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The Southern Israelite
Page 19
The Passion Play Versus
Fair Play
! \bstract of address given by Dr. Stephen S. Wise before the Free
Synagogue at Carnegie Hall, May 12, 1929.)
It is not for me to deal with the
Passion Play of the Freiburg Players
as an artistic spectacle, but rather
with the meaning and context. “The
King of Kings” was bad enough; this
is worse. “The Kings of Kings” was
a Hollywood edition of the Oberam
mergau Play. This is the Passion
Play, done a la Chauve Souris. What
ever the Freiburg players may be and
do under the shadow of their own
noble cathedral, this spectacle, I felt
as I looked upon it, is profanation,—
i will not say prostitution,—of very
precious things.
1 would not accuse the two Jewish
producers of venality. But alterna
tive of ignorance and unconcern
touching everything Jewish. The
chief producer comes from the classic
land of programs. He cannot be igno
rant of what the mere recurrence of
the Eastertide means in his own
country from year to year, that no
year in Eastern or Central Europe
goes without its blood-ritual Jewish
libel. It is not a matter of chance that
the first ritual murder accusation in
America, at Massena, New York,
came after the production of the
"King of Kings,” even as the Ford
charges of many years and the revival
of the Protocols were simultaneous.
I do not seek to drive these Jews
out of Jewish life. They cannot be
driven out for they have taken them
selves out. Terribly have they sinned
against the Jewish people, against
truth. These men have taken the risk
of bringing awful hurt, of perpetuat
ing tragic injustice to the Jew. The
■Jewish tragedy is always betrayal
from within, for it alone is irredeem
able. France had its Esterhazy; Israel
has its producers of the “King of
Kings” and of the Freiburg Passion
Play.
The producers might say,—might
not the people who see this play read
■t in the New Testament, and the
New Testament cannot be suppressed?
For one thing much that this play
contains is not in the New Testament.
Much is added, overlaid, embroidered
upon the text of the New Testament.
But there is one thing more and per
haps most important of all,—there is
the element of visualization and the
terrible power which it exerts. Thus
Jesus, Mary, John Magdelene, all
these are portrayed as Nordics of the
Nordics, but Judas and the priests
are characterized and caricatured as
Southics of the Southics, Hebrews of
the Hebrews. At Oberammergau I
heard curses both loud and deep
against Jews. What the visualization
of the Passion drama will do is wit
nessed by the fact, culled from Jewish
history, as mentioned by GYaetz, “in
the year 1339 all the Jews of Freiburg
were burned at the stake with the ex
ception of twelve of the richest men,
who were permitted to live that they
might disclose the names of their
creditors.”
The Passion Play, whether reverent
ly done at Oberammergau or garnish-
ly and vulgarly done as at the Hip
podrome, undoes every earnest and
honest effort in the direction of what
is come to be known as good-will be
tween Jew and Christian. The imme
diate effect of the Passion Play is to
strengthen the notion that the Jew is,
above all things, a vindictive, merci
less Christ-killer. Every Passion Play
thus perpetuates anew the myth of
the Christ-killing Jew, instead of for
tifying faith in the Christ-bringing
Jew.
A Pope of by-gone days demanded
“The Truce of God.” We today ask
the truce of God between the people of
the Christ and the people of Jesus the
Jew. Jesus once prayed, “Father, for
give them for they know not what
they do.” Despite the Passion Plays
and the actual agonies of the ages,
the Jew still prays, “Father, forgive
them though they know well what
they do!”
M 1NNKSOTA LEGISLATURE
ENACTS KOSHER FOOD BILL
Minneapolis, Minn. (J. T. A.).—A
Kosher food products bill, modelled
after the New York state law, was
passed by the Minnesota State legis
lature.
The bill prohibits the advertising
M foods as Kosher when they are not
p °^ er - The bill was sponsored by
Kabbis David Aronson and Jesse
L c % ' ar t z of Minneapolis and Rabbi
Berman Cohen of St. Paul.
JEWS PARTICIPATE IN ROU
MANIAN UNITY CELEBRATION
Burcharest—(J. T. A.)—The Union
of Roumanian Jews in Bucharest was
officially represented at the exercises
held throughout the country in com
memoration of Greater Roumania’s
unification which resulted from the
World War.
Judging by reports received so far
the celebrations passed without un
pleasant incidents.
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