Man with Tourette’s syndrome wins local theatre prize

The first prize in Israel’s 23rd annual Teatronetto Festival in Jaffa was awarded to Nir Yosefi, an actor who wrote and acted in the play Tick Tick and who lives with Tourette’s syndrome, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Sunday.

The play is an autobiography of Yosefi’s life and addresses issues such as the fear of those who are “different” and the need for acceptance.

The NIS 5,000 prize is named after the late actor Nissim Azikeri.

Another noteworthy winner was the play My Name Is Rachel Corrie, acted by Sivan Kirchner and directed by Ari Remez. The play tells the story of the young American activist who died in March 2003 after being crushed by an IDF armored bulldozer in an incident Israel has ruled an accident. Corrie was in front of the bulldozer’s blade, trying to block the vehicle, when she was killed

Corrie joined the International Solidarity Movement in Gaza in January 2003 and was part of a group of activists trying to interfere with IDF activity in the area.

Corrie’s family sued Israel over her death, charging that soldiers had either killed her intentionally or acted with reckless neglect. They asserted that the Israeli military was responsible for Corrie’s life, even though she had knowingly placed herself in danger to thwart a military operation.

Matti Friedman contributed to this report.