Hey
Class Play
Teacher: Susannah
Hillary: Hillary
Steven Spielberg: Aaron
Sandy Koufax: Dan
Shawn Green: Sam
Albert Einstein: Josh
Joseph Lieberman: Ariel
Louis Brandeis: Vanessa
Golda Meir: Myrna
Emma Lazarus: Sydney
Judith Resnick- Danielle
Ruth- Katherine
Anne Frank: Jenna
The Setting: 2 chairs are set up on the bimah. The teacher and the student are sitting next to each other,
Teacher: Hillary, here is the quiz on Jewish historical figures and values that you need to do. Remember, you really need to do well on this in order to bring your grade up. While you take this, I’m just going to do some stuff around the classroom.
Hillary: looks at the quiz, and gets a really scared look on her face. (out loud, but to no one in particular) This quiz is so hard! Who are all of these people? Why didn’t I pay attention more? What am I going to do? Stares into space
Steven Spielberg: enters from side of bimah
Steven Spielberg: Hi Hillary. I heard about your quiz today, and I thought I could give you some help.
Hillary: Huh? Aren’t you the director of ET? How are you going to help me with my Jewish history quiz?
SS: That’s true, but I also know some thing else about the subject. After I directed the Academy Award winning Schindler’s List, I started the Shoah foundation, and began a project to record every living Holocaust survivor’s story before the last generation of survivors died, so that future generations could see their stories first hand. It just goes to show you that it’s never too late to reconnect with your Jewish history, and also that if you have a position of power, you should also use it to do things that are good for the community.
Hillary: Wow- I think that Shoah thingy was on my quiz. What else can you help me with?
SS: Well, that’s all I can tell you from my experience. But, I do have a friend who can help you out. Sandy, come here!
Sandy Koufax: Hi- what can I help you with?
Hillary: I don’t know who you are, but I need help on this question about people who have given up great opportunities for their religion.
SK: Hey- who better to help you with that question than me?
Hillary: I don’t get it- who are you, and why are you the best person to answer that question?
SK: I’m Sandy Koufax- I was a pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and we made it all the way to the World Series in 1955, but there was a problem- the first game was on Yom Kippur. I just couldn’t do it, so I didn’t pitch on that game.
Hillary: Wow. That takes guts, especially because I heard that everyone didn’t like Jews then. Did your team lose?
SK: No- we won the pennant, and I eventually was the youngest player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The whole experience taught me that you should always do what you believe in, and that if you have talent, it doesn’t matter what religion you are- people will back you up.
Shawn Green: Mr. Koufax- I’ve been waiting to meet you. I’m Shawn Green, and I also play baseball for the Dodgers, although they play in a different city now. You were a big inspiration to me, and I don’t play on Yom Kippur either. I only looked at teams in cities with a big Jewish population, and LA offered me the 2nd largest contract in baseball right now. You really showed me that I could be Jewish and be a respected athlete. You know, Hillary, I also value the Jewish concept of tzedakah, and I give a lot of money to Jewish and non-Jewish charities alike, because I want to give back to the community that supported me.
Hillary: Thanks for your help, but I need help on this question about Jews in science.
SK: That is definitely not my game, but I know someone who can help you. Albert, come here for a minute!
Hillary: Albert Einstein- I thought I recognized you from your pictures.
Teacher: Hillary- who are you talking to? There’s no talking during the quiz, even if you are in a room all by yourself. Besides, did you call me Albert Einstein? Am I having that bad of a hair day?
Albert Einstein: If you need someone to ask about Jews in science, who better than me? I developed the theory of relativity, got the US to develop atomic energy before the Nazis, and moved to the US after the Nazis took over Germany. I was even offered the job of president of Israel, but I turned it down, even though I was a Zionist. I was a scientist, not a politician My life taught me that you can overcome tremendous odds and accomplish great things, and that anybody from any religion could reach this level of knowledge.
Hillary: That’s an amazing story, but do you know anything about Jews who did work in the government?
AE: Actually, I do. Joe and Louis, come here!
Hillary: Who are you two?
Joseph Lieberman: I’m Joseph Lieberman, and I was Al Gore’s running mate two years ago. If a few people would have voted differently, I would have been the first Jewish vice president. Anyways, being the first Jewish candidate on a major party ticket for president was enough of a big deal.
Hillary: What was it like being a Jewish person campaigning for such a big job?
JL: Actually, it was hard to keep the Jewish customs, but I was able to do it. I kept kosher, even at big campaign dinners. And, even though September and October are the most important months before an election, I went to services for all of the holidays. And although we didn’t win, I am still a senator from Connecticut and a major political figure.
Louis Brandeis: I’m Louis Brandeis, and I was involved in the other side of politics. I was a Supreme Court justice for 23 years, and worked on some of the biggest cases in United States history. I supported democratic principals, and helped a lot of people live better lives. Today, there is a non-religious but Jewish-sponsored university named after me. And I was an outspoken advocate of Zionism from the very beginning.
