Interval Three - Some Interesting Literature

As set forth in the Welcome page of this blog, the week between each play episode will be devoted to brief accounts of the Holocaust, its origin, who instigated it, stories of survivors, and whatever else is relevant to the play and Holocaust Remembrance. Please feel free to contribute your reactions and opinions, first on the blog itself, on the  A Ball for Genia  Facebook page, and on the dedicated e-mail address geniacat*at*gmail.com.

                           So, to make a start!  In 1938, a short story was published in Story magazine that would educate the Americans on the growing danger to the Jewish population of German-controlled Europe by the Nazi regime. The writer was Kathrine Kressman Taylor (1903-1996). The title is Address Unknown.

    Kathrine Kressman Taylor

    Address Unknown is credited with exposing, early on, the dangers of Nazism to the American public, and doing it well before the advent of the US into the Second World War; the liberation of the concentration camps (and thereby the revelation of the full horror of the Nazi regime’s treatment of Jews in the German-controlled territories); and even before the thoroughly destructive pogrom known as Kristellnacht on the evening of 9-10 November 1938.

   Taylor describes the motivation for the story in the Afterword (in the Simon &Schuster 2001 edition):

              A short time before the war, some cultivated, intellectual, warmhearted German friends of mine returned to Germany after living in the United States. In a very short time they turned into sworn Nazis. They refused to listen to the slightest criticism about Hitler. During a return visit to California, they met an old, dear friend of theirs on the street who had been very close to them and who was a Jew. They did not speak to him. They turned their backs on him when he held his hands out to embrace them. How can such a thing happen? I wondered. What changed their hearts so? What steps brought them to such cruelty? ….  I began researching Hitler and reading his speeches and the writings of his advisors. What I discovered was terrifying. What worried me most was that no one in America was aware of what was happening in Germany and they also did not care. … But some students who had returned from studying in Germany told the truth about the Nazi atrocities. When their fraternity brothers though it would be funny to send them letters making fun of Hitler, they wrote back and said, “Stop it. We’re in danger. These people don’t fool around. You could murder one of these Nazis by writing letters to him.”

  Address Unknown is an epistolary short story involving correspondence between a Jewish art dealer in San Francisco, Max Eisenstein, and his friend and business partner Martin Schulse, who only recently moved back to his native Germany with his wife and children. The letters were exchanged between 1932 and 1934. Bear in mind that Hitler came to power in 1933.

    As we have seen in our discussion of Good (see Interval Two), again we have an educated man
(Martin) drawn into the all-pervasive Nazi Party on the basis that it would be good for his standing,
and that of his family. His wife becomes the toast of local society, and his son a proud member of the Hitler Youth League. Max, however, is disturbed by what he hears from acquaintances coming out of Germany, and of the treatment of Jews, even so early on in Hitler’s reign. This is borne out by the fact that Martin eventually asks Max to stop writing him as he cannot be seen to be corresponding with a Jew.


   What transpires further is a tragic, moving story, told briefly but with great power, of betrayal and revenge. I would not deny you the pleasure (if you can call it so) of reading this story by giving any
more of the plot away. I would recommend this to everyone to read – it being short it takes no
more than an hour at most, but it’s brevity belies its power.

                                                                                     ****

Alistair Cooke said that Adolph Hitler was one of the greatest orators that he had ever heard. By
his oratory, Hitler convinced the people of Germany to follow the horrible path he had laid out
for them. It could happen in any society, no matter how seemingly stable, where an orator can
appear and pervert that society to his desires. In his classic book It Can’t Happen Here, Sinclair Lewis
described how it can happen here in this America, and in a form as perverted and vicious as what
happened in Nazi Germany. So let us—

                                                                 BEWARE the ORATOR!

 f you wish to buy the Sinclair Lewis book, go first to your local bookseller, and failing that, click on

 It Can’t Happen Here.  You can also find Kathrine Kressmann Taylor’s book readily available on Amazon in the US and the UK, and it is also available for Kindle. It has been translated into many, many languages and continues to be considered a classic piece of fiction to this day.

                                                                                 ****

In Interval Two, we promised to tell how the Holocaust had its origin. Here is how it came about.
Hitler stated his intent in a speech.  Here is an excerpt from a forthcoming scene in A Ball for Genia in which Wachter is debating with the Waffen SS General, Heinrich Strassel (whom you haven’t met yet)--
Wachter: Is it the intent of the Third Reich to annihilate the Jewish race?
Strassel:  Yes.  Hitler himself said it.  I heard him.
Wachter: When?  How?
Strassel:   [A note of reverence enters his voice.] I was one of a group of senior officers invited to the Reichstag to hear the Fürhrer.  It was the red-letter day of my life—January 30, 1939. I will never forget his words.  He said:  “Today I will be once more a prophet.  If the international Jewish financers succeed once more in plunging the nations into a world war, the result will be the annihilation of the Jewish Race in Europe.”
Wachter:  He said that?
Strassel:  He did. And we are obeying him to the letter.
Wachter:  The world wasn’t listening, was it?
Strassel: The world didn’t believe it.  But we of the Waffen SS believed it. It was all a part of The Führer’s Master Plan. The war came, and we are acting on the Führer’s command.

