But another crisis arises! To
the alarm of the Rabbi and Wachter, Dolek announces that he will leave the
safety of Wachter’s house and declare himself to be a Jew—a fatal declaration
to a populace that kills Jews on sight.
Now, let’ see what becomes of Dolek—
The scene is an outdoor cafe.It is several
hours later, toward dusk. Dolek is seated alone, holding an empty wine glass. A
full glass is on the table opposite him.
Soft music is heard, along with the distant rumble of bombs. The lights slowly
dim during the scene, indicating approaching nightfall. After a few moments of
silence, a young waiter enters, limping.
Waiter: Another
glass of wine, sir?
Dolek: Yes. Please.
Waiter: [Indicating
the full glass] Shall I take this away?
Dolek:
No, leave it.
Waiter:
Is someone coming?
Dolek: I'm
afraid not. Leave it, anyway.
The waiter flinches in sudden pain. His leg
buckles and he nearly falls. Dolek half rises, supports him.
Dolek: Here,
son, what's the matter?
Waiter: My
leg. Shrapnel. Eastern front. Not much leg left.
Dolek: Sit
down, sit down.
Waiter: Can't
... if I did, it would only stiffen up, then I couldn't stand. So I keep
moving. Thanks, anyway. [He limps
off under the sympathetic
eyes of Dolek, then returns with a full glass.]
Dolek: Thank
you. Take care of yourself--son.
Waiter: Thanks.
There is a pause. Dolek raises his glass to
the empty place opposite. Sharon enters, stands quietly behind him.
Sharon: Dolek?
Dolek
starts, turns, stares up at her.
Sharon: I see that you have ordered for me.
Dolek: [Anger
overcomes his surprise.] What are you doing here?
Sharon:
It is my place to be here.
Dolek: I
thought that I'd gotten rid … I mean--
Sharon: Gotten
rid of me? Very well, I shall go, if you wish.
Dolek: [His
anger is replaced by fear for her safety.] No! Sit down ... please! [He rises,
pulls out a chair for her.] You are in danger—terrible danger!
Sharon:
I know. We both are.
Dolek: Then
why did you come? Why did you leave Herr Wachter's?
Sharon: Dolek,
Dolek, how can you ask? Don't you know that after
30 years, you have no secrets from me? I know exactly what you are going
to do.
Dolek: You
know?—and yet you came?
Sharon: Yes, I know, and I came. It is not so easy
to get rid of me, my husband. [Indicates glass of wine before her.] Is this for
me?
Dolek: Yes.
Sharon:
Tell me--why were you sitting opposite an
empty space with a glass of wine before it?
Dolek: You
know.
Sharon: It was
a symbol . . . a symbol of—me?
Dolek: Yes,
you and your presence. Like you used to be.
Sharon: Like we
used to be, Dolek.
Dolek:
Like we
used to be.
Sharon: [Raises
her glass.] A toast?
Dolek: To
what can we toast?
Sharon: To the good years—to our years together.
Dolek: Yes.
Our years together. [They drink.] I didn't expect you to come.
Sharon: You
didn't?
Dolek:
How could you, after the way I've been acting.
And how could you know where I'd be?
Sharon:
Not hard. I knew it would be here in this
café, where we had so many happy times in the past. And
here I am.
Dolek:
I'm
glad.
Sharon: What have you been doing since you . . .
you ran away?
Dolek: Ran
away?
Sharon:
Ran away--from me.
Dolek:
No, not from you Sharon. I ran away from
myself, and the way I'd become. Actually, I walked, walked for hours until I am
weary of it.
Sharon: Walked to all the old, familiar places, I
would guess.
Dolek: Every
one. To the places where you and I have been happy, Sharon ... so long ago.
Sharon:
Not so long ago, really.
Dolek:
Now you must go back, Sharon. Go back to the
safety of Herr Wachter's.
Sharon: And
what about you?
Dolek: When you are gone . . . when you are safely
away, I'll put on the yellow star of the Jews, stand up, and proclaim myself to
the world as I am--I Dolek Mirapol, a Jew.
Sharon:
May I have another glass of wine?
Dolek:
Yes, of course. [Calls] Waiter! [to Sharon] Wait
until you see the waiter--he's so much like ... like--
Sharon:
I saw
him when I came. He's like our son Samuel.
Dolek: Very
like Samuel.
[Waiter enters.]
Waiter:
Yes, sir?
Dolek: Another
glass of wine, please, for my wife.
Waiter:
And yourself?
Dolek: Why not?
Sharon:
Why not, indeed?
Dolek:
[Waiter exits] Is he not like Samuel?
Sharon:
Very like.
Dolek:
Sometimes I have such a longing for my son, I
think my heart will stop.
Sharon: I,
too.
Dolek: For
me, it's better to stop living, Sharon. I cannot live with the thought of
Samuel, dead.
Sharon: Samuel
may not be dead. We have no proof.
