London Play Explores Holocaust Survivors' Plight
Translated & summarized from Jüdische Allgemeine by baba
A new London play, "The Banality of Evil: Hannah Arendt, France, 1940," by Julia Pascal, dramatizes the experiences of three women, including political theorist Hannah Arendt, interned in the Gurs concentration camp in 1940. The play, running until November 7, highlights the camp's harsh conditions and the women's struggles for survival and resistance. It explores themes of Jewish identity, antisemitism, and the "banality of evil," with Arendt's words on Zionism resonating in the London borough of Hackney. The production features actresses with Jewish backgrounds, some of whom may have faced marginalization.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- A new London play, "The Banality of Evil: Hannah Arendt, France, 1940," focuses on three women in the Gurs concentration camp.
- The play features political theorist Hannah Arendt, artist Charlotte Salomon, and communist fighter Eva Daube.
- Gurs camp saw over 1,100 deaths and 2,600 deportations to Auschwitz between 1939 and 1945.
- Playwright Julia Pascal's work addresses the suppression of Jewish fates and antisemitism.
- Arendt's definition of the "banality of evil" as antisemitism is a key theme.
- Actresses with Jewish backgrounds, including Israeli Anna Eckhard, star in the production.
A new play, "The Banality of Evil: Hannah Arendt, France, 1940," by British-Jewish playwright Julia Pascal, premiered in London, focusing on the experiences of three women interned in the Gurs concentration camp in 1940. The play, staged in the Arcola Theatre's cellar vault in Hackney from October 8 to November 7, features political theorist Hannah Arendt, artist Charlotte Salomon, and communist fighter Eva Daube, who were among thousands imprisoned in Gurs before the Vichy regime. The camp, located near the Spanish border, saw over 1,100 deaths between 1939 and 1945, with 2,600 deportations to Auschwitz.
Pascal, who learned about Gurs through her cousin whose aunt was Daube, portrays Arendt writing a letter from Paris in May 1940 to the Jewish Agency in New York, urging resistance against Nazis and British barriers, and advocating for the formation of a Jewish army. Salomon is depicted vowing to paint her life and experiences, while Daube speaks of fighting for the communist cause. The play includes musical and dance interludes inspired by Brecht, and a scene where Arendt acts as a judge in a trial over a stolen piece of bread, sentencing a former prostitute.
Daube managed to escape to the U.S. in 1941, as did Arendt, but Salomon was later murdered in Auschwitz. Her artistic legacy, a painted "life's work" titled "Life or Theatre?", survived the Shoah. The play aims to combat the suppression and denial of Jewish fates, discussing what it means to be Jewish, including Zionism. Arendt's words, "I was never a political Zionist, but I cannot stand by when Jews are terrorized," are presented as particularly sharp in Hackney, an area with anti-Zionist local government. The play concludes with Arendt defining the "banality of evil" as simple, ironic antisemitism.
Pascal noted facing dismissive responses when seeking venues for the play. The lead actresses, Ariella Barnett (Eva), Mai Weisz (Hannah), and Anna Eckhard (Charlotte), all have Jewish backgrounds, with Eckhard being Israeli. Other cast members are British-Jewish, German, and Polish, suggesting they too might face marginalization on British stages due to their heritage or accents.