featured: Jewish Enough for Hitler

Posted January 27th, 2025 filed under featured, featured En.

Jewish Enough for Hitler / Hadar Lee Galron


Psychological Drama Comic Drama Subject: Love Biography Religion and Faith The Other History Survival Holocaust A Search Judaism Parent-Child Relationship Desires Death Music War Crisis Family Youth Migration Panic Feminism Zionism	A family dramedy about identity, religion and fate After suffering a stroke, Bella (80), reveals to her family her life-hidden secret -she’s a Jew… she doesn’t want this to disturb their lives, she just requests “a small favour”; when her time comes, she wantd to be buried as a Jew. Magda, her closest granddaughter, is determined to fulfil Bella’s will, but there are two major problems : First, most the family, especially her Communist aunt, Theresa, are not interested, and even afraid, of being registered as Jews. Second, the Jewish community cannot accept Bella’s Judaism with no formal certificate to prove it (being Jewish for Hitler and losing everything in the holocaust just isn’t enough). Magda, followed by her cousin, Lukas, sets out on a journey that is not only about her grandmother’s request, but about discovering, after years of uncertainty, who they really are. However, the closer the younger generation get to solving their identity crisis, the more dangerous this becomes to Theresa, whose world is crumbling because of Magda’s actions, and she will do anything it takes to stop her strongheaded niece
The characters	Female:5 Male:5 Total:10 Magda –( 23/ 24) Grand-daughter to Bela. Daughter to Anna and Jonas. Strong-headed, who is looking for a path in life. Babicka Bela – ( Age 85-6) Grandmother to Magda, Lukas and Adam. Mother to Teresa, Frantisek and Anna. A retired teacher. Anna –( 54) Vera’s youngest daughter. Magda’s mother. Married to Jonahan Evangelist Pastor whom she loves. Was Daddy’s girl, until he went to jail Tereza –( Age 66-7) Eldest daughter of Bela and Jan. When her parents left Communism – she was 15. She went back to Communism at 16. When the communist regime fell in 1989, she “lost it”. Became schizophrenic. Lukas – (late 20’s) Grand-son to Bela. Son of Frantisek from first marriage. A singer-songwriter who hasn’t quite made it. A bit ‘lost’ in life. Frantisek –( 58 ). Son of Bela and Jan. Father to Lukas and Adam. A lecturer on psychology. Used to be a therapist but can’t stand people. Sworn atheist. Jonah – (55 +) Evangelist Priest. Married to Anna. Father to Magda, who is his whole world. Bian – (35) Vietnamese fiancé of Frantisek. About 35. Very sweet, spiritual. Doesn’t speak the language well, which leads to some misunderstandings. Adam – (11) Grandson to Bela. Son of Frantisek from second marriage. After his parents got divorced, (when he was 7) he was his mothers’ whole world… until she remarried Rabbi Jakub Kohen – (in his 60’s) From the Rabinical institute in Prague . A Jewish convert in a high rabbinical status.
Translations	English, Czech
Productions	Premierre 2021 A Premier outside Israel More in Israel The original title in the Czech Republic was: My First Jewish Christmas (“Jewish Enough for Hitler” didn’t translate well) The play is inspired by true stories, after meeting 47 Czech Jews, from the Chief Rabbi (Rabbi Sidon), to a young student who had just found out that her father was half Jewish. Background : Many Jews in post-war Czechoslovakia, after facing innumerable horrors, felt that God either doesn’t exist or has forsaken them. They, in turn, forsook their own Jewish identities, and tried to assimilate themselves amongst the Czech people. However, the question of roots often rises from grandchildren, in sometimes mysterious manners – forcing them to confront their past in order to enable their offspring to build their identities and their future. “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous” theaters A Premier outside Israel