Theater Thursdays Play Reading Series Testimonies by Ellen W. Kaplan directed by Hilary Dennis November 18, 2021 7:30 p.m. Testimonies is based on interviews with Ezidi (Yezidi) women in camps in Northern Iraq, in 2019. This play reading includes sensitive subject matter. The Ezidi are a Kurdish-speaking religious minority who trace their roots back to ancient Mesopotamia. They practice a pre-Islamic religion, that draws inspiration from Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Traditionally, Ezidi are farmers and shepherds, but in the mid-seventies Saddam Hussein had Ezidi villages destroyed and their inhabitants transferred to collective settlements. In August 2014, the Ezidi (Yezidi) people were subjected to genocide: thousands were massacred, kidnapped, enslaved, raped and tortured by the Islamic State (ISIS). [read more]