An ensemble cast of some of Sydney’s most beloved Jewish performers bring to life Vic Alhadeff OAM’s poignant play ‘Torn Apart by War’ at Australia’s largest synagogue in Woollahra on Sunday, September 15 from 5pm.
Inspired by true events, Torn Apart by War is a poignant play written by Mr Alhadeff – former CEO of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, former editor of the Australian Jewish News and former Chair of Multicultural NSW – about his father’s agonising decision to leave the Greek island of Rhodes for Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) on the eve of the Holocaust.
The departure from Rhodes was triggered by the enactment of a series of antisemitic decrees by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini against the Jews of Italy, which at the time included Rhodes Island.
Mr Alhadeff’s father was engaged to be married at the time of his departure from Rhodes, and the play encapsulates the heartbreaking impact of the ensuing events on the young couple.
Commemorating 80 years since the destruction of the Jewish communities of Rhodes and the other Dodecanese islands, the program presented by Emanuel Synagogue in conjunction with the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney and with the contribution of the Rhodes Jewish Museum, will include an address by Consul General of Greece in Sydney Yannis Mallikourtis, a dramatised play-reading of Torn Apart by War directed by Dr Liz Hovey and performed by Geoff Sirmai, Joanna Weinberg, Tony Sloman and Hovey herself, followed by a Q&A with Mr Alhadeff and a special musical performance and a delicious spread of Greek pastries.
Remembering Rhodes: Torn Apart by War
- Date: Sunday, September 15.
- Time: 5.00 – 6.30pm
- Location: Emanuel Synagogue, Woollahra
- Bookings: https://bit.ly/474kXkq