Hillary: Thanks for your help. Do you know anyone who participated in the Israeli government, though?
LB: Absolutely. Golda, could you come here?
Hillary: OK- now I’m getting used to this routine- who are you and what can you teach me?
Golda Meir: I’m Golda Meir, and I was the prime minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974. I led the country to victory in the 6 day war. My commitment to Zionism didn’t just happen with the birth of the state of Israel- I moved to the region in 1921, over 25 years before it was even a country. I signed the proclamation of independence in 1948. Just remember, if you believe in what you’re doing, you can overcome personal and political battles- it wasn’t easy being a female political leader, but I believed in what I was doing. But you know, one of my favorite moments was when I was a young girl and I immigrated to the United States from Russia and I saw the Statue of Liberty.
Hillary: Where are you going with this? I know the Statue of Liberty isn’t Jewish- it’s a statue!
GM: Maybe, maybe not. Emma, could you come here for a minute?
Hillary: OK- so you’re the Statue of Liberty?
Teacher: Hillary-
are you talking to yourself again? It’s
not quite against the rules, but it’s a little disturbing. Are you OK.
Do you have a fever? Feels her forehead
Emma Lazarus: No- but you know that poem that’s written on the tablet that she holds?
Hillary: Give me your tired, your hungry…that one?
EL: Yeah—I wrote that in 1883. I’m Emma Lazarus, and I was born in America, but stayed very connected to the plight of the Jews in Eastern Europe. I actually wrote my most famous poem in response to hearing about terrible violence done to Russian Jews. To me, the fact that my poem is on the first symbol that new immigrants see when they come to America is very special to me Now, I have a question for you- what do you want to do when you grow up?
Hillary: Actually, I always wanted to be an astronaut, but I don’t know- I’m not sure that someone like me can do it.
EL: How convenient. Judith, could you come here?
Hillary: Were you an astronaut?
Judith Resnick: Yes, I was. I’m Judith Resnick, and I was also the first Jewish astronaut and the second American woman astronaut- you don’t think I had those same feelings that you’re having? It’s hard being a pioneer, but it was worth it. I was with NASA for 8 years, including my participation on the first flight of the Discovery. I was chosen to be a mission specialist on the Challenger in 1986, which blew up at launch. In my short lifetime, I was able to overcome tremendous odds and realize my goals. Today, there are scholarships in my name to encourage female astronauts to follow their dreams.
Hillary. Thank you for encouraging me to follow my dreams. Now who’s next?
Ruth: That would be me. Pleased to meet your acquaintance—I’m Ruth.
Hillary looks through her papers with a puzzled expression on her face.
Hillary: Wait- I don’t remember much from Hebrew school, but I remember that you are from the Bible- what are you doing here?
Ruth: You don’t think that Biblical people can teach you as much as modern figures? Let’s see if those baseball players can top this story. I was married and my husband died, and I stayed with my mother-in-law even though I didn’t have to. I converted to become an Israelite in order to stay with her—I was previously a Moabite. I went through hardships and tribulations, but I stayed a good person and I kept my pride. Eventually, I remarried, and became the grandmother of a very important person—the king of Israel.
Hillary: Why do you think that, of all the people in Israel, you were chosen to be the king’s grandmother?
Ruth: I think that if you’re a good person, and you’re nice to other people- that’s the most important thing. It also goes to show you that once you convert to Judaism, you’re considered just as Jewish as everyone else. You just have to keep faith and know that everything will turn out.
Hillary: That’s really hard sometimes. You know?
Ruth: I do know, but I have a friend who can help. Anne!
Anne Frank: Hi!
Hillary: Hey- Anne Frank- didn’t I read your diary?
AF: Yes, you did. When I was about your age, my family and I were in hiding from the Nazis. We spent two years there before the Nazis finally found us. It was hard not doing all of the things that kids our age like to do- play outside, go to school, and see friends.
Hillary: That must have been really hard.
AF: It was, which is why you have to appreciate everything that you get to do. Even though it was hard, I never lost faith, and I found opportunities to be happy. It’s important to be able to do that.
Hillary: Thank you for coming here and teaching me that. I never thought I would learn to appreciate taking a quiz in Hebrew School, but I guess a lot of people don’t even get to do that. Which reminds me- I need to get back to the quiz. Thanks for your help.
Anne Frank exits and Hillary works on the quiz for a couple seconds and hands it to the teacher.
Teacher: Hillary- you did a great job on this! This is a huge improvement- where did it come from?
Hillary: A couple of my friends helped me study
Hillary looks over at all of the characters, who are peeking from the other side of the bimah. She looks over at them and gives them a thumbs-up. They yell words of encouragement and congratulations