                                                                            ****

AND NOW, an exhibit from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum—a box car of the type used to transport millions of Jews, Gypsies, and other victims to concentration camps such as Auschwitz, and in this example, the death camp Sobibor.  The camps themselves were a living hell (and a dying hell) and the trip to them similarly equally hellish.  The Old Testament depictions of Hell with its devils with pitchforks and the eternal fires is quite harrowing, but those who experienced the Holocaust first hand might say that they might have preferred the traditional Hell, compared to what they experienced.  (It must have sickened the Evil One Himself!)

Railcar used for transportation of Jews to the

extermination camp Sobibor.  The high box at the end

housed soldiers who shot any who tried to escape.

 Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C.

On permanent exhibit at the Museum.

                                                                                                        ****

Be sure to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum!  You can visit online or, when you get to Washington, visit it in person.  It is extremely well worth a visit either way, for it is superb in its presentation.  It is also a gold mine of information about the Holocaust, and superbly organized for any search you may wish to make. 

                                                                                ****

EPISODE FOUR of the play A Ball for Genia  will be published on Monday, November 19. In Episode Four, we will again meet Genia and Lusia; Maury; the fighting couple, Dolek and Sharon; Mrs Winkelman; the Rabbi, and Itzhak the angry man, who will explain why he thinks God is dead, much to the distress of the Rabbi. 
   And please don’t forget to check into the  A Ball for Genia Facebook where you are invited to tell what you think about the play, and of course, your personal reaction to the Holocaust. And the e-mail address geniacat*at*gmail.com awaits your comments; also twitter @ABallForGenia.

And, as always, thank you for your help in enhancing the goal of Holocaust Remembrance! 

Episode Three

In Episode Three, we again met Genia and Lusia;  Maury;  the quarreling couple Sharon and Dolek, Marek, Mrs. Winkelman, and  the Rabbi.

The scene:   It is again Wachter’s living room. You will recall that it is Friday morning and we saw the scene from the play the Dybbuk and the dancing of the Hava Nagila. Maury, continues in his role as the house manager. 

