I had a very specific remit for Joyfully Jewish, a trilogy of plays written by Jewish playwrights, directed by Jewish directors and performed by Jewish actors: to remind people what they love about Jews and about being Jewish.

The idea came to me  on the train journey up to Inverness from this year’s London Fringe as I was musing on how I could, in some small way, try and combat the growing antisemitism that Jewish creatives feel has plagued the arts this past year.  

The brief for the plays, an hour-long production performed this month on three Sunday nights in November, was rather specific: no war, no antisemitism, no trauma.

Our three brilliant playwrights Estee Stimler, Gary Ogin and Elijah Lifton certainly delivered. From a first date to a daughter revealing a secret, to the reading of a will, the three warm and hilarious plays celebrate Jewish family and culture.

And while this month’s performances take place within the safety of the Tsitsit Jewish Fringe Festival, the hope is to tour the production to fringe festivals around the country next year – to a wider audience in towns with few or no Jews living there at all.

Amy Cash in Last Will by Estee Stimler Credit: Gary Manhine

Joyfully Jewish has also been about creating a safe space for Jewish creatives. I myself have felt nervous when walking into rehearsals for new productions this past year. (I’d already left Equity due to feeling unsupported as a Jewish member.) Yet even with when working with other Jews, you find very different political perspectives. I therefore started our first rehearsal with a request to keep politics out of the rehearsal room; if Jews can’t feel safe working with other Jews, where can we feel safe?

Em Lawrence, Amy Cash and Sam Ebner-Landy in Last Will and Testament of Sheila Goodwin by Estee Stimler Credit: Gary Manhine

Shai Forester and Em Lawrence in The Chosen One by Gary Ogin Credit: Gary Manhine

And to those who say you can’t celebrate being Jewish without focusing on our traumas past and present, so intrinsic are they to being Jewish, I give you the lyrics of songwriter Daniel Cainer whose soulful Jewish tune is the theme song of the production.  

“Joyfully Jewish Like Tevye in Fiddler

Put your arms in the air

Drown your despair In the mikveh

There’s trouble at the mill

But for a moment let’s be still

And breathe and feel and be Joyfully Jewish… shall we?”

Joyfully Jewish is presented by Echoes Theatre Company, and has been supported by the Pauline and Harold Berman Charitable Trust and Tsitsit Jewish Fringe Festival. To book tickets, find out more information and support our work, visit www.joyfullyjewish.co.uk