at the scene of a crime are premature and likely hasbara. Who gains? who loses? Highly unlikely after all these years that now he would be viewed as a troublemaker to be a targeted assassination except by a certain element imo and in the opinions of others more knowledgeable than i. imo. thank you
Rest in peace Juliano...you are missed.
Allah yer7amo
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