A Performance of Der Dybbuk – In the Clutches of Fanatismus
A special event by the Tel Aviv University Alumni Organization
The Tel Aviv University Alumni Organization, in collaboration with the Department of Theatre, Faculty of Arts at Tel Aviv University, held a special event for the University’s alumni community featuring a performance of the play Der Dybbuk, by Joseph Lateiner, performed by students of the Acting Program at Tel Aviv University.
The evening opened with a creators’ talk featuring the play’s director, Yonatan Levy, an alumnus of the interdisciplinary and general studies program at Tel Aviv University (BA), and Yonathan Beck, an artist and director and Head of the Educational Department of the University Theatre, an alumnus of the Faculty of the Arts at Tel Aviv University. The discussion was followed by the performance.
The play Der Dybbuk – In the Clutches of Fanatismus is a wild, musical shtetl comedy in five acts, staged as a production by students of the Acting Program in the Department of Theatre at the Faculty of the Arts, Tel Aviv University. The play was reconstructed from promptbooks that meticulously documented the production as it was staged in New York in the early 20th century, as part of the DYBBUK research project, funded by the European Research Council. Now, for the first time in Israel, the play is being presented in its Israeli premiere at the Tel Aviv University Theatre.
About the play:
A charlatan rabbi and his corrupt assistant; a young couple seeking love; a narcissistic and tyrannical grandmother driven to madness; restless spirits; and an angel from hell. All meet in Der Dybbuk, the Jewish global hit that preceded Ansky’s classic by forty years. The performance moves between worlds and between Yiddish, Hebrew, and everything in between, accompanied by music that revives the sounds of the shtetl.
Sigalit Ben-Hayoun, Head of the Tel Aviv University Alumni Organization, delivered the opening remarks and noted:
“Within the reality of the past year, marked by significant national and social challenges alongside moments of hope and renewal with the release of the hostages, the Tel Aviv University Alumni Community stood out as a driving force, demonstrating involvement, responsibility, and broad community resilience. For this, we extend our deep appreciation and gratitude.”
Photos from the event are available here:
Click to view the gallery on LinkedIn
The Tel Aviv University Alumni Community — A world Changing Community
