For want of theatres in which to present their “ghetto performances, the Jews in the provinces are turning to the use of synagogues as theatres.
The plan is to be tried out this month as an experiment by the Berlin Jewish Community with the Biblical drama, “The Letter of Uriah,” written by Rabbi Emil Bernhard Cohn, who was recently held under arrest by the Gestapo, Secret State police.
Provincial units of the Jewish Culture League, the organization set up to supervise “ghetto” art, culture, and entertainment, began to look to the synagogues when they found “Aryan” theatre owners refusing to rent houses for their productions.
If the experiment succeeds, Jews in small communities–where now there is virtually no Jewish entertainment–will have the novel experience of witnessing their plays in the same houses where they worship.
To cope with a shortage of play material brought on by restrictions under which the Jewish Culture League operates, a special department has been established to find play suitable for production on the Jewish stage.
All plays must be approved by Hans Hinkel, Nazi Commissar for Jewish Cultural Affairs.
The Jewish Culture League is forbidden to admit Germans to its performances, and Jews are barred from German entertainment.
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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.
