Habimah, the Israel national theater group scheduled to start a three-month tour of the United States next month, this weekend rejected a proposal by the Little Theater of New York, sponsor of the visit, that it stage the controversial drama, “The Deputy,” during the American tour.
The play, by Rolf Hochhut, criticizes Pope Pius XII for having been silent about the Nazi extermination of European Jews during the Second World War. The American sponsors proposed the inclusion of the Hochhut play in the Habimah repertory after Pope Paul VI criticized the play during his visit to Israel last week.
Bat Ami, a Habimah actress and a member of the theater’s executive committee, said that Habimah had obtained the Israeli rights for the play but that it was questionable whether the play would be produced even in Israel. She said that since Habimah was the israel national theater, it must take many aspects including the political into consideration.
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