Reviews

The Trial of God: (as it was held on February 25, 1649, in Shamgorod) by Robert McAfee Brown, Elie Wiesel, Matthew Fox

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ferouz's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

cat_book_lady's review against another edition

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4.0

4***

Very poignant, highly thought-provoking play written by the Auschwitz celebrated concentration camp survivor who wrote his must-read NIGHT memoir recounting his experiences while prisoner in the camps. This play, however, captures one night in the barracks when he was 15-years old and witnessed three frustrated men who question where God is in all their suffering. Does He care? Why does He do nothing about it? What is the point of all their suffering? Isn’t God immoral for standing by, watching them without intervening? And so, they literally put God on trial and convict Him as intimately responsible for their torturous plight at the hands of the Germans. This play is very reminiscent of Job’s story where so many horrific things happen, and yet He chooses not to hold God accountable for his misfortunes.

The Auschwitz barracks scene had such an impact on Wiesel that he chose to set his play within a fictitious setting in a 17th century pogrom, and the cast of characters both love and hate God again for His inaction to their village being wiped out by the Russians. During the feast of Purim when Jews celebrate their victory over Roman oppression, the three minstrels of The Trial cast the prosecutor, defense attorney, and judge, with a surprise cast for Sqtan.

Quite a fascinating story, and one that very few people would ever had the courage to ponder, much less write. Wiesel, though, is the voice of their generation and asks the deep, dark questions that likely every Jewish person harbored in their heart but were afraid to ask for risk of offending their culture and faith. If anything, this speaks much to the purpose of suffering, whom do you say that God is, and how do you rectify God as all-powerful and all-loving with the atrocities within the camps.

lady_rae1901's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

ashleystraniero's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

rebecca_simard's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

Absolutely love the premise of the play, which follows a group of Jewish entertainers who find themselves in Shamgorod in a tavern which is owned by the only two living Jews in the city after a mob killed the rest of their community. The owner of the tavern, angry at God for allowing the Holocaust to happen, insists that the only entertainment they provide be a trial of God for allowing humanity to commit such violence. The premise alone is 5 stars, as are many of the individual lines which will certainly be sticking with me... unfortunately, this play follows one conversation, much of which is deliberating what will be performed and who will play which roles, which is far less interesting than the theological and ethical questions posed in the trial itself, which only begins in the third act. As far as enjoyment goes, this could be a 3-3.5, but the message is haunting enough that I can not rate it below 4 stars. The introduction and afterwords should also not be skipped.

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flighthowl71's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

seeceeread's review against another edition

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5.0

💭 "What is the purpose of this trial? We know perfectly well that the outcome won't change anything: the dead will not rise from their graves. We judge because we wish to know. To understand."

I've lost count of how many times I've read this! Wiesel pulls from a critical experience as a teen interned at Auschwitz: Three rabbis put God on trial, declared divinity guilty, then "after an infinity of silence," reminded witnesses to go pray.

Here, we revisit his memory in a heightened atmosphere: In 17th century Ukraine, three drunk traveling dramatists plan to celebrate the Purim holiday ... until they learn they've come to a town where a pogrom last year eliminated all but two Jews. The distraught innkeeper whose spirits they've imbibed is one, as is his daughter. Berish, the proprietor, demands they perform: a trial of God. After deliberation on roles, responsibilities and past events, the play gets underway — only to be interrupted by Berish's "silenced" daughter, Hanna, and more significantly, a priest who warns another mob is forming against the adherents. The ending is dramatic and damning.

One must believe in God to denounce Her; must have faith to question or deepen it. By placing the play during Purim, a sort of carnaval, Wiesel heightens this tension: "The earth is inhabited by assassins and clowns." Characters lament that their faith is not protective, satisfying or mitigating — indeed, their oppressors cite their faith as a root cause of both personal and communal tragedy. His tavern setting comes alive with farce, violence, despair and uncertainty to distill critical questions on the human experience. And while the trial never concludes, "Our judgment may prove useless but not meaningless!"