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6
Friday, June 1, 1919
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Wiesel's 'Trial of God' Parable of Theology
By ALLEN A. WARSEN
Eli Wiesel's latest book,
"The Trial of God" (Random
House), a play in three acts,
was translated by Marion
Wiesel.
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As the title page notes,
the trial "was held on Feb.
25, 1649 in Shamgorod."
The characters include Be-
rish, Mendel, Avremel,
Yankel, Maria and Sam.
The performance takes
place in the inn owned by
Berish on the outskirts of
Shamgorod, the City of
Sham, where the entire
Jewish population perished
in a pogrom. The name
Shamgorod is reminiscent
of Hayim Nahman Bialik's_
"Beir Haharegah," "In the
City of Slaughter."
The play presents a
"Din Toire" (trial) of God
who is accused of being
merciless, causing suffer-
ing, and held responsible
for the raped Jewish
women and the murder of
innocent children.
Berish, the innkeeper, is
the prosecutor ("someone
nice who has the right to be
nasty"); the Purimspieler
(minstrels) are the judges;
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and the waitress Maria re-
presents the people.
The trial takes place on
Purim and replaces the tra-
ditional "Purimspiels."
(Purim plays) "Esther
Hamalka" (Queen Esther),
"Mkhirat Yosef" (the Sale of
Joseph) and "Akedat
Yits hok" (the Sacrifice of
Isaac).
The innkeeper deliber-
ately chose the role of pro-
secutor to be able "to shout,
yell, blame, insult, de-
n-ounce, frighten whomever
ELI WIESEL
I please."
The court (the judges), Father in Heaven?"
unable to find a defense
Similarly profound and
attorney ("someone who insightful are these ex-
has the right to lie and changes:
flatter the liars"), is in a
state of great perplexity.
Defender: "You are using
It maintains, "You may images, let me add mine.
judge someone in his ab- When human beings kill
sence but not in the ab- one another, where is God to
sence of his attorney."
be found? You see him
The prosecutor blames among the killers. I find
God for the court's inability Him among the victims."
to find a defender because
Prosecutor: "He — a
He killed His defenders,
"massacred His friends and victim? A victim is power-
allies!" . . . and "could have less; is He powerless? He
taken care of those who is almighty, isn't He? He
loved Him with all their could use His might to
hearts and believed in Him save the victims, but He
alone! Whose fault is it if the doesn't! So — on whose
earth has become inhabited side is He? Could the kil-
by assassins — by assassins ler kill without His bless-
ing — without His com-
alone?"
Fortunately, the court's plicity?"
dilemma has been solved by
Toward the end of the
the sudden appearance of trial, the presiding judge,
Sam, God's emissary, who anticipating another pog-
asserts, "I visit His creation rom, announces, ". . . if I had
and bring stories back to to pronounce a verdict right
Him. I see all things. I now, it would be, I think,
watch all men. I cannot do influenced by Berish, the
all I want, but I can undo all innkeeper . . . The verdict
things."
will be announced by some-
The presiding judge one else, at a later stage. For
promises, "Justice will be the trial will continue —
done."
without us."
The views expressed by
the prosecutor and the at-
Menten Is Told
torney mirror the concerns
of the Jewish people and are
to Stand Trial
illustrated by these drama-
AMSTERDAM (JTA) —
tic passages:
The Dutch Supreme Court
"I — Berish, Jewish in- has ordered a re-trial for
nkeeper of Shamgorod — Pieter Menten, a rich art
accuse Him of hostility, collector who had earlier
cruelty, and indifference. been released from charges
Either. He dislikes His of war crimes and the mur-
chosen people or He der of 30 Polish Jewish de-
doesn't care about them portees. The court decided
— period! But then, why after hearing a prosecution
has He chosen us — why. appeal that Menten had not
not someone else, for a produced conclusive evi-
change? Either He knows dence to show that he had
what's happening to us, been promised an amnesty
or He doesn't wish to in the early 1950s as he had
know! In both cases He is claimed.
... He is ... guilty! Yes,
Hundreds of spectators
guilty!"
including many former, con-
The defender: "Oh, I do centration camp inmates
not dispute the events, but I applauded and cheered
consider them to be highly when the decision was read
irrelevent to the case before this week. Menten himself
us, Your Honor. I do not said he is ready to stand a
deny that blood was shed new trial "and am sure I
and that life was extin- shall be acquitted again."
guished, but I am asking the Menten will be 80 on Satur-
question: Who is to blame day.
for all that? After all, the
After the decision was
situation seems to me sim-
ple indeed: men and women read many of the spectators
and children were mas- marched to a Jewish war
sacred by other men. Why memorial where they laid a
involve, why implicate their wreath.
JEWISH
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