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Page 18 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2012 L’Shana Tova! FREE PICKUP & DELIVERY 50% OFF FIRST ORDER AMERICA’S BEST CLEANERS TM 4455 Roswell Road Atlanta, Georgia 30342 404-255-4312 www.presstine.com Georgia College students take play about Holocaust hero to Czech Republic Zack Bradford as Jan Wiener and Jordan Hale as a British fighter pilot teaching Jan Wiener to fly Georgia College actors pushed artistic boundaries this summer in an inspiring performance about Czech Republic hero and Holocaust survivor Jan Wiener (1920- 2010). The play, The Flights of Jan Wiener, was written by Karen Berman and Paul Accettura; they were inspired by Rabbi Neil Sandler, of Ahavath Achim Synagogue, when he talked about Wiener during 2011 High Holiday services. Nine theatre students traveled nearly 5,000 miles to celebrate the legacy of Wiener, during the annual European Regional Theatre Festival, Central Europe’s largest international festival. “We’re the only academic student group that performs annually at the festival,” said Dr. Berman, chair of the Georgia College Theatre Department. “This festival attracts more than 200 performances, which include plays, concerts, exhibitions, and workshops.” During the festival, the student actors gave four stage performances of The Flights of Jan Wiener in the Czech Republic capital, Prague, and the town of Hradec Králové. Hundreds saw the play, including Wiener’s widow, Zuzana Wiener. “Zuzana attended the play and ran onstage to hug our actors after the third curtain call,” Berman said. “During lunch with us at a restaurant dedicated to her husband’s life, she told us about her work as a dance teacher and film instructor, urging our students to ‘follow your heart, and you will always be happy.’” The Flights of Jan Wiener explores political issues surrounding the legacy of Wiener, who escaped Nazi occupation and fought for the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. Georgia College senior theatre major Amy Carpenter played Wiener’s stepmother, Eva Wiener. “The play took on a new meaning when we met Zuzana,” said Carpenter. “When she gave us firsthand accounts of the events we portrayed on stage, suddenly everything we did and said had more weight. My biggest challenge was getting the emotions correct for the suicide scene. It was a hard place, but I trusted my fellow actors and myself.” The play also stretched the student actors physically. Students used their bodies to create a British bomber plane and a barbed wire fence. “At one point I was upside down for several minutes to create the back of a plane,” Carpenter said. “It was really hard. I had to teach myself to live in a place where I could find peace, since my body was so uncomfortable.” Born into a Czech-German Jewish family in Hamburg, Germany, in 1920, Wiener fled Hitler’s Germany with his family to Prague, Czechoslovakia, only to find himself on the run again after the Nazis overran Czechoslovakia. Between 1941 and 1942 his father committed suicide and his mother died in a concentration camp. Wiener escaped through Italy to join the RAF. He served as a radio navigator throughout the war. When the war ended in 1945, he returned to Czechoslovakia. In 1948, communists took over and imprisoned Wiener for five years as an enemy of the state. Wiener emigrated to the United States in 1964 and became a professor of history at American University, in Washington, D.C. After 1989, Wiener frequented Prague and eventually moved back for good, becoming a lecturer at Charles University and New York University’s campus in Prague. After Berman and Accettura wrote the play, the Georgia College Theatre Department co-produced it with professional theatre company Washington Women in Theatre, of which Berman is a member. “The play provides an understanding of Jan Wiener’s contributions as a Czech hero, U.S. citizen, and American professor,” Berman said. “He brought Czech culture to the United States, and we brought his legacy back to his home to share with the Czech Republic.”
September-October 2012 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 19 BREMAN MUSEUM NEWS THE STORY OF RICH’S. In 2013, The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum will present a major exhibition about the history of Rich’s department store. The exhibition was announced by Breman Museum Director Aaron Berger, at the August 19 book launch event for Rich’s A Southern Institution by Jeff Clemmons. Rich’s was—and still is—a beloved institution. Everyone who visited Rich’s has memories of the Pink Pig, Fashionata, or the Magnolia Room. However, up until now, the complete history of the monolithic company had not been published. In his new book, historian Jeff Clemmons reveals the true story, as he traces Rich’s fascinating 137-year history. At the book launch, Clemmons was interviewed by acclaimed journalist Maria Saporta. Following the interview, members of the audience shared their Rich’s stories, from their experiences as shoppers, friends, employees, and Fashionata models. Jeff Clemmons signing books BLACK JEWISH COALITION. On August 16, The American Jewish Committee and The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum presented the 30th Anniversary of the Black Jewish Coalition. To honor the event, there was a panel discussion featuring Congressman John Lewis, Tommy Dortch, Imara Canady, Elise Eplan, Lois Frank, and Sherry Frank, who served as the moderator. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed was in attendance and shared a few memories of his experiences with the coalition in appreciation. After the event, Congressman Lewis signed copies of his new book, Across that Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change. Congressman John Lewis, Breman Museum Director Aaron Berger, and Dr. Lili Baxter at The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Black-Jewish Coalition. The American Jewish Committee Atlanta and The Breman Museum hosted the event. BEARING WITNESS. Over 15,000 children were housed at the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, and only 132 are known to have survived. Sandy Springs resident Ilse Reiner is one of those precious few. On September 9, at 2:00 p.m., Atlantans will have the opportunity to hear both the story of the children of the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp firsthand and a moving performance by The Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde. Ms. Reiner will sign copies of her book immediately following the presentation. This program is sponsored by Hemschech. The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum, 1440 Spring Street, at the corner of 18th Street across from The Center For Puppetry Arts. For more information, visit TheBreman.org. RSVP at ilse.eventbrite.com.
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