''Arab Labor'' (, ''Avoda Aravit''; ar, شغل عَرَب, ''Shughl Arab'') is an Israeli

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

television series, created by

Sayed Kashua Sayed Kashua ( ar, سيد قشوع, he, סייד קשוע; born 1975) is a Palestinian author and journalist born in Tira, Israel, known for his books and humorous columns in Hebrew and English. Biography Sayed Kashua was born in Tira in th ...

History

The series premiered on Keshet Channel 2 in Israel in 2007. The second season was broadcast in 2008 and the third season in 2012. The series, whose title in colloquial Hebrew carries the implication of "shoddy or second-rate work", focuses on the family and work situations of Amjad, an

Arab-Israeli The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...

journalist. Much of the comedy is derived from the paradox of Amjad's love-hate relationship with his

Arab identity Arab identity ( ar, الهوية العربية ) is the objective or subjective state of perceiving oneself as an Arab and as relating to being Arab. Like other cultural identities, it relies on a common culture, a traditional lineage, the com ...

and his simultaneous wish to integrate comfortably into Israeli society. Poking fun at the cultural divide, Kashua's characters play on religious, cultural and political differences to depict the mixed society prevalent in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. In the United States, the program aired nationally on

Link TV Link TV, originally WorldLink TV, is a non-commercial American satellite television network providing what it describes as "diverse perspectives on world and national issues." It is carried nationally on DirecTV (ch. 375) and Dish Network (ch. ...

. It also appeared on

KCET KCET (channel 28) is a secondary PBS member television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by the Public Media Group of Southern California alongside the market's primary PBS member, Huntington Beach–licensed KOCE-TV ...

in Los Angeles in 2014. The show has won two consecutive

Awards of the Israeli Television Academy The Awards of the Israeli Television Academy ( he, פרסי האקדמיה הישראלית לטלוויזיה) are annual awards for excellence in the Israeli television industry, awarded by the Israeli Academy of Film and Television. History U ...

for Best Comedy Series.

Cast

*Amjad (

Norman Issa Norman Issa ( ar, نورمان عيسى, he, נורמן עיסא; born 17 June 1967) is an Arab-Israeli actor, director in cinema, theatre and television. Biography Norma Issa was born and raised in Haifa, Israel, to a Maronite Christian-Ara ...

) – An Arab-Israeli journalist working in Jerusalem *Meir ( Mariano Idelman) – photojournalist, Amjad's Jewish-Israeli coworker at the magazine *Bushra (

Clara Khoury Clara may refer to: Organizations * CLARA, Latin American academic computer network organization * Clara.Net, a European ISP * Consolidated Land and Rail Australia, a property development consortium People * Clara (given name), a feminine giv ...

) – Amjad's wife *Amal (

Mira Awad Mīrā Anwar ‘Awaḍ ( ar, ميرا عوض, he, מירה עווד; born June 11, 1975) is an Arab-Israeli singer-songwriter, actress, television host, and political activist of Palestinian Arab and Bulgarian descent. In 2009, she represented ...

) – An Arab-Israeli attorney to whom Meir is attracted *Ismael, Abu Amjad (Salim Dau) – Amjad's father *Umm Amjad (Salwa Nakra -Seasons 1-3), (Alham Araff - Season 4)) – Amjad's mother *Maya (Fatma Yihye) – Amjad and Bushra's daughter *Natan (Dov Navon) and Timna (Rona Lipaz-Michael) - Joined in Season 2, neighbors of Amjad and Bushra *Yoske (Aryeh Moskona) and Yocheved (Sandra Sade) - Seasons 2 and 3 only, neighbors of Amjad and Bushra *Ami Schuster (Menashe Noy) - Joined in Season 3, Amjad's agent

Reception

The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' described it as "... a groundbreaking TV show that finds humor in sharing a homeland." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' commented, "Kashua has managed to barge through cultural barriers and bring an Arab point of view ... into the mainstream of Israeli entertainment."

Reviews

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References

External links