The New Ghetto (Das neue Ghetto) - a four-act play by Theodor Herzl - translated from German by Reuven Brainin. Published by "Ahiasaf" - first edition in Hebrew. Warsaw, 1898.
Herzl wrote the play under the influence of the Dreyfus trial, which he covered as a journalist, and he wrote it fastly in only 17 days! At the center of his plot is an assimilated Jewish lawyer who tries to get out of the social ghetto that was forced on Western Jews, but fails. At the end of the play, the lawyer is murdered by an antisemitic nobleman who has damaged his dignity. When he dies, the lawyer says in a weak voice: "Jews, my brothers, one day they will let you live - when you know how to die." In a thunderous voice and with his last strength he says: "Get out! Get out of the ghetto!". Samuel's death was intended to serve as a warning that the stay of the Jews in Europe was dangerous. In the play, Herzl first expressed his national view. The play has been staged over the years in more than 20 locations across Europe.
63 p. Old cardboard cover. Good condition.
