Juliano Mer-Khamis ( he, ג'וליאנו מר ח'מיס; ar, جوليانو مير خميس; born Juliano Khamis; 29 May 19584 April 2011) was an
Israeli
Israeli may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel
* Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel
* Modern Hebrew, a language
* ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008
* Guni Israeli ...
/
Palestinian actor, director, filmmaker, and political activist of
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
and Palestinian
Eastern Orthodox Christian
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
parentage. On 4 April 2011, he was assassinated by a masked gunman in the Palestinian city of
Jenin
Jenin (; ar, ') is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate of the State of Palestine and is a major center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, Jenin had a population of app ...
, where he had established
The Freedom Theatre
The Freedom Theatre (Arabic: مسرح الحرية) is a Palestinian community-based theatre and cultural center in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern part of the West Bank.
Established in 2006, the theatre aims to generate cultural resistan ...
.
Biography
Juliano Khamis (later Mer-Khamis) was born in
Nazareth
Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...
, the son of
Arna Mer-Khamis
Arna Mer-Khamis (20 March 1929 – 15 February 1995) was an Israeli Jewish political and human rights activist. In 1993, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for "passionate commitment to the defence and education of the children of Palestine ...
, a former
Palmach
The Palmach (Hebrew: , acronym for , ''Plugot Maḥatz'', "Strike Companies") was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv (Jewish community) during the period of the British Mandate for Palestine. The Palmach ...
combatant who had turned communist and joined the
Maki on experiencing disenchantment with Zionism after having participated in operations to drive
Bedouin
The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...
inhabitants out of parts of the Negev,
and
Saliba Khamis, an
Israeli Arab
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 ...
of
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
Palestinian Christian descent who was an intellectual as well as one of the leaders of the
Israeli Communist Party
The Israeli Communist Party, commonly known by its Hebrew acronym Maki (), is a communist political party in Israel and forms part of the political alliance known as Hadash. It was originally known as Rakah, an acronym for ''Reshima Komunistit H ...
in the 1950s. He was called Sputnik Hamis at birth.
He had two brothers, Spartacus and Abir. His maternal grandfather was
Gideon Mer
Gideon Mer ( he, גדעון מר, 1894, Panevėžys - 22 March 1961 Rosh Pinna) was an Israeli scientist whose work was mostly concerned with the eradication of malaria. He was the father of Arna Mer-Khamis and the grandfather of Juliano Mer-K ...
, a scientist who pioneered the study of malaria during the
British Mandate.
His father abandoned their household when he was 10 years old. He attended school in Haifa.
His cousin is Palestinian hip-hop singer
Shadia Mansour
Shadia Mansour ( ar, شادية منصور , born 1985), also known as "the first lady of Arabic hip hop" See also is a British-Palestinian rapper who performs in Arabic and English. Much of her music revolves around Middle Eastern politics ...
.
Mer-Khamis' first marriage was to Mishmesh Uri, with whom he had a daughter. At the time of his death, Mer-Khamis was married to Jenny Nyman, a
Finnish woman who did administrative and fundraising work for the Jenin theater. They had three sons. Khamis saw the birth of one son, but was killed while his wife was pregnant with their twins. She gave birth to the twins a month after his death, and moved to
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
to raise them.
Service in the IDF
Mer-Khamas served in the
Israeli Defense Forces
Israeli may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel
* Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel
* Modern Hebrew, a language
* ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008
* Guni Israeli ...
as a combat soldier in the
Paratroopers Brigade
The 35th Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת הַצַּנְחָנִים, ''Hativat HaTzanhanim''), also known as the Paratroopers Brigade, is an infantry brigade unit of paratroopers within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and forms a major part of ...
. He was a volunteer, since the army did not send him his draft papers, and he was eager to fight for his country. He adopted his maternal surname, Mer, dropping the surname Khamis which identified him as an Arab and had caused him problems among fellow Jews.
While his mother was supportive of his enlistment, his father opposed it on grounds that the IDF was a fascist institution. Mer-Khamas didn't disagree, but countered that, 'I must see with my own eyes that they are really fascist'.
