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What the U.S. government and American Jews did - and didn't - do to help Jews fleeing the Nazis is the subject of "The Accomplices", the Drama Desk Award-nominated new play by former New York Times political reporter Bernard Weinraub at The Fountain Theatre in Hollywood.
The Accomplices is based on the true story of Hillel Kook, who in 1940 arrived in the U.S. fresh from the underground resistance in Palestine. Changing his name to Peter Bergson, he sought aid for the rescue of European Jews from the Nazis. Shocked to find himself blocked by both the Roosevelt administration and ...Read More
What the U.S. government and American Jews did - and didn't - do to help Jews fleeing the Nazis is the subject of "The Accomplices", the Drama Desk Award-nominated new play by former New York Times political reporter Bernard Weinraub at The Fountain Theatre in Hollywood.
The Accomplices is based on the true story of Hillel Kook, who in 1940 arrived in the U.S. fresh from the underground resistance in Palestine. Changing his name to Peter Bergson, he sought aid for the rescue of European Jews from the Nazis. Shocked to find himself blocked by both the Roosevelt administration and the Jewish establishment, Bergson spearheaded an extraordinary campaign of public rallies, hard-hitting newspaper advertisements and lobbying in Congress that forced America to confront the Holocaust. Figuring prominently in the play are such historical figures as FDR; U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Breckinridge Long; Broadway playwright and Hollywood screenwriter Ben Hecht; and American Jewish leader Rabbi Stephen Wise, who found himself torn between nationalism and cultural/religious identity. The result is a blistering account of Bergson's fight to save millions - and of the conspiracy of silence and inaction that continues to haunt us to this day.
"In today's culture, many people don't believe the individual has a voice," comments the director, Deborah LaVine. "Bergson's story shows that the individual can make a difference. The backdrop is the fight to save the Jews during World War II, but it's a story about one man pitting himself against the machinations of the power elite."
"The Accomplices" was the recipient of a Stellar Network Award, which led to last year's premiere in New York by The New Group and a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best New Play.
A long-time reporter for The New York Times, Bernard Weinraub was a correspondent in Vietnam, London, New Delhi and Washington D.C. where he covered politics as well as the White House for several years under Presidents Reagan and Bush
"[Weinraub] shows the makings of a forceful political scribe," wrote Daily Variety, noting the "unwavering intelligence" of The Accomplices. "This is a story that needs to be told, and Weinraub does so with moving clarity," agreed Time Out New York. Said the Jerusalem Post, "[Weinraub's] riveting play has the ability to tell this story to an audience that may never crack open a history book. In resurrecting this confrontation for the stage, he has tapped into a message that is as timely as it is dramatic."
"The Accomplices" BY BERNARD WEINRAUB EXTENDS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14 AT THE FOUNTAIN THEATRE in Hollywood, with performances Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm. For reservations and information, call (323) 663-1525 or go to www.FountainTheatre.com.
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