Let the play begin…

Maury:    Now let me show you the rest of our world.  By the way, do any of you have special skills?
Lusia:   I am a nurse.
Maury:    Excellent.  You shall be in charge of the infirmary.  Now if we only had a doctor.  Are you a doctor, Dolek?
Dolek:    No, a plumbing contractor. That is, I was until they took away my business.
Maury:   Better even than a doctor!  You see, we have a problem with the toilet. There’s only one in a house, and it’s totally stopped up.
Dolek:   I don’t have my tools, but I will do what I can.
Maury:   Thank you.  And Sharon—did you say you were a cook? 
Sharon:   And I keep house…
Dolek:   [Snorts] Hah! That will be the day!
Sharon:   I can! I do! Oh, why can’t you be kind?
Maury:   Never mind. Those are valuable skills, Sharon. [The sound of bombs is heard in the distance.]  That’s odd. Why are they bombing so early?
Dolek:    Perhaps a quick raid by one Allied plane.
Maury:   Maybe. You should know that bombs are usually dropped in “sticks.”
When they fall your direction, they are like the footsteps of a walking giant. If the footsteps fall on either side of you, you are relatively safe.  If not…
Dolek:    Yet another worry!
Sharon:   Now it’s no worry—the bombs have stopped.
Dolek:    I can hear!
Maury:    So back to business.  Lusia, please go help Mrs. Winkelman in the kitchen. 
Lusia:    Come with me, Genia.
Maury:   Dolek, please go with me to the toilet. Oh…that doesn’t sound right, does it.  “Dolek, please accompany me….”
    A loud knocking is heard at the front door.
Maury:  Remember what I said about answering the door! All go into other rooms!  Quickly!
    Mrs. Winkelman enters from the kitchen and looks through peephole.
Mrs. Winkelman:  Herr Wachter!
   She unbolts and opens the door. A yellow ball rolls in, followed by Wachter.  He sets a large package and a plumber’s plunger on a table, and retrieves the ball.
Mrs. Winkelman:  Guten tag, Herr Wachter. [She picks up package] Ah! I smell real meat.
Wachter:    Good morning, Marie.  There’s more.
      Wachter begins to dislodge food from various hiding places.  Although rather plump when he entered, he quickly slims down as cans of fruits and beans, bags of sugar and flour come out of his pockets.  He opens his coat to and unwraps a length of sausage links wound round his waist. He removes his hat to reveal a can of beans.  He hands his coat to Mrs. Winkelman.
Wachter:    Unzip the lining, Marie.  It’s full of oatmeal.  And look in the pockets-- flour.
Mrs. Winkelman:  Herr Wachter, you are the limit!
Wachter:   [Calls]  Genia! Where is Genia?  Genia! [Genia enters timidly, followed by her mother.] Genia, this is for you.  [He rolls the ball toward Genia, who picks it up.]
Lusia:   Thank Herr Wachter, Genia. 
Genia:   [Curtseys] Thank you!
Lusia:   Herr Wachter….about Jareth, have you heard anything?
Wachter:   He escaped the mob.
Lusia:    Thank God. Oh, thank God!
Wachter:  He outran them.  Left them in the dust, you might say.
Lusia:    He is a long distance runner—a  champion.
Wachter:    I believe it. 
Lusia:   Is there no other word?
Wachter:   I’m afraid not, Lusia. When I hear more, I’ll let you know. [Calls] Maury!
Maury:     I’m here, Herr Wachter.
Wachter:    We must talk.  Run along, everyone.
Mrs. Winkelman:  Come with me, Genia. I’m sure I have a kichel for you. [She takes Genia’s hand and exits to the kitchen, followed by Lusia.]
Wachter:   What a pretty little girl.  It is refreshing to have the very young in the house again.
Maury:   You have news?
Wachter:   Not good.  [Lowers voice] The mob didn’t catch Jareth, but he was hit by several stones.  Badly hurt.
Maury:   My God.  Why do they do this?
Wachter:   [Gesturing in futile rage] Why are they doing this, stoning people?  What makes them so savage?
Maury:   Perhaps the Allied bombing.  This city has been hit hard.  They blame the Jews for that, too. 
Wachter:    It’s so unfair.  It’s a quick death out there, for a Jew.
Maury:   Maybe better stoning than the vernichtunslager—the death camp.
Wachter:   I agree. But I can’t tell that to Lusia. One must lie when the truth is too terrible to bear.  By the way, I met the chief devil on the street. Had a talk with him.
Maury:   The chief devil?
Wachter:   Heinrich Strassel, Waffen SS commander for this district… He answers only to Himmler.
Maury:   Oh, no!  Not that one! I’ve heard stories about him—a terrible man.  He talked with you? That’s dangerous.
Wachter:   Not at all. He greeted me as an old friend, which he is. We were boys together, inseparable once, long ago.
Maury:   A demon walking the earth.
Wachter:   His headquarters, and the Gestapo,  are just around the corner. 
Maury:   Oy veh! In the den of the tiger.  Maybe the tiger won’t see us, right under his nose.
Wachter:   Strassel was in high spirits. He was personally assigned by Himmler to the goal of making the whole area Judenfrei. 
   A man and woman walk through to the kitchen. All nod; exchange “shaloms”
Maury:   This week’s garbage detail.
Wachter:   You have them well-organized, Maury. You are well-named  the arranger.
Maury:     We must all be kept busy, even if it is only make-work. To think too much is to go crazy.  Speaking of going crazy, did you find a doctor?
Wachter:   Yes, but too late. They caught him before I could get him away. But he escaped.
Maury:   Escaped?
Wachter:   Bit a cyanide pill.
Maury:   A pity. We could have used him.  I had excellent quarters set up for him in the cellar, next to the cemetery where he could contemplate his mistakes.
Wachter:   Maury, you are a cynic.
Maury:   To be a cynic is to be armored against the world. [He catches sight of the plumber’s plunger.]  Ah, you got it, the Plumber’s Friend.  Thank heavens: if this doesn’t work we are in real trouble.
     Two men pass through carrying a ladder.  They say “Shalom”, echoed by Maury, and exit]
