Ben Hecht is most remembered as a famous Hollywood screenwriter and Broadway playwright, but only recently has his extensive Jewish activism during the Holocaust and its aftermath received scholarly attention. Unlike other, more expansive Hecht biographies, this book focuses in depth on his Jewish political theatre, drawing on extensive archival research of four dramas: We Will Never Die (1943), A Jewish Fairy Tale (1944), A Flag Is Born (1946), and The Terrorist (1947). Garrett Eisler's readings of these little-known (and out of print) texts reclaim them as pivotal to the history of Jewish American drama, being among the first works of U.S. theatre to address the Holocaust. The full texts of all four works are republished here for the first time, along with production details and full performance histories.
Hecht also introduced a new heroic Jewish identity to the American stage, one that challenged popular stereotypes of villainy or weakness. This powerful and (still) controversial body of work stands as a striking testament to the power of theatre to rise to the moment. In Hecht's use of the stage to aggressively engage with history as it was happening, his story is a compelling case of an artist who made a difference.
Introduction
Part I: From “Vanishing” to Visible: Barriers to Jewish Representation, 1933–1943
Chapter 1: Protesting Antisemitism via Antifascism
Chapter 2: Breaking the Silence: We Will Never Die
Part II: Tevye and the Terrorists: Plays for Palestine, 1944–1947
Chapter 3: The Assassination of “Lord Moisha”: A Jewish Fairy Tale and the Pivot to Palestine
Chapter 4: The Death of Tevye and the Birth of Israel: A Flag Is Born on Broadway
Chapter 5: Passion Play for a Jewish “Terrorist”
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Appendix 1: Text of We Will Never Die
Appendix 2: Text of A Jewish Fairy Tale
Appendix 3: Text of A Flag Is Born
Appendix 4: Text of The Terrorist
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Introduction 1
Part I From “Vanishing” to Visible: Barriers to Jewish Representation,1933–1943
1 Protesting Antisemitism via Antifascism 15
2 Breaking the Silence: We Will Never Die 28
Part II Tevye and the Terrorists: Plays for Palestine, 1944–1947
3 The Assassination of “Lord Moisha”: A Jewish Fairy Tale and the Pivot to Palestine 63
4 The Death of Tevye and the Birth of Israel: A Flag Is Born on Broadway 78
5 Passion Play for a Jewish “Terrorist” 105
Conclusion 117
appendix 1: we will never die 125
appendix 2: a jewish fairy tale 153
appendix 3: a flag is born 165
appendix 4: the terrorist 203
acknowledgments 223
notes 225
bibliography 249
index 000
