Like all foreign incarnations, HaMisrad—the Israeli version of The Office that’s midway through its first season—must adapt its stock characters for the viewing audience’s culture. In this instance, Oscar, The Office’s resident gay, becomes Abed (Jamil Khoury), an Israeli Arab caught smooching his boyfriend byhis co-workers. “People say “Shame on you! How can you do this?,” says Khoury (far left). “Just for acting. I know there are a lot of Arab gays here but nobody knows about them; they stay closed.”
An Office with Jewish, Arab and gay jokes? That’s gold. (Indeed: HaMisrad has been picked up for season two.)
Cam
I love that the TV station there is giving a big giant middle finger to the Ultra Orthodox Rabbi’s and the right wing Islamic Clerics. Keep it up!
peteNsfo
There’s another program called, “Arab Labor” that’s available thru NetFlix or maybe your public library.
An Arab Israeli Seinfeld-ish program that’s fantastic and takes issues, head-on, but with humor. It’s great.