Israeli TV's Controversial Hit Comedy Series Returns

Created by Sayed Kashua, an Israeli-born Palestinian journalist, Arab Labor (translated from the Hebrew “Avoda Aravit”, which colloquially implies “shoddy or second-rate work”) focuses on Amjad Alian, a Palestinian journalist and Israeli citizen in search of his identity. Poking fun at the cultural divide, Kashua and his characters play on religious, cultural and political differences to daringly depict the mixed society that is Israel. This show marked a milestone on Israeli television as the first program to present Palestinian characters speaking Arabic on primetime, and it generated great controversy between Arab and Israeli media.

In Season 2, one decent shower in a Jewish neighborhood is enough to make Amjad decide to upgrade his and his family's life and move from the Arab village to the wealthy Jewish neighborhood in western Jerusalem. In the new neighborhood, there's a great water flow, the garbage is cleaned 3 times a week, there are marked streets, a machine that cleans them, trees, gardens and best of all -- no Arabs.

Amjad, an Arab very well aware of his inferior status in the eye of his new neighbors, will do absolutely anything to get accepted by the average Israeli bourgeoisie. He tries and retries to prove he is an inseparable part of his neighbors' life, hoping to please them, and, in his attempts, completely neutralizes his identity, culture, and nationality, often at the expense of his family members' mental health as they put up with his suspicious behavior.             

Click here for the complete episode list from Arab Labor Season 1

The Shower

Moving

Dog

Nightgown

Building Committee

Purim

Music

Memorial Day

Civil Guard

Amjad Suspects

Tension in the South

Swimming

Amjad Superstar