A Palestinian Woman’s Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness at 59e59 Theaters, pulls it off. Playwright and star Hend Ayoub’s life story eschews taking a strong political stance and instead relates the challenges of trying to fulfill your dreams while living under oppression—and gets laughs. Hend doesn’t know what a rabbi is, and she doesn’t really know what Judaism is either. But she has her first brush with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict when a mean girl at the party calls her a “smelly Arab.” It’s an opening scene that encapsulates Hend’s life journey. When Hend asks what happens to the bat and her mother gives no answer, it encapsulates her journey as well.