By: Jivanto Van Hemert
Posted In: News
Photo credit: Jivanto Van Hemert
Actors Larry Jay Tish and Ron Jones provide a night of comedy. The Black Jew Dialogues poked fun at society and society’s misconceptions.
On Tuesday, Feb. 8, The Campus Activities Board’s (CAB) “Spotlight” Committee presented “The Black Jew Dialogues.” This fast- paced comical show combined improv, interactive video, audience participation and a multitude of characters. The performance strived to achieve the goal of every “Spotlight” event, which is to be both entertaining and informative. The Dialogues examined the absurdity and history of prejudice and racism within the context of the American black & Jew experiences. Throughout the show, actors Larry Jay Tish and Ron Jones poked fun at society and its commonly held beliefs and misconceptions by discussing racism, tolerance and the nature of people. Jones and Tish used this show as an attempt to inspire people to reach a level of commonality through the fact that we all have shared pain and hurt.
“I enjoyed the Black Jew Dialogues CAB Spotlight event,” said Vittoria Penna, a freshman, after the show. “I thought it did a great job of highlighting some of the misconceptions that people have.” Penna was also very happy at the end to be able to hear how her peers felt in terms of their opinions about diversity, racism, and treatment of others as a whole. “I know I don’t come from a very diverse high school, so hearing the opinions that others had because of where they came from and the things they experienced opened my eyes,” Penna said. Throughout the show, Jones and Tish shared anecdotes of their life. Whether it was the prevalence of food in Tish’s Jewish upbringing, or the shock of becoming a violently rejected minority when Jones first went to college, both of their lives revealed similarities in their experiences. After several costume changes, prizes, raffles, a game of “Jew not a Jew” and many humorous stories, the actors opened up a discussion with the students and community members in attendance regarding the importance of having an open, honest dialogue about race in America, and why such dialogue should continue. The discussion went on to the topic of stereotypes and their origin, and the role stereotypes play in constructing much of the prejudice and racism in our society to date. The two men coined the term “feareotypes.” The humor involved in the show provided a necessary release for the tension of the topic. “The Black Jew
