Dialogs: A Father and His Son; A Mother and Her Daughter; A Man and His Little Sister

In the three scenes or dialogs, “A Father and His Son,” “A Mother and Her Daughter,” and “A Man and His Little Sister” from the book A Jew Today by Elie Wiesel, we listen to the poignant and intimate conversations between loved ones in the moments before death. A survivor son talks to the spirit of his father who died during the Holocaust. Together they grapple with feelings of anger and sadness, realizing mankind’s reluctance to learn. A mother calms her daughter as they approach the gates of a concentration camp at night, knowing that their lives, as well as the lives of all those in front and behind them in the line, are about to end. And the older brother of a little girl promises he will never forget her as she perishes from cold. He reassures his sister that her memory will live on, and vows to find out who is responsible for her death. The scenes underscore the innocence of these ordinary people caught up in a struggle they cannot comprehend.

Format: Three short scenes/dialogs

Cast Size:3M/3F

Notes:

Elie Wiesel moved to New York City in 1955 and subsequently became an American citizen. In the U.S. he wrote over 40 books and won many literary prizes. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 for speaking out against violence, repression and racism.

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Original Source Material: From the book A Jew Today by Elie Wiesel.

Original Language: French

Publisher:

Penguin Random House, New York, 1979

Experience(s) Chronicled: Concentration and Extermination Camps | Survivors and Subsequent Generations | Women and the Holocaust