American Opera Projects & Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center to Present ‘State of the Jews’
By David SalazarAmerican Opera Projects and Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center will present “State of the Jews” on Jan. 15, 2025.
The opera about Theodor Herzl has a one-hour duration and will be followed by a discussion with composer Alex Weiser and librettist Ben Kaplan. It explores the last years of Herzl’s life and his advocacy for the establishment of a Jewish state to overcome the rampant anti-Semitism of the time.
“The questions that plagued Theodor Herzl and his contemporaries remain very much alive for us as Jews living in New York City today” said Weiser per an official press release. “At a moment when Zionism is being hotly debated in the wake of the October 7 massacre in Israel, how much should our Jewishness define us? What is the best way to fight antisemitism? Where is the future of the Jewish people?”
The opera was workshopped as part of American Opera Projects’ Composers & the Voice program between 2017-19. The opera stars Gideon Dabi as Theodor Herzl, Kristin Gornstein as Julie Herzl, Hans Tashjian, and Andrew Morstein, among others. Omer Ben Seadia directs and Emily Senturia conducts.
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