Romanfabrik e.V.

Under a false identity, an Arab Jew pulls off an espionage coup in Syria's highest government circles in 1960. He will pay for it with his life...
At the end of the 19th century, a young woman disguises herself as a man so that she can study at a Talmud school.
And in 1945, Berlin's former most famous clown only survived the concentration camp by living as a dog, barking and making little men to amuse the sadistic camp commandant.

The Frankfurt director, author and dubbing artist Stéphane Bittoun has woven these and other Jewish stories, some of which are true, into a scenic, cinematic and musical evening - about the often vital, usually dangerous and sometimes fun game of identity: "Jews Undercover". Because acting undercover means staying inconspicuous, under the radar, camouflaged and sometimes with different identities. Is this game with identity a specifically Jewish phenomenon? A talent, a burden? A blessing or a curse?

Bittoun invites us on a journey through films, novels and short stories. He has combed through newspaper archives, the Bible and intimate diaries in Israel and does not even stop at his own family history. Whether out of conformity, as an agent on a secret mission or to escape persecution and death, undercover is a survival principle. The evening ranges from screamingly funny stories by modern Israeli authors such as Etgar Keret to tales of the over-assimilation of European Jews or the changing homelands of Arab Jews and curious anecdotes about covert operations by the Israeli secret service. The journey leads through a variety of Jewish cultures, across continents and through time. And no matter how much sailor's yarn seems to be spun into the stories, each one always contains a spark of truth...
Special Appearance: Rabbi Avichai Apel

Photo: Michael Faust

26.3., 7.30 p.m.

Romanfabrik, Hanauer Landstr. 186, Frankfurt

2for1: 22 €

26.3., 18.30-19 o'clock, box office