Double Language Barrier- A night out at Nalag’at Center

One of my closest friends from the states, Michelle, came to Haifa to visit her family for the past two weeks. Michelle is attending graduate school for speech pathology and came across the only deaf and blind theater group in the world located in TEL AVIV! I have some experience with ASL (American Sign Language) but nothing compared to Michelle. So, on Thursday night we met up at Nalag’at Center located in Jaffa.

(Tablecloth at Dinner)

Our evening began with dinner at Café Kapish, which is unique in the fact that all of the waiters are deaf or hearing impaired. How can we order when we don’t know Hebrew Sign Language? Are there any universal signs? Thankfully our waiter had taken some ASL classes and Michelle was able to sign our order perfectly to him. For those who are less familiar with sign language, there are photos next to many of the items on the menu which you can use to point out your desired entrée or drink.

(Hebrew/English/Arabic/Sign Language...VERY COOL!)

Our amazing meal was followed up by a performance of “Not by Bread Alone” acted out by the deaf-blind acting ensemble. The goals of the ensemble, as listed on their website, are the following: “to integrate deaf-blind people into the community, promote their needs and aspirations and provide them with the opportunity to express themselves and exercise one of the most basic rights – to contribute to society”. “Not by Bread Alone” is the second production for the company.



The evening performance can best be described as a sensory overload which is kind of ironic. My brain didn’t know what to do first…Do I read the English subtitles? Listen to the narrator reciting the lines in Hebrew? Watch the translator sign the lines or pay attention to the actors’ performance? A screen hung on stage right displaying the actors’ lines in Hebrew, English, and Arabic. Next to the screen, was a translator who signed the lines in Hebrew Sign Language. The small 11 person ensemble each had their own role to play during every scene. I wanted to watch all of them and listen to their stories. The play takes the audience on a journey where the audience learns of the actors' past dreams, future hopes, and current concerns with living in a world of darkness and silence. In the play, bread symbolizes a longing for home. At the end of the production, the audience is invited to meet the actors and dine on the bread that was baking throughout the performance. That evening I left the theater with my senses still buzzing and a new found respect and admiration for the blind and deaf community.