most Cohn clan Thanksgivings, as the name implies, focus on the Cohn side of the family, but this year’s festivities were more balanced with the fabulous Broadway musical The Band’s Visit and an afternoon with my Jedo’s cousin, Sami Hashim. The Lebanese side of our family is sprawling and both the musical and the reunion helped me learn more about their experiences, from childhoods revering Umm Kulthum, Fairuz, and Omar Sharif to the joys and many challenges of making a new life in the US. Even without this personal connection, The Band’s Visit is a stunning portrayal of how music and the arts facilitate connections on a human scale that can transcend political strife, even when as charged as the Arab-Israeli conflict—highly recommended for its music and its message