[David K. Shipler]
''Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land''
(Times Books, 1986) Crown/Archetype, 2014 pp. 635–638. He was eventually stationed in Jenin. According to him, one of his tasks was to carry a weapons bag and if someone was killed by accident, a weapon would be left on the corpse. Mer-Khamis said that while his squad was engaged in night-time firing practice they shot a shoulder missile at a donkey, accidentally killing a young girl seated on it. Mer-Khamis said that a load of explosives were left on the donkey to cover up the incident.
He recalls beating up Palestinian protestors after they refused to disperse. When asked why, he recalled:
'I wanted to be on one side. I wanted to be with somebody. Because I felt like nobody.'
At one point he refused to obey his commanding officer's order to frisk an elderly man, punching the former instead, and spent several months in prison. His release was won by the direct intervention of
Isser Harel
Isser Harel ( he, איסר הראל, 1912 – 18 February 2003) was spymaster of the intelligence and the security services of Israel and the Director of the Mossad (1952–1963). In his capacity as Mossad director he oversaw the capture and co ...
, who was his mother's cousin.
Theatre interest, travel and return
On his release from the stockade, he enrolled in acting school, and discovered his abilities in that field. He made an appearance in ''
The Little Drummer Girl
''The Little Drummer Girl'' is a spy novel by British writer John le Carré, published in 1983. The story follows the manipulations of Martin Kurtz, an Israeli spymaster who intends to kill Khalil – a Palestinian terrorist who is bombing Jewis ...
'', a film which deals with Palestinian terrorism.
In 1987 he spent a year in the Philippines, consuming hallucinogenic mushrooms and talking to monkeys. It was there that he felt, according to a later declaration, that he had shaken off all identities. On his return, he lived as a beachcomber in Tel Aviv. He protested against Israel's response to the
First Intifada
The First Intifada, or First Palestinian Intifada (also known simply as the intifada or intifadah),The word ''intifada'' () is an Arabic word meaning "uprising". Its strict Arabic transliteration is '. was a sustained series of Palestinian ...
by stripping himself and walking about covered in fake blood. Mishmish Or, an Israeli Jew of Turkish paternal and Egyptian maternal descent, picked him up off the sidewalks and gave him shelter. The two would eventually have a daughter together, Milay. In the meantime his mother Arna set up a children's center to teach over 1500 children in the Jenin camp and asked her son to join her there to teach
drama therapy.
When the
Al-Aqsa Intifada broke out, two of his former students, Yusuf Sweitat and Nidal al-Jabali, became suicide bombers in October 2001 at
Hadera. Two weeks earlier, a girl whom Sweitat had salvaged from a school classroom that had just been bombed by the IDF died as he carried her to the hospital.
Hearing the news, Juliano returned to Jenin a month after the
Battle of Jenin had begun. His host was a former student, Ala’a Sabbagh, then aged 22, leader of Jenin's
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade
The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades () is a coalition of Palestinian armed groups in the West Bank. The organization has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the European Union, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States.
L ...
, and he spent several months on patrol with men on Israel's hit list, and in hideouts, with Sabbagh and
Zakaria Zubeidi
Zakaria Muhammad 'Abdelrahman Zubeidi ( ar, زكريا محمد عبد الرحمن الزبيدي; other spellings include Zakariyah Zbeidi, Zacharia and Zubaidi) (born 1976) is the former Jenin chief of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.
He is co ...
, whose mother had been killed in April 2002 by an Israeli sniper who perhaps mistook her for her son Tata, who was also subsequently shot dead an hour later. He made a film on the period, ''
Arna's Children
''Arna's Children'' is a 2004 Dutch-Israeli documentary film directed by Juliano Mer Khamis and Danniel Danniel. The film's story revolves around a children's theater group in Jenin in the Palestinian territories established by Arna Mer-Khamis, ...
'', released in 2004.
Outside of the theater he devoted himself to allaying everyday problems: driving pregnant women to Israeli hospitals, or Jenin's children to Haifa's beaches, or providing medicines and food.
In a 2009 interview with
Israel Army Radio
Army Radio ( he, גלי צה"ל lit. IDF waves) or Galei Tzahal, known in Israel by its acronym Galatz ( he, גל"צ), is a nationwide Israeli radio network operated by the Israel Defense Forces. The station broadcasts news, music, traffic report ...