Maury:  The roofers.  They have a problem. They must stop a leak, from inside already. They daren’t outside to fix it. There must be no attention paid to this house.  Wait! I’ll go with you.
      Genia enters, bouncing the yellow ball and followed by Lusia.
Lusia:   May we come in?
Wachter:   Of course.  Consider this your house.
Maury:   Excuse me; I must get this to Dolek. [Exits]
Wachter:   I’m sorry, Lusia, that we can’t offer you more room.
Lusia:   It’s a palace compared to our last hiding place, Herr Wachter.  I am so grateful.
Wachter:   No need to be.
Lusia:   [Quietly, as Genia plays on the other side of the room.] Herr Wachter, do you think Jareth… is…is dead?
Wachter:  Only God knows, Lusia.  I will try to find out more tomorrow.
Lusia:  I—I won’t ask again.  If you say nothing, I’ll know there is nothing to say. Then there is really nothing…nothing at all.
Wachter:  Genia, I’m sorry you can’t play out in the yard.  It’s a nice yard, but you must never leave this house!
Lusia:   Yes, never leave this house, Genia. [Genia nods quietly.] She doesn’t talk much.  Herr Wachter.
Genia :  Why do they hate us, Herr Wachter?
Wachter:  Why…who hates you, Genia?
Genia:  The ones who killed my daddy.
Lusia:  Genia!  No!
Wachter:   He’s not dead, Genia. Well, we don’t know that for sure.
Genia:  I know…I know it.   My daddy came to me last night in a dream. Daddy’s dead.
Lusia:   Oh, Genia!  No! [Takes Genia in her arms.]
Genia:  Daddy just stood there in my dream, looking down at me. The he smiled, and was gone.  Why do they hate us so, Herr Wachter?
Wachter:   I don’t know, Genia.  I wish I did.  But don’t hate back. If you do, you will be no better than the haters.
Genia:  No,  I will not hate them.    [Picks up her ball, turns away]
   Maury enters.
Wachter:  [Musing]  Jewish children learn of death so soon…so soon.
Maury:   Herr Wachter,   I must speak with you, alone.  Its’ a serious matter!
Lusia:  Come, Genia. [They exit.]
Maury:  It’s about that new couple—Dolek and Sharon.
Wachter:   What about them?
Maury:   They fight.
Wachter:  Don’t married couples often fight?
Maury:   Not like these two.  It’s cats and dogs with them.  Besides, he’s a  kvetcher--a worrier.  Worries all the time.
Wachter:  People react to danger in different ways, Maury.  Some with fear, some with anger.  Dolek worries.  That’s his way.
Maury:  He always sees the worst side, a real crepe hanger.  “Doesn’t think we’ll be alive tomorrow,” and words like that. Makes the others worry. Makes me worry, even.
Wachter:   Here they come.
    Dolek enters, followed by Sharon.
Sharon:  You haven’t had a good word to say to me for months.  I’m sick of it!
Dolek:   Then be silent, woman!
Sharon:   Don’t you “woman” me!
 Dolek:    Gentlemen:  meet the shrew.
Sharon:   [In tears] I…I love you, Dolek.  I still love you.
Dolek:   [appears to soften a little] I…I, ah…. [Then he hardens]
Sharon:   You used to love me…were kind to me!
Dolek:    That was before you turned into a fountain of acid.
Maury:   Be still, you two!
Dolek:   She keeps at me…at me—
Sharon:  If I do, it’s because you deserve it. 
Maury:  [thunders] Quiet!
Wachter:  Maury, let me handle this. 
Dolek:   Just get her off my back, Herr Wachter.
Sharon:   Let him be kind to me!
Wachter:   I can’t help you there; you’ll have to work that out yourselves. But I must tell you this—we’re a little community here, a delicate social structure under great stress because of the terrible danger that faces us. One quarrel like yours can tear that structure apart.  If you can’t be kind to one another, then be silent. Stay apart, if nothing else.
Maury:  Shalom!
Wachter:   Yes; Shalom.
Maury:  Dolek, is the toilet unstopped?
Dolek:  Shalom.  Nearly. I had to make a special tool to unstop it.
Maury:  [Groans] Then please keep at it.  It’s become a crisis! I’ll join the line of the others waiting.  [Dolek exits] Mrs. Winkleman can use some help, Sharon. [Sharon exits]
I don’t believe they’ll change, Herr Wachter.  Shall we put them out?
Wachter:  It’s death for them if we do.  Let’s give them another chance, Maury.   I believe that they really love one another, but they’ve forgotten how to say it.
Maury:  You are an idealist, Herr Wachter. And I thank God for that!
     The Rabbi enters, followed by Itzhak.
Rabbi:   Did I hear the name of God?  Let us be thankful to God.
Itzhak:  [On the attack] What God?
Rabbi:   [Startled] There is only one God: the Lord God of Israel.
Itzhak:  You and your God. You live in a fairy world of your God.  Why don’t you come down to earth?
Rabbi:   [Hurt] Why…why Itzhak!
Itzhak:   Of all the fools on earth, there is no greater fool than a fool like you, with your chatter of God, God, God.
Rabbi:   But Itzhak, what about Moses and the Exodus from Egypt? Don’t you believe in that?
Itzhak:   I’ll accept that—I’ll give you that…that God saved the tribes of Israel.  But what’s he done for us lately? 
Rabbi:   What do you mean?
Itzhak:   Just what I said.  What’s he done for us—we Jews—lately?
Rabbi:   Why look here, one the floor –a ray of sunshine. [The ray has penetrated a fold in the heavy curtains.] God gives us the sun. And have you not seen the day? It’s a beautiful day, cool, with fluffy white clouds.  God gave us this day.
Itzhak:   God gave me such a day about a month ago.  I’ll never forget it, that day.  But first, let me tell you something else, something you didn’t notice. Your God is dead!
Rabbi:   No, Itzhak!
Itzhak:   Let me ask you again?  What’s’ he done for us lately?
Rabbi:    Well, I live.
Itzhak:   Not if they catch you, you won’t! [Itzhak strides up to the Rabbi, thrusts his face into his.] Fool!
Maury:   Hey! Hold on!
Rabbi:   You insult me! [He is angry, ready to strike, but holds himself back with an effort] The Talmud says…
Wachter:   Itzhak! Stop!
Itzhak:  Ah, now we are going to have the Talmud.  Give us some of your fool wisdom, Rabbi, the wisdom of a dead God!
Rabbi:    [He gives Itzhak a stinging slap. Maury and Wachter move to separate them.] Disbelieve if you will, but do not mock my God!
   
