The filing of an objection by Louis Marshall, president of the American Jewish Committee, to the staging of the Passion Play, the traditional Christian dramatized presentation of the crucifixion of Jesus, by two Jewish theatrical producers, scheduled for the end of this month at the New York Hippodrome, came to light yesterday.
In a letter to the “Jewish Tribune,” New York weekly, Mr. Marshall gave out the information that as a result of a report published in that weekly that Otto Kahn had gone abroad for the purpose of making arrangements for bringing to America the Oberammergau Passion Play, he cabled to Mr. Kahn to inquire whether there was any foundation in such a statement. Under date of April 8, Mr. Kahn replied in a cablegram from London to Mr. Marshall that he has “nothing to do with anybody’s plan to bring Oberammergau or any other Passion Play to America. You are at liberty to publish this denial.”
Mr. Marshall added that he had written to Mr. Morris Gest, protesting against such action, but has as yet received no reply from the producer.
Associated with Mr. Gest in the proposed staging of the Passion Play is Mr. David Belasco. They contemplate the presentation of the Freiburg Passion Play.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
