Macht Frei by Justin Aaron Halle

Veering between Dachau concentration camp in 1943 and New York City’s Upper East Side in 2020, Macht Frei is a short play that explores the blood memory of inherited Jewish trauma, intergenerational disconnect, and all the things history has failed to teach us—despite its violent insistence on repeating itself.
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Macht Frei

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  • Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend:
    11 Jan. 2023
    “ Oh wow. There's a lot to unpack in this short, and I love it. I love the shifting meaning of the pile of shoes and the reminder that part of what it means to be religious is to love others and fight to make the world a better place - a crucial piece that is often brushed aside by the loudest people claiming to be religious these days. What a powerful piece that does so much with ten minutes. ”
  • Shaun Leisher:
    10 Aug. 2021
    “ The vast divide between the conversations being had by people of different generations is enthralling. Halle has written a bold and necessary commentary on how the 2 main stances on Israel today compare to the struggles of Jewish people 80 years ago. Gonna be thinking about this play for awhile. ”
  • Vince Gatton:
    9 Aug. 2021
    “ Damn, Justin Aaron Halle is not playing around or pulling punches. Macht Frei is a scathing, emotionally brutal, highly theatrical cris de coeur against, yes, fascism, but moreso against complacency among those who should know better. Savage and righteous at once. ”
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