Lights dim out 

End of Episode Three

     It may be surprising  that the gentle Rabbi , The Teacher, would slap Itzhak, but that is what he must do  in the face of such gross  disrespect to God.  But Itzhak’s feeling was common at the time, and understandably so in view of the inconceivably terrible crimes inflicted on the entire  Jewish race in Europe.
   The belief that The God of Abraham was letting his people down was manifest in other ways.  A deeply moving example of the dissatisfaction is manifested in the motion picture "God On Trial". (More will be written about this classic in the next Interval, Interval Three.)      
    A prediction for the next Episode, Episode 4:   Genia does leave the house, putting the little community in the most terrible danger!
    In the meantime, please read Interval Three, which will be published in the blog on Monday November 12.  And don’t forget the Facebook  page of A Ball for Genia, and the e-mail address geniaball*at*gmail.com.  All three await your comments! And if you are into twittering, twitter this:  @ABallForGenia.

‘til then, May God be with you. 

Interval Two - Some "Good" Films

Welcome to Interval Two! This the second of the Interval pages of the blog A Ball for Genia.
These interval pages provide space where you can join  in with your valued comments and opinions.  And you will recall that there are two other sites, besides the blog itself, where you can express your opinion: The Facebook page also titled A Ball for Genia, and the dedicated e-mail address geniaball*at*gmail.com.

First off, we thought you might find it  interesting, kind reader, to review some films and open up a discussion on the films about the Holocaust that may have moved you.  We would love to hear your ideas on this, but first, a review from one of The Group, the one named Thora.

Good is a film based on the stage play by C.P. Taylor (adapted by John Wrathall for the screen) and stars Viggo Mortensen, Jason Issacs, Jodie Whittaker, and also includes Steven Elder.  It was directed by Vincente Amorim and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2008.

As I have some inside knowledge of this production, I thought I would share it with you.

Good the film was released in 2008.  It took 10 years to bring this film to the cinema, after a lot of long, hard work and dedication by the producer, Miriam Segal.  The film is based on a hugely popular stage play, by C.P. Taylor, which was originally staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Donmar Warehouse in September 1981, starring Alan Howard.  The play was brought to Broadway after that, and continues to be staged internationally.  I have met people who saw it on stage, and never forgot it.

This is a story that starts in 1933 about a man, in Germany, who is a “good” man, John Halder, a professor of literature at a German University.  His best friend is Maurice Gluckstein, a psychiatrist.  They fought together in WWI in the trenches, for their country.  They laugh about the Nazi Party sometimes over a stein (or two) of beer, and how Hitler is a joke.  They live their sometimes difficult lives with wives, children, incapacitated mothers, lovers.  But of course, there is something bigger than either of them coming, and that will change both of them.

Halder has written a book, a novel, about euthanasia.  This brings him to the attention of the Nazi Party.  From that point on, he is drawn into the regime.  It is a terrible story, whereby he gains something, but loses everything.

I find the acting in this film superb.  There are no caricatures, no stereotypes.  The choice of actor for Halder took many years because the producer had some difficulty in pulling everything together.  But Viggo Mortenson is perfect as Halder.  David Issacs plays Gluckstien, and he was on board from the first, and is also a co-producer.  He is a revelation.  Other characters in the film were on board early, including Steven Elder as Adolph Eichmann.

