Years ago, when Jenna Berenbaum’s great-uncle died, the funeral took place in an unexpected location: a Chinese food restaurant in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Despite the sadness of the moment, Berenbaum, an actor and playwright who uses they/them pronouns, took notice of how the familiar yet unconventional setting brought out a sense of compassion and joy in the moment.
They dug into that feeling to write their latest play, 18 Jews Order Chinese Food, running from Feb. 5 to Feb. 16 at Persephone Theatre in Saskatoon.
“The play is about a family preparing for the funeral of their great-zayde,” the playwright explains. “It’s three generations preparing for his funeral. It’s about the family coming together, celebrating life, dealing with grief. As you know, Jewish funerals are typically very quick after someone passes, so it’s about dealing with that immediate grief.”
Directed by Jewish theatre director Joel Bernbaum (no relation), the story focuses on a matriarch, Chavi, preparing for the funeral of her late husband. As her children and grandchildren come together, questions arise about the origins of their traditions and faith, and how to reconcile that in the cold, wind-swept Prairie province.
The script draws on her own experiences growing up Jewish in a place where religious and cultural diversity isn’t immediately visible. “There are so few of us,” they say. “Everybody knows you’re Jewish. Lots of people don’t really even know what that means. At school, I was the only one. I would go in and teach workshops about lighting the menorah.”
They held onto their Jewish pride when they tried moving to Vancouver to pursue acting and writing. But they never felt at home in the larger Jewish community, they explain, constantly feeling like everyone else was “more Jewish than me. They grew up all together and I didn’t know what’s going on.”
So they found themselves back home, in Saskatchewan, better prepared to analyze the unique realities of Jewish life there. “I think that shapes who you are as you grow,” they explain. “It has made my connection to the community stronger, because there are so few of us. I’ve had overwhelming support from them, and it’s been really a positive experience.”
Berenbaum’s play is part of a broader Jewish cultural revival taking place in Saskatchewan. The province has become an unlikely home for a flourishing Jewish arts scene, marked by the Saskatchewan Jewish Arts Festival. Now in its second season, the four-day-long event will host panels, artist talks and a cooking workshop at various galleries and theatres, in addition to the Congregation Agudas Israel Jewish Community Centre.
“It’s a really positive festival in terms of educating the community, as well as bringing everyone together for a celebration,” Berenbaum explains. “There’s a few different art galleries. There’s a klezmer band at the Shabbat service, a Jewish DJ playing after my show. There’s lots of panels talking about faith and family with faith leaders from a variety of religions. We try to really cover a lot of topics and make it really inclusive for everybody.”
For Berenbaum, being Jewish is intertwined with a profound sense of community—one that, despite its small size in Saskatchewan, has left an indelible mark on them. And, after the show, you can maybe enjoy a little Chinese takeout too.
