"Satire," in the immortal phrase of George S. Kaufman, "is what closes on Saturday night." With only a change in Sabbath eve, that maxim about the low box-office appeal of satire applies as much in Israel as anywhere else. But the reason isn't always audience apathy. A satirical revue called Jesus, As Seen by His Friends—a fairly savage commentary on Israel's government establishment by Playwright Amos Kenan—lasted for only seven performances before it was closed down by Levi Guery, the official government censor. Guery explained that he found the revue "offensive to another religion."
Perhaps it was. Although Jesus is...
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