Viggo Mortenson and Steven Elder as Halder and Eichmann.

Every character in the film is a human being.  Eichmann is a bit of a geek.  Halder is a normal man, as are his wives, first and second.  These are real people, living real lives, and being sucked in to the horrendous outcome of the Nazi regime.  It is a very powerful film, and highly recommended.

And now another exquisite little film to share with you, The Porcelain Unicorn. 

The Philips Parallel Lines: Tell It Your Way film contest invited people to make a short film, no longer than three minutes, that contained these lines as its dialogue:

What’s That?
It’s a Unicorn
Never seen one up close before
Beautiful
Get away, get away
I’m sorry.

The winner, as judged by acclaimed director Ridley Scott, was the little gem that is The Porcelain Unicorn. You can click the name to view it on You Tube.  How writer/director/editor Keegan Wilcox could craft such a perfect film from those six lines is truly insprational.  As overall winner of the Tell It Your Way contest, Keegan Wilcox will now enjoy a potentially career-making opportunity of a week’s work experience at Ridley Scott Associates (RSA) offices, 7 nights’ accommodation, spending money and the new Full HD 3D Cinema 21:9 Platinum series TV from Philips.  We hope he goes on to a long and fulfilling career in filmmaking.

What are your most memorable and moving films about the Holocaust?

Finally, we all know the sad story that was Anne Frank’s.   There have been many excellent re-tellings of her story in film and television, in many languages, over the years, since the publication of her diary.

Anne was a bright spirit:  Here is one of her diary entries —

In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation  consisting of confusion, misery and death.

Episode Three of A Ball for Genia will be published on Monday November 5th. To access the blog, just click on the link at the side where you can see all the blog posts so far.  But please remember, Episode Three won't be viewable until Monday, November 5th!

In Episode Three, we will again meet Genia and Luisa, Maury, Dolek and Sharon (the fighting couple!), Marek, Mrs. Winkelman, and the Rabbi; also Itzhak, the angry man, who is going to direct his anger at the poor, unsuspecting Rabbi!

And again, please don't forget to check into the A Ball For Genia Facebook page where you are invited to tell what you think about the play, and, of course, your reaction to the Holocaust.  And please send us an email with any comments to geniaball@gmail.com.  Also new:  A Ball For Genia has a Twitter account at @ABallForGenia.  If you are on Twitter, please follow us.

And as always, thank you for your help in enhancing the goal of Holocaust Remembrance.



Episode Two

In Episode 1, we saw how Jareth lured the mob away from Genia and Lusia and how they were found by Wachter and led to his house.  The following action takes place in Wachter’s living room, which is comfortable with worn furnishings. An inwardly opening door on the right, with a peephole, opens onto a quiet avenue that slopes downhill to the city. An adjacent door leads to the kitchen.   Doors on the left and in the back wall on the left open onto other rooms. Between the doors in the back wall is a heavily draped window. 

Now we meet Maury, self-appointed house manager; Dolek and his wife Sharon; Marek the counterfeiter; Mrs. Winkleman, cook and housekeeper; the Rabbi; Itzak the angry man; and Feodor the fiddler.

  

    It is Friday morning, and Genia, Lusia, Dolek and Sharon are listening to Maurey--

Maury: Good morning!

All:  Good morning.

Maury:  On behalf of Albert Wachter and all who live here, I welcome you. You needn’t be afraid.  You are safe here. 

Lusia:   My husband, Jareth… have you heard anything of my husband?

Maury: Herr Wachter is making inquiries. 

Lusia:  We were bombed out of our hiding place. A mob came after us when they saw  our yellow stars…we tried to hide…Jareth led them away…a man found us, led us here.  [With a sob]  I fear they caught Jareth, and…

Maury:  Herr Wachter will find Jareth!

Dolek:  What I want to know is, well—what sort of a place is this?

Sharon:  Let Maury talk, Dolek. He will tell us in good time.

Dolek: [Angry.] Let me ask a question anyway!

Sharon: You don’t have to flare up at me like that!

Maury:  Please, please.  I will tell you everything you want to know.  The important thing is that you are safe here.  Herr Wachter shelters us—all of us.  There are almost a dozen of us here now.

Dolek:  Jews?

Maury:  Jews.  All of us.

Dolek: What’s his game?  He’s a goy, isn’t he?  Why does he do it?

Maury:  He doesn’t say why and we don’t ask.  He works for the local military commissary where he gets food for us. And he has friends who help. 

Sharon:  We thank him.

