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A review by cat_book_lady
The Trial of God: (as It Was Held on February 25, 1649, in Shamgorod) by Elie Wiesel
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.
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.