, Mer-Khamis said of his background: "I am 100 percent Palestinian and 100 percent Jewish."
Mer-Khamis was married to Jenny Nyman, a
Finnish activist he met in Haifa in May 2006. They had a son, Jay, and were expecting the birth of twins at the time of his death.
The theater he founded thrives, under the general management of Swedish-Israeli Jonathan Stanczyk, with actor Nabil al-Raee as artistic director.
Film and acting career
Mer-Khamis's first film, ''
The Little Drummer Girl
''The Little Drummer Girl'' is a spy novel by British writer John le Carré, published in 1983. The story follows the manipulations of Martin Kurtz, an Israeli spymaster who intends to kill Khalil – a Palestinian terrorist who is bombing Jewis ...
'', was an American thriller from 1984 directed by
George Roy Hill and starring
Diane Keaton, which dealt with the
Israeli-Arab conflict. He starred in
Avi Nesher's film, ''
Za'am V'Tehilah'' (1985). Later he appeared in such Israeli films as ''
51 Bar 51 may refer to:
* 51 (number)
* The year
** 51 BC
** AD 51
** 1951
** 2051
In contemporary history, the third millennium of the anno Domini or Common Era in the Gregorian calendar is the current millennium spanning the years 2001 to 3000 ( 2 ...
'' (1985), ''
Wedding in Galilee
''Wedding in Galilee'' (also known as Arabic عرس الجليل, transliteration ) is a 1987 film directed by Michel Khleifi. It was awarded the International Critics Prize at Cannes in 1987.
Synopsis
The film takes place in a Galilean Palesti ...
'' (1987), ''
Tel Aviv Stories'' (1992), ''
Zohar
The ''Zohar'' ( he, , ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five ...
'' (1993), ''
Under the Domim Tree
''Under the Domim Tree'' ( he, עץ הדומים תפוס, Etz Hadomim Tafus) is a 1994 Israeli film based on the 1992 book of the same name by Gila Almagor. The film was directed by Eli Cohen, and screened in the Un Certain Regard section at ...
'' (1994), and ''
Overture 1812'' (1997). He appeared in several films by
Amos Gitai: ''
Kedma Orthodox Jewish student groups exist at many secular colleges and universities in the diaspora, especially in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
History
At some points in history there were umbrella organization that united Orthodox students an ...
'', ''
Esther'' (1986) and ''
Kippur'' (2000).
In 2002, Mer-Khamis was nominated for the
Ophir Award for Best Actor for his role in ''
Kedma Orthodox Jewish student groups exist at many secular colleges and universities in the diaspora, especially in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
History
At some points in history there were umbrella organization that united Orthodox students an ...
''.
One of the last films in which he appeared was the Palestinian film ''
Salt of this Sea
''Salt of this Sea'' ( ar, ملح هذا البحر, translit=Milh hadha al-bahr) is a 2008 Palestinian film directed by Annemarie Jacir and was an Official Selection of the Cannes International Film Festival in 2008. It is Palestine's submission ...
'' (2008), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
He performed on stage with
Beit Lessin Theater
Beit Lessin Theater ( he, תיאטרון בית ליסין, translit: ''Teatron Bet Lessin'') is a theater in Tel Aviv, Israel.
History
The theater was established in 1980 by Yaakov Agmon for the Histadrut.
Over the years the theater has shown o ...
and
Habima Theatre
The Habima Theatre ( he, תיאטרון הבימה ''Te'atron HaBima'', lit. "The Stage Theatre") is the List of national theatres, national theatre of Israel and one of the first Hebrew language theatres. It is located in Habima Square in the ce ...
. In 2003, he produced and directed his first documentary film, ''
Arna's Children
''Arna's Children'' is a 2004 Dutch-Israeli documentary film directed by Juliano Mer Khamis and Danniel Danniel. The film's story revolves around a children's theater group in Jenin in the Palestinian territories established by Arna Mer-Khamis, ...
'', together with
Danniel Danniel
Danniel Danniel ( he, דניאל דניאל; 1950-May 4, 2017) was an Israeli film director, screenwriter and film editor. He lived in the Netherlands since 1980.