Maury: We all do, but say nothing of thanks to him.  Only accept.  His home is a way stop on an underground railway. We don’t usually stay long; normally we’d be gone in a week.  But the Allied Armies are near and it is dangerous to travel, so we stay.

Lusia:  [As Genia tries to sit on her lap.] Not now, Genia.

Sharon:  I’ll take her. Come here, little knaydel.

     Three men enter from the cellar carrying a heavy object and pass through to the kitchen, from which is heard a loud clanking.

Maury: Ah, the part for the water heater. Finally.  As you can see we have a complete society here in this house. We even have a cemetery in the cellar for those who have ah…

[Mrs. Winkelman enters from kitchen.] This is Mrs. Winkleman. Mrs. Winkleman meet Lusia, her daughter Genia, and Dolek and wife Sharon.  Last names can come later.

Mrs. Winkelman:  How do you do.  I cook and keep house, and I could use some help.

Lusia: Oh, I’ll help! And Genia, too.

Sharon:  And I!

Dolek: [Mutters] that’ll be the day!

Sharon: [Stung] I will!

Maury: Please! We have a community here, and it must be peaceful.

   Marek enters and moves onto the door that leads to the cellar. He stops at Maurey’s words.

Maury: Wait, Marek.  I want you all to meet Marek.  [All murmur hellos] 

Marek: [Bobs] Pleased! 

Maury: Marek is famous. Famous? Is that the right word, Marek?

Marek: Better notorious.

Maury:  All right, since you said it.  Marek is notorious for a lifetime career as a counterfeiter and forger.  He is vital to us as he is plying his art in his cellar workshop, complete with printing press.  I want you all to make an appointment with Marek very soon. He will make you identity papers and give you a supply of money. Any questions?

Dolek: Is the money any good?  They re-issued it, you know.

Maury: A hundred percent good. Marek, a sample. [Maury holds up a Gulden to the light, crinkles it.]  The latest issue; better than the real thing.  Thank you, Marek.

Marek:  Thank you, I’m sure.  [Marek produces a rag doll; which he holds behind his arm so that it peaks out at Genia. Genia is fascinated and goes to him.] This little lady heard you were coming and wants to play with you, bubelah.  [Genia takes the doll, cuddles it.] 

Lusia: You are very kind.  Say thank you, Genia.

Genia:  [Curtseys] Thank you.  I shall call her Rivke.  Hello, Rivke.

Maury: [After a fond chuckle.]  Seriously, if this house is ever raided by the Gestapo, it’s every man for himself.  Keep the papers and money near you at all times, packed in a small bag with some food; see Mrs. Winkleman for that. If you hear loud knocking followed by a crash, go out the nearest door and scatter.  With papers and money, you have a chance. No papers…no money…no chance.

Sharon: Is it that serious?

Maury: Maybe you got here easy...  For others—not so easy.  Ask Lusia. And another point—very important! About the front door. Let Mrs. Winkleman answer the door, always, or Herr Wachter.  Only them. If you are in this room when a knock is heard, go immediately into another room, and be silent, no matter what you may hear.  Don’t come out unless called, for our lives depend on it. The world must think that only Herr Wachter and Mrs Winkleman live here. 

      The Rabbi enters.

Rabbi: Sholem Aleichem.  Peace.  It’s wonderful.

Maury: This is our Rabbi—Rabbi Horowitz.

ALL: Aleichem sholem.

Rabbi: I am at your service.  And speaking of Service, this being Friday, Sabbath begins at sundown.

     Itzhak enters from cellar, carrying a wrench.

Itzhak: Yes, it sure does. And we have to be polite…we have to listen to him.

Maury:  This is Itzhak.

Rabbi: Say something, Itzhak. Something kind.

Itzhak:  Something kind…let me think.  Oh, you’re lucky to be here. Outside, you’re dead!

Lusia: [Wailing, echoed by a cry from Genia] Oh-h-h!

Rabbi:  Itzhak!

Itzhak:  Oh, excuse me! Sorry lady…me and my big mouth.  Well, pleased to meet you all.  [Nods shortly; exits to kitchen.]

Rabbi: Be of comfort, Lusia.  As you can see, we have all types here—the radical, the conservative, the orthodox, the unorthodox.  It is a little world of or own making.  And we pray that the Allied armies will soon break through. 

Maury: We all work together in our little shtetl.

Rabbi: Maury is the arranger, the resident goniff. Who makes thing work, run smooth.  He is also a mimic.  Mimic someone, Maury.

Maury: [Mimics the rabbi] And speaking of Service, Sabbath begins every Friday at sundown.

