PITTSFIELD — The play 'The Zionists,' subtitled 'A Family Storm,' is running at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, through July 3. Written by S. Asher Gelman, the play follows the Rosenberg family during a vacation in the Caribbean.

Gelman wrote the play in response to social media messages he received after Oct. 7, 2023. He said people were "busy contextualizing and explaining October 7," and asking "what caused [Israelis] to be raped and murdered and kidnapped." Gelman stated, "Nuance goes to die there."

The play premiered earlier this year at Miami New Drama. During a performance in Miami, an audience member shouted at an actor, temporarily stopping the show. The cast addressed the individual directly and then resumed the performance.

One character in the play is a mother who serves as a philanthropist and Jewish communal leader. Another character is her daughter, who is married to an Israeli. The family's youngest son has embraced anti-Zionism and has contributed to groups supporting pro-Palestinian encampments.

Gelman, 42, lived in Tel Aviv starting at age 19, working as a dancer and choreographer. He founded an English-language theater organization in Tel Aviv and moved back to New York in 2016. Gelman also wrote the Off-Broadway play 'Afterglow.'

His parents, Susie Gelman and Michael Gelman, are Jewish philanthropists who have both served as president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. They have supported liberal pro-Israel groups, including the Israel Policy Forum. Gelman's sister, Rachel Gelman, has helped fund left-wing Jewish and pro-Palestinian groups.

Pamela Nadell, a scholar of Jewish history at American University, saw 'The Zionists' in June 2026. Nadell's most recent book is titled 'Antisemitism, an American Tradition.' She said, "What really jumped out is his ability to convey in two hours why there is the argument and how both sides tell the narrative." Gelman said, "It was never meant to be the end of the conversation. It was meant to be the beginning of one."