The Melting Pot by Israel Zangwill
Co-Presented with the EDCJCC’s Morris Cafritz Center for Social Responsibility.
Tuesday, March 2 at 7:00PM
First performed in Washington, DC in 1908 to great acclaim (President Theodore Roosevelt cheered on opening night), Israel Zangwill’s landmark play introduced a new idea of immigrants’ essential place in the US and popularized the phrase “the melting pot.” The play tells the story of David Quixano, a Russian Jewish émigré, endeavoring to write a symphony about his vision of an America free from ethnic divisions. Will he be able to achieve his dream, or will the effects of his own history of persecution, pogroms, and escape stand in the way?
The event is free and open to everyone. Every participant must register individually, including those in the same household.
We invite you to a post-reading conversation to unpack the themes of the play and hear how you can help refugees in our community today.
Information on how to join as well as access to a digital script will be distributed to registrants in advance of the event.
In lieu of charging admission, we ask you to consider supporting HIAS, which works around the world to protect refugees who have been forced to flee their homelands because of who they are, including ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities. Guided by their Jewish values and history, HIAS brings more than 139 years of expertise to their work with refugees. Learn more at: https://www.hias.org/
The Melting Pot is performed as part Edlavitch DCJCC’s week of events celebrating HIAS’s Refugee Shabbat from March 2-6, 2021. Refugee Shabbat 2021 is a moment for congregations, organizations, and individuals in the United States and around the world to dedicate a Shabbat experience to refugees and asylum seekers.
Interested in more events celebrating HIAS’s Refugee Shabbat with the EDCJCC? Visit www.edcjcc.org/volunteer