Rabbi: [Applauding] Bravo…better even than myself.  Maury is also a distinguished actor…

Maury: Ready and willing to perform…[in the following rendition, his voice changes from high to low, to thundering, to a whisper as suits the role]…comedy, tragedy, tragical-comedy, drama, melodrama, farce, farcical-comedy, farcical-tragedy…

Rabbi: [Interrupting] …and a fine actor he is. Many times I have seen and heard him in the great classic roles of the Jewish theatre.

Maury: [Bows] You are too kind, Rabbi.

Rabbi: Play a short scene for us now, Maury, let’s say—a scene from the Dybbuk.   

Maury: Ah, the Dybbuk.

Rabbi: Come out, my friends—all of you. [All the occupants of the house enter] We are going to have a scene from the Dybbuk. 

Maury: What scene would you like? 

Rabbi: The scene where Rabbi Azrael casts out the Dybbuk from Leah, the beautiful maiden. The Dybbuk is a wandering spirit of a dead boy who loves Leah. When the Dybbuk speaks, it is the voice of the dead boy. Maury, I’ll be the Dybbuk. I know most of the lines.

Dolek: I know the lines, too—most of them anyway!

Sharon: We—Dolek and I--must have seen The Dybbuk a dozen times.

Maury: First, we set the scene.  The minyan of ten elders is gathered. The black candles are lit, and Rabbi Asrael and the elders are dressed in shrouds…

Rabbi: …the altar is covered with a black cloth. Now Rabbi Asrael speaks!

Maury: [Striking a pose.] It is clear that One of the Great Power stands beside him.

Rabbi: [in a half-whisper] He means that a special demon is supporting The Dybbuk.

Maury:  [Raising his arms in imperious command] Rise up, O Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered before Thee, as smoke is dispersed so let them be scattered…sinful and obstinate soul, with the power of Almighty God and with the sanction of the Holy Scriptures, I, Asrael ben Hadassah, do with these words rend asunder every cord that binds you to the world of living creatures and to the body and soul of the maiden Leah, daughter of Channah…

Rabbi: [As the Dybbuk, he shrieks so loudly as to startle everyone.] Ah! I am lost!

Maury: [Pointing to the front door] Not so loud!

Rabbi: [As himself] Sorry.

Maury: [Again as Rabbi ben Asrael] I pronounce you excommunicate from all Israel…

Rabbi: [As the Dybbuk] Alas, I can fight no more…

Maury: Do you submit?

Rabbi: [In a dead voice] I submit.

Maury: Do you promise to depart of your own free will from the body of the maiden Leah, daughter of Channah, and never return?

Rabbi: I promise!  [As the Rabbi again] And so the Dybbuk is cast out from the body of the beautiful maiden, Leah.  Do I hear applause for Maury?

[All applaud quietly.]

Maury: And applause for you, Rabbi!  [Maury and the Rabbi take their bows.]

Now! Feodor, the Fiddler.  Come forth. 

   A few bars of a muted fiddle are heard offstage playing the early notes of Hava Nagila. Feodor enters. 

Maury:  Feodor! Mute your violin! Now, let us dance—quietly!

   Those who can assemble into dance formation, and dance the Hava Nagila to the muted tones of Feodor’s violin.   Normally a boisterous dance, they move like ghosts.   

All: 

Hava nagila		Let's rejoice
Hava nagila		Let's rejoice
Hava nagila ve-nismeḥa		Let's rejoice and  be happy
Hava neranenah		Let's sing
Hava neranenah		Let's sing
Hava neranenah ve-nismeḥa		Let's sing and be happy
	(repeat)
Uru, uru aḥim!		Awake, awake, brothers!
Uru aḥim be-lev sameaḥ		Awake brothers with a happy heart
	(repeat line four times)
Uru aḥim, uru aḥim!		Awake, brothers, awake, brothers!
Be-lev sameaḥ		With a happy heart

The stage slowly darkens as they sing, and the sound fades out, ending Episode Two

                                                                      ****

    Now you’ve met the main characters of the little community, who are huddled for protection in the house of Albert Wachter. There are more, of course: Maury said “almost a dozen.” Let them be unnamed for now. 

In the next episode, you will meet Albert Wachter who will bring a ball for Genia as well as a supply of food for all. Also, look forward to Interval Two, which will be published Monday, October 29.  There you will read background information about circumstances that led to refugee status of the people you have met, as well as a film review, and a link to a very special short film. And, don’t forget to check into the A Ball for Genia Facebook pages where you are requested to tell what you think about the play, and of course, your reaction to The Holocaust. Also don’t forget to send us an email, if you like, at geniaball*at*gmail.com where you can express your comments about the play. 

And for your help in enhancing the goal of Holocaust Remembrance, Thank you!

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