The presentation of the Freiburg Passion Play, scheduled to be opened at the Hippodrome in New York, according to an announcement by Morris Gest, was viewed as an act of “astounding heartlessness” on the part of an American Jew, leading to the stirring of anti-Jewish prejudice.
An exchange of letters and telegrams between Louis Marshall, president of the American Jewish Committee and Morris Gest, well known producer, made public through the Jewish Telegraphic Agency yesterday brought to light a spirited controversy on the subject.
Immediately upon the announcement by Mr. Gest of his intention to stage, with the assistance of David Belasco, the Freiburg Passion Play at the Hippodrome, Mr. Marshall wrote to the producer protesting against the project, both from the point of view of “millions of good Christians who believe that the presentation of such a play is a vulgarization of what they regard as sacred” and from the point of view of American Jews who believe that such presentation would “furnish material to our ignorant defamers and add fuel to the flame of prejudice and bigotry.”
Mr. Gest, who ignored Mr. Marshall’s letter as well as a subsequent one when no reply was received, defied the Presi (Continued on Page 4)
It was this attitude which Mr. Marshall termed “an astounding heartlessness which will never be forgotten.” The President of the American Jewish Committee, recalling the agitation over the production of Cecil de Mille’s “King of Kings” and the ensuing wave of anti-Jewish prejudice, argued that Morris Gest as an American Jew should abstain from staging the Passion Play.
Following two letters dated April 2 and April 12, Mr. Marshall wired to Mr. Gest on April 17 insisting upon a reply. Mr. Gest’s telegraphic reply read: “I have refrained from answering you so far because I prefer to have the opening night audience and the critics of the leading newspapers who represent the fairminded public of New York pass judgment upon the religious pageant. Personally I do not find it offensive. Did I feel so I would not sponsor its presentation.”
Mr. Marshall replied on April 18th by telegram:
“I regret to say that your telegram is most unsatisfactory. When the welfare and peace of mind of an entire people are involved it is presumptuous for you to ignore the experience of the past and to disregard the harm which but recently followed the presentation of a moving picture play portraying the same subject as that which you are now seeking to exploit and which will occasion great mental agony and deep humiliation to thousands of estimable men and women. Your purpose to permit those who may share your indifference to the feelings of your fellowmen to pass judgment upon your action after the seeds of mischief have been sown, without giving the slightest consideration to the opinions and sentiments of those directly affected, evinces an astounding heartlessness on your part which will never be forgotten.”
Mr. Marshall’s letter to Mr. Gest on April 2nd, read:
“From the rotogravure section of Sunday’s Times I observe that you intend to present the Freiburg Passion Play at the Century Theatre in the latter part of this month.
“I hope that this is not true, because I am confident that if this play is enacted, it will, as plays of this kind always do, result in a recrudescence of anti-Semitism. That has been the story of ‘Oberammergau,’ of the recent moving picture ‘The King of Kings,’ and in respect to the passion plays of medieval times. The average theatregoer is emotional, does not possess an accurate historic background, nor is he capable of differentiating between fact and fancy.
“The Jewish people, as you should know, have suffered for centuries from the reaction occasioned by plays of this character and by the story on which they are founded. I remember as a schoolboy in my native city of Syracuse the treatment that I received from my schoolmates at this season of the year, although ordinarily our relations were of the friendliest, solely because of the impression made upon their minds from hearing the story read at the opening exercises of the school.
“Moreover, there are millions of good Christians who believe that the presentation of such a play is a vulgarization of what they regard as sacred. Why should you give offense to this religious sentiment? Why should you, a Jew, contribute to the dissemination of ill-will and hatred against your own people? Why should you furnish material to our ignorant defamers and add fuel to the flame of prejudice and bigotry? I had an opportunity to see a private view of the picture ‘The King of Kings,’ and was informed of the comments made after the performance by those who viewed the production at the various motion picture theatres. I can very well understand from what I saw why it was that the immediate effect was to inspire hatred and detestation of the Jews of this day, of whom you are one, on the part of those unthinking people who were carried away by their anger.
“There are some subjects which are not for the stage and nobody should know better than you that, whether this play is regarded as blasphemous or mischievous, it should never have been brought into an American environment. There are limitations even to what is called art.”
On April 12th, Mr. Marshall wrote Mr. Gest:
“On the 2nd instant, I wrote you, with the most friendly intentions, a letter in which I voiced my fears of the consequences which would be likely to ensue from the production of the Freiburg Passion Play. To my regret I have had no acknowledgment or answer from you.
“Since then there was an announcement in the Jewish Tribune that Mr. Otto H. Kahn had gone abroad for the purpose of arranging in conjunction with you for bringing to this country the Oberammergau Passion Play. I cabled Mr. Kahn the fact of such publication and asked him whether there was any foundation for the statement, which, if true, I deplored. He promptly replied by cable that there was no foundation for it whatsoever and that he was not interested or concerned in conjunction with you or anybody else in arranging for such a project.
“I sincerely hope that so far as you are concerned it is likewise not true that you have in contemplation the production of the Oberammergau Passion Play, and I still cherish the idea that even as to the Freiburg Passion Play I have been misinformed. I would regard it as a terrible misfortune and as an act of hostility to the Jews of this country if these plays were produced here.
“As one who has always entertained the most friendly opinion of you I earnestly urge you to enlighten me as to your position in these matters.”
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