Answering the question, “Who am I?” can be a daunting task. For some, their family tree is rooted so deeply in American soil they don’t hesitate to claim themselves as such. Others choose different characteristics to identify themselves. For Jennifer Jajeh, it took a trip to her parents’ hometown in Palestine to finally come up with a satisfactory answer, one which she shares in her one-woman show, I Heart Hamas: And Other Things I'm Aftraid to Tell You.

METRO: So, Jennifer, where did you grow up?

I grew up in San Francisco.

METRO: Is that where you consider home, then?

Yeah, I would consider San Francisco my home since I was born and raised there. But then I also consider Ramallah, where my parents are from in Palestine, home.

METRO: When did you first go to Ramallah?

The first and only time I went was in December of 2000, which was a relatively calm time. Then, once I decided to stay because I was really enjoying it there, all of the violence broke out.

METRO: What made you decide to visit?

Having parents who came from somewhere else, I grew up with kind of a sense that I was an outsider; there were parts of my life that people didn’t understand or that I couldn’t share. As I got older, I felt like I wanted to understand what that was about.

METRO: How long did you stay?

Total I was there about a year and a half; I came back in September 2001.

METRO: That's a long time. What was your experience like there as an American Palestinian?

Definitely mixed. On the one hand, I really connected with the people and felt very comfortable; it made things so much clearer about myself and my culture. But on the other hand, as the situation got increasingly more violent, I felt a mix of fear and anger about the situation. I was shocked at how my friends could live under such extreme circumstances but still go about their daily lives.

METRO: You returned in 2001 but the show – I Heart Hamas: And Other Things I’m Afraid to Tell You – didn’t premiere until 2008 as part of New York’s International Fringe Festival. When did you start writing it?

Not until the beginning of 2008. It took a long time to figure out what the experience meant to me as well as how it fit in with the idea of living as a “whatever” American; someone who is from "somewhere else-hyphen-American."

METRO: What were your goals when you were created the show? Did you envision it being this big?

It’s funny because once I started writing I really had no idea what was going to happen with it. I knew I wanted to perform it in New York, so I applied to a festival really quickly when I only had a rough draft, but I never envisioned that it would be this big. It’s been very exciting.

METRO: Is this your first time on stage?

No, I’ve always been acting. But I hadn’t written before.

METRO: Let’s talk about the title. It’s pretty, well, out there. Were you nervous about stepping on toes?

It was the first thing that came to my mind, and it works on a lot of levels. But yes, I was really nervous about choosing it. I even came up with a bunch of back-up titles, but friends and colleagues kept telling me no, this is the best fit. And it is.

METRO: It does get peoples’ attention.

Definitely. And it makes people curious: am I being serious? am I kidding? The show is all about having a new conversation about the topic. With the title, I wanted to let people know I was talking a little bit about politics, but that the show is different than what they were expecting.

METRO: This isn’t a confession of your secret love for Hamas, then?

No, no. It’s not completely literal. The title – and show – is more about challenging the assumptions that people have. Palestinian identity is always linked to violence and terrorism and Hamas, and I wanted to show that there’s a human behind those headlines.

METRO: So it’s not a political rally, and it’s not a lecture… what does the show look like?

The show is actually pretty funny. It's the story of a young Americanized girl who just wants to figure out who she is and how she fits in. I talk about dating, auditions, going to clubs. I don’t want people to think it’s some completely heavy, intense, serious thing. Parts are like that, but really it’s a wild ride with a lot of humor; stand-up comedy combined with characters and scenes. There’s something for everyone.

I Heart Hamas: And Other Things I'm Afraid to Tell You
Friday, February 19 - Sunday, February 28
Thursday - Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, 4 p.m.
$15 - 25

Bedlam Theatre
1501 6th St. S., Mpls.