DC Theater Arts: When Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story opens at Theater J, the play will be celebrating its long-overdue DC debut, capping five years of international acclaim with a reminder that immigrants, of all colors and faiths, are still lining up on distant shores, hoping for a welcome that often isn’t there.
2 comments:
The question of what a guy named Christian is doing writing about a pair of Jewish refugees set to klezmer music is interesting because Judaism can often be incredibly insular and difficult to know much about as an outsider. My father converted to Judaism when I was young and the process is much more complicated than most other religions. Barry clearly has a connection through his wife and had to work hard to learn about her family and culture to connect to it, which I find admirable.
I also like the connection between islamophobia and antisemitism, and even the general xenophobia that has been particularly rampant in the past several years. All three of these are very much engrained in our society and do not seem to be going anywhere any time soon, especially with the rise of white nationalism in this country. Bringing this issue to light through a familiar lens is perhaps an easier pill for some to swallow, although antisemitism is still a serious issue in this country.
I think that stories like these are especially important now as the rise in xenophobia is only increasing. It is important for us to remember that at one time, the majority of us were immigrants. This story is especially important to me because one set of my grandparents were immigrants just after the holocaust and the other side of my family is made up of immigrants from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. All were also Jewish and fleeing anti-Semitism and persecution in Europe. I know that story very well but I never get tired of hearing similar stories through other perspectives, especially through theater. I also like the story of how the author came to write this show as a non-Jew with a Jewish family. Historically, Judaism has been a very closed off practice, fearful of outsiders and anyone non-Jewish. Even today, the majority of Jews avoid marrying non-Jews. I think it is a hopeful sign that Christian Barry was able to get so involved in Jewish culture through this show.
-TJ
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