30 July 2018

More than 70 people were wowed by a performance of Hyam Maccoby’s play The Disputation, staged by members of Finchley Progressive Synagogue (FPS).

The play is a powerful re-enactment of the Barcelona Disputation of 1263, when Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (later known as Nachmanides) was pitted against a Christian opponent in a debate in the court of King James of Aragon. The hope was that a victory for the Christian side would lead to a mass conversion of the Jews.

Directed by FPS member Stanley Volk and featuring members of the synagogue as cast and crew, the play received a fantastic reception from those in the crowd.

The performance was preceded by a short service to mark Tisha B’Av, the day that marks a number of catastrophes in Jewish history. The service was held jointly with Finchley Reform Synagogue (FRS) and led by FPS’s Rabbi Rebecca Birk and Student Rabbi Anna Posner from FRS.

[Photo: The cast of The Disputation (L-R): Edgar Jacobsberg as brother Pablo Christiani, Mark