He died in the morning of 4 May 2017 in Amsterdam.
He graduated from the Netherland ...
. The film is about his mother's work to establish a children's theatre group in Jenin during the 1980s. Seven years after the death of his mother, and following the battle in Jenin in 2002, Mer-Khamis returned to Jenin to meet and interview the children who participated in the theater, and found out that some became militants and were killed.
In 2011 he joined the faculty of the
Academy of Performing Arts, Tel Aviv
The Academy of Performing Arts is a theatre centre and a school of theatre and performance, operating since 2010 in Tel Aviv, in collaboration with the Open University of Israel.
Faculty
The Academy of Performing Arts was established in 2010 in T ...
, where he taught acting until his assassination.
In 2006, following a wave of international support which was followed by his film, Mer-Khamis opened a community theater for children and adults in Jenin, called The Freedom Theatre.
The Freedom Theatre

In 2006, Mer-Khamis established
The Freedom Theatre
The Freedom Theatre (Arabic: مسرح الحرية) is a Palestinian community-based theatre and cultural center in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern part of the West Bank.
Established in 2006, the theatre aims to generate cultural resistan ...
along with Zakaria Zubeidi, a former military leader of the Jenin
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Jonatan Stanczak, a Swedish-Israeli activist, and
Dror Feiler, a Swedish-Israeli artist. The Freedom Theatre is a community theatre that provides opportunities for the children and youth of the
Jenin Refugee Camp by developing skills, self-knowledge and confidence and using the creative process as a model for social change.
Assassination
Mer-Khamis was shot by masked gunmen while leaving the theater he had founded in Jenin. He had just started to drive away in his Citroen, with his baby son Jay on his lap, when a masked gunman emerged from a nearby alley and asked him to stop. The babysitter with them advised him to drive on, but he stopped, and was shot five times.
[Adam Schatz]
"The Life and Death of Juliano Mer-Khamis"
at ''London Review of Books
The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published twice monthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews.
History
The ''London Review of ...
'', vol. 35, No. 22, 21 November 2013 pp. 3–11. He was rushed to the Jenin Hospital, where he was pronounced dead after his arrival.
PA Prime Minister
Salam Fayyad
Salam Fayyad ( ar, سلام فياض, ; born 1951 or 12 April 1952) is a Jordanian-Palestinian politician and former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority and Finance Minister.
He was Finance Minister from June 2002 to November 2005 and ...
condemned the killing, saying that "We cannot stand silent in the face of this ugly crime, it constitutes a grave violation that goes beyond all principles and human values and it contravenes with the customs and ethics of co-existence."
In an interview in 2008, Juliano had foreseen the circumstances of his murder, predicting jokingly that he would be killed by a 'fucked-up Palestinian' for 'corrupting the youth of Islam'.
After being identified by the babysitter in three separate lineups, one Mujahed Qaniri, from Jenin's refugee camp, was charged by
Palestinian police with the murder. On 19 April 2011, Adnan Dameery, spokesperson for the
Palestinian Security Forces
The Palestinian National Security Forces (NSF; ar, قوات الأمن الوطني الفلسطيني ''Quwwat al-Amn al-Watani al-Filastini'') are the paramilitary security forces of the Palestinian National Authority. The name may either re ...
, reported DNA tests had exonerated the only detained suspect and that the murderer was still at large.
Killer Of Israeli-Palestinian Director Still At Large
International Middle East Media Center
The International Middle East Media Center (or IMEMC) is an independent news organization run by Palestinians living in the Palestinian territories, working together with international journalists, who report on events in both Israel and the Pale ...
. 19 April 2011. Accessed 27 December 2011.
Filmography
Television and video
References
External links
*
The Murder of an Actor/Activist
– slideshow by ''Life magazine
''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merkhamis, Juliano
1958 births
2011 deaths
Deaths by firearm in the West Bank
People from Nazareth
Israeli activists
Arab-Israeli film directors
Israeli film directors
Israeli male stage actors
Israeli male film actors
Israeli Arab Jews
Israeli people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent
Israeli murder victims
People murdered in the Palestinian territories
Palestinian male film actors
Israeli male television actors
Jews in the State of Palestine
Palestinian male stage actors
Palestinian male actors