New Jerusalem: the Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation: Amsterdam, July 27, 1656

Baruch de Spinoza is a young merchant, philosopher, and the heir apparent to the Chief Rabbi of Amsterdam, Saul Mortera. However, Amsterdam Sephardic Jews made a fatal arrangement with the city as they agreed to police their own community for unorthodox beliefs. When the city accuses Spinoza of atheism, Rabbi Mortera summons him to the synagogue to defend himself. Spinoza’s best friend, his sister, and the woman he loves are all drawn into the controversy, a historical event that shook up not only the entire Jewish community of Amsterdam, but changed Spinoza’s and Mortera’s lives—and all of Western thought—irrevocably. No written record survives of what was said at Temple Talmud Torah on July 27, 1656.

The play New Jerusalem is a reimagining of the interrogation and eventual excommunication of Spinoza that day. In this eloquent and masterful drama, playwright David Ives attempts to open the temple doors and let us listen in on a dispute whose philosophical and political echoes still reverberate today.

To purchase tickets and for information, visit HomeMadeTheater.org or call (518) 587-4427. $25 per person Outdoor productions – bring your own chair or blanket **Streaming may become available for this show.**

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