The Trial of God

Elie Wiesel’s The Trial of God, directed by Guila Clara Kessous, will be performed as a tribute to Professor Elie Wiesel, the distinguished author and winner of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize, and will be introduced by Rabbi Joseph A. Polak, Hillel House, Rabbi to the Jewish Community at Boston University.

Set in a medieval European village where three itinerant Jewish actors put God on trial to answer for His silence during a pogrom, this powerful drama considers historical and especially post-Shoah issues surrounding faith. While interred in Auschwitz, Elie Wiesel witnessed a trial. While such things are not unusual, this trial was. It was unusual because of the defendant: God. God was tried for violating the covenant by turning his back in silence on the Jewish people in their greatest hour of need. God was tried in absentia, without anyone present being willing to take on the role of God’s defense attorney. God was declared guilty, after which the “court” prayed. Contradiction? Perhaps. But this incident, which served as the inspiration for The Trial of God, is part of the long Jewish tradition of arguing with God.

The production will feature traditional dancers from the Kalaniot Dance Troupe and Klezmer musicians from KlezMITron.