Case Number 16988   Alive Mind // 2006 // 300 Minutes // Not
Rated Reviewed by Judge Joel Pearce (Retired) // August 8th,
2009  The Charge  An unlikely sitcom.  Opening Statement  A lot
of media has been made covering the struggles between the Jews
and Palestinians in Israel. Documentaries, biopics, dramas...and
now Arab Labor, a sitcom that takes one of the most conflicted
corners of the world and turns it into a goldmine of comedy. It
shouldn't work, but it does.  Facts of the Case  Amjad (Norman
Issa), a Palestinian living in Israel, works at a Jewish
Magazine. He does his best to fit into mainstream Jewish culture
without betraying his Arab roots, a challenge that his wife
Bushra (Clara Khoury) approaches with longsuffering patience.
Amjad's goals are made more challenging by parents that fit a
number of stereotypes, as well as Meir (Mariano Idelman), his
Jewish best friend.  The Evidence  There is a moment in the
third episode of Arab Labor where Amjad and Bushra are turned
away from an Israeli-run kinde