Dolek:
The Gestapo took him
away. No one has ever returned when taken away by them. Remember what that
monster Strassel said--six million dead!
Sharon: Let
us have hope, and pray.
Dolek: I am so desolate, Sharon. I no longer wish to
live.
Sharon: If you stop living, so shall I. When you stand
up with your yellow star, I shall stand up beside you, and declare— here am I!-- Sharon Mirapol, a Jew like my husband, and proud of it--and
proud of him! [She shows a corner of yellow star tucked inside her blouse.]
Waiter:
[Returning
with the wine.] Any other refreshment tonight, folks? Some cheese and biscuits?
Sharon: No, thank you. Dolek?
Dolek: Thank
you, no.
The waiter exits. The sun has gone down and
the flashing lights of the cafe sign appear.
An occasional and distant rumble of cannon fire and the thud of bombs is
heard above the music.
Dolek: Sharon, you can’t do this. There is no need.
Sharon: Entreat
me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou
goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my
people, and thy God, my God: where thou diest, will I die.[i]
Dolek: Sharon--in
all those hateful words of mine these past months, there are three that I have
not said--
Sharon:
What are they?
Dolek:
I
think you know. I love you.
Sharon:
And I love you.
Dolek:
I have never stopped loving you for a moment,
not even in the worst of the troubles.
Sharon:
Dolek--don't apologize. The times have done it to us, with the worry and
the fear.
Dolek:
Sharon, you must go back. You know the temper
they're in, these people.
Sharon: I
know. They kill by stoning. But Dolek, I have lived with you for all these
years, and I intend to end with you.
Dolek:
I can't let you go through that.
Sharon:
But I will—you know I will—with you.
Dolek: I
know.
Sharon:
Hush, dear husband. I feel that in spite of
what we have heard, I know that Samuel is alive somewhere, and that we must
find him and help him.
Dolek:
Do you really think so? Is there a chance ...
?
Sharon:
I feel it as a mother feels it. Dolek, let us
not die here, not now. Let it be later in life that we die, when we are old, in
the fullness of years. Let us go back—go back to Herr Wachter's.
Dolek: I
can't, now, after what I've said.
Sharon:
So pride prevents you? Who needs pride like
that? They need you at the house now that Maury is gone. Herr Wachter needs
you, they ..... we all need you. The
war is nearly over. Let us live, Dolek. Live for Samuel.
Dolek: I
can't go on with this perpetual fear and worry about what's going to happen
today, tomorrow, or even the next hour.
Sharon: Remember
what the Rabbi said?--an hour of life is
still life. So let’s enjoy that hour while you--while we have it. [She reaches across and takes his hand.] And later,
when all this is over, we will look for Samuel.
Dolek: Yes, look for Samuel! [Glancing around] Can we
do it? Can we get away? I've been pretty noisy about all this.
Sharon: We
can. God will be with us. Come, it is getting dark. The Rabbi is preparing for
Kiddush. Come. [She stands and holds out her hand.] Andiame, Dolek! [Sings softly] "La
ci da-rem la ma-no . . .”
Dolek: Mozart!—Don Giovanni, my favorite opera! (He
sings Zerlina's response] "Vor-rei, e non vor-rei . . . . " Wait—we 've got it backwards! I am singing the
girl's part! [They laugh.]
Sharon: And I the Don's part! Andiame. Come.
Dolek: Dare we walk hand in hand?
Sharon: We dare.
Waiter: Leaving, folks?
Dolek: Yes. [Puts several coins on the table.]
Sharon: It's been most pleasant.
Waiter: You look very happy. An anniversary?
Dolek: You could say that, son.
The waiter catches sight of the yellow star
protruding from Dolek's coat. He reaches for it and slowly pulls it out. His
mouth forms the question "Juden?” After a pause, Dolek nods. The waiter
looks as if he were going to shout the word, when a grimace of pain distorts
his face. The grimace is replace by a brief smile as he slowly pushes the
yellow star out of sight.
Waiter:
Better get home quickly. The bombers are
coming. And as you told me, sir--take
care of yourself.
Dolek:
I—we will. Good night, son.
Sharon: And . . . thank you!
They leave, hand in hand with the waiter
following them with his eyes. A sudden pain makes him gasp. He nearly falls as
he reaches for a chair. The sound of
bombs is increasing. The light dims out to indicate the end of the episode.
End
of Episode Eleven
About
Episode Eleven. The
Holocaust is often thought of in terms
of millions of victims, but the humanity of the just two of the victims—Dolek
and his wife Sharon— brings into intimate focus the enormity of Hitler’s crime against the Jewish people.
Episode Eleven in itself has been
performed by Elmhurst College Theater[ii] as
a one-act play with the title An Hour of
Life. It will become available as a separate play for use by Holocaust
educators.
Please mark you calendars for Monday,
March 18, when Interval Eleven will be published.
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