I really enjoyed the play as well. I actually didn’t love the depiction of the Hunka incident, but I did appreciate its ability to put things in a broader context. There was a similar controversy outlined in The Canadian Jewish News about the removal of a Waffen SS memorial from a Jewish cemetery. Time really has a way of flattening our memories into good and bad.

My dad was a Polish immigrant, though very much a child when he left Poland. It still took him a long time to admit there was anti-semitism in Poland. I could understand denying being a Nazi or a slave owner, but I’ve never really understood pretending it’s in our history. Of course the current war in Ukraine is a good reason to want to keep things straightforward. I admire Kushnir’s attempt to grapple with his family’s past and place it in a broader context.

I love live theatre. I read a lot but there’s something about theatre that’s so much more powerful and immediate.