Plays on History
June 9, 1999
The stories Jewish writers from Nazi-era Germany have captured the imagination of a number of contemporary playwrights:
- “Berlin, Jerusalem & the Moon” recalls the disparate stories of assimilationist writer Walter Benjamin and religious poet Else Lasker-Schueler, members of the German Jewish literati who fled the Nazis. The play has been produced by A Traveling Jewish Theater—which does travel. David Hyry & Associates, 1810 Harrison St., San Francisco, CA 94103; (415) 864-3547; www.atjt.com
- “The Angel of History,” a play by Roberta Spivek and Craig Eisendrath, explores the capacity for resisting evil through the story of anti-fascist activist Lisa Fittko and Walter Benjamin, who risked his life for a cherished manuscript. Roberta Spivek, phone/fax (215) 413-1461; rspivek@aol.com
- “Exile in Jerusalem,” by leading Israeli playwright Motti Lerner, follows poet Lasker-Schueler as she tries to rebuild her life in Palestine after fleeing the Nazis in 1939. Flora Roberts agency (212) 355-4165
