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March 17, 2000/10 Adar II, Vol. 52, No.28
Good theater makes us think, spurs action
MARTY LATZ
Special to Jewish News
The pastrami and corned beef spilled out the sides of the massive sandwich at the Stage Deli just off Broadway, dripping with dressing and threatening to spill onto my black jacket. It was cold and windy outside, but the theater was just around the corner.
It began quite innocuously. The master of ceremonies welcomed us in many different languages, exclaiming "we have no troubles here" and admonishing us to "leave our troubles outside." Some scantily dressed dancers then showed off their talents, and the female lead sang a number.
It was a minimalist set with a fairly empty stage area. It could have been set in any major city in the world. But it wasn't set in just any major city.
The musical? "Cabaret." The setting? Pre-World War II Germany. The context? The free-wheeling atmosphere of Berlin and its increasingly dangerous intersection with the political world and the Nazis' rise to power.
The first reference to Jews came early, when the German shopkeeper - Herr Schultz - wished another "mazel." My ears perked up. But nothing substantial followed.
It wasn't until a romance flowered between Schultz and a middle-aged, non-Jewish woman that an issue relating to Judaism arose again. This time it came, as it often does, in a stereotypical anti-Semitic form. At that point, a German prostitute, who lived in the same building as Herr Schultz's fianc‚e, whispered to another character, "they have all the money - the Jews." Shortly thereafter, a member of the Nazi Party found out Schultz's heritage and told his fianc‚e the marriage was "not advisable."
So she called it off, explaining her unwillingness to deal with the hardship the union might bring. Schultz implored her to reconsider, telling her to "be sensible. Governments come and governments go." Of course, it was not to be.
In about eight months, our own government will go and a new one will take its place. In all likelihood, it will either be a Gore Administration or a Bush Administration. One way or the other, it is our moral and civic obligation to get involved. In the last several years, politics has become distasteful for many. But we cannot ignore its effect and importance.
In Cabaret, the English cabaret singer Sally Bowles asked a critical question near the end. "Politics," she said, "what does that have to do with us?"
The answer? Everything - then and now. Politics and government are the mechanisms through which we produce rules under which we live. Sure, we probably have the most stable democracy in the world and constitutional protections that will likely prevent any catastrophic change. But we must maintain our vigilance.
Schultz in Cabaret told his soon-to-be-former fianc‚e when a brick smashed through his shop's window that "it is nothing." Later, he told others that "it will pass. I promise you. I understand the Germans."
As we know, it was not nothing, and it didn't pass. Instead, it stayed, grew and became the most destructive and evil political movement in world history.
Politics has a lot to do with how we live. Perhaps sometimes it doesn't appear to impact our daily lives. In the long-term, however, it has a tremendous effect. So get involved.
Cabaret began by suggesting that we "leave our troubles outside." To a certain extent, that's fine. But leaving troubles outside doesn't mean ignoring them. The risk is just too great.
Marty Latz is a Valley attorney and negotiations consultant. Send comments to Latz@NegotiationInstitute.com.
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