Play Presented at ZOA Probes Free Speech and the Middle East Conflict

Apr 16, 2025 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Two Sues on the Aisle, Susie Rosenbluth and Sue Weston

After viewing playwright Gary Morgenstein’s newest work, Dancing on Glass, audiences—including critics—can be forgiven for asking, “Is it based on a true story? Did it really happen?”

It certainly could be.

The play, which will be performed live at the Zionist Organization of America’s national headquarters in Manhattan on Monday, Apr 28 at 7:00 PM, tells a story that sounds as if it had been ripped from this morning’s newspapers: a Jewish social studies teacher at a posh New York prep school is fired for presenting both sides of the Middle East crisis between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. Goaded by his daughter to fight back, the far-from-affluent teacher finds an African-American white-shoe attorney willing to take his case pro bono. The catch: the attorney and her husband, an orthodontist with political aspirations, had a son who attended the school—where he was bullied for being a Black political conservative.

“The play explores the crisis faced by two broken families when antisemitism goes public and political bullying is not just acceptable but expected,” said Cindy Grosz, a former candidate for Congress who blogs in the Times of Israel as The Jewess Patriot. The current World Zionist Congress Coordinator for the ZOA Coalition—Slate #15, Ms. Grosz, will serve as emcee of the evening on April 28.

ZOA Candidates

Mr. Morgenstein, a prolific, award-winning playwright and novelist, is also a ZOA Coalition candidate for the World Zionist Congress.

The performance of his play at ZOA will be directed by Michele Cappolino of the Center Players, Freehold, NJ’s resident theater company. Earlier this season, she directed Mr. Morgenstein’s Walking Charlie, a play focusing on a Black Jewish businessman taunted for being a “racist” when he objects to being robbed by an undocumented immigrant.

Similarly, Dancing on Glass probes issues no serious person in 2025 can avoid: Where does academic freedom leave off and dissemination of propaganda begin? Just how much political correctness can students be subjected to before antisemitism rears its ugly head? Is bullying free speech?

Perils of Parenting

At its heart, however, this is a story about the perils of parenting. How far can a parent go before recognizing the necessity to intervene in a teenager’s life?

The evening at ZOA, which will include an Israeli wine-tasting, is free and open to the public. For reservations, call 212-481-1500 ext. 223.

Among those endorsing the importance of Dancing on Glass is now-retired long-time New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind. “Gary’s play addresses a number of subjects that too many people are afraid to discuss out loud. Unfortunately, we are living in a time when one side—the haters who are anti-Israel—absolutely refuse to allow open discussion on the issue of the Israel-Arab conflict. The Left’s position is: Don’t confuse us with facts.”