Extreme Gaza Makeover

?I?m Ty Pennington, and the renovation starts right now!?

By Ian Fist March 4, 2009

Finally, good news for a city torn by war, terrorism, political intimidation and a crippling embargo: The popular ABC show “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” is coming to Gaza City.

“My producer was just watching the news and thought, ‘Those guys could use a makeover!’” said host Ty Pennington. Although at first Pennington objected, once he was informed that the Gaza Strip was not an exotic dance, he became enthusiastic.

In this case, it will be the lucky Aziz family who will have their entire house, currently a pile of rubble, rebuilt from scratch.

?I?m Ty Pennington, and the renovation starts right now!?

“It’s a great opportunity to make these people feel really at home in their refugee camp,” said Ed Sanders, one of Pennington’s co-designers.

“You learn so much about a culture,” Pennington told the Forward. “For example, all the contractors bring in their materials by tunnel. It’s some kind of a local custom.”

Pennington said that the Aziz family was “very into safety.” Although he declined to say exactly what he was designing as his “secret room” for the family, Pennington did confide that it would be “underground and blast-resistant.”

Reached for comment, family patriarch Mahmoud Aziz said that Pennington seemed a little strange.

“He said he’s very excited to come to Gaza,” Aziz told the Forward. “That’s the first time I’ve heard anybody say that.”

[]: https://forward.com/backward-purim/

Oppressive autarch of the Backward since 2009. Brooks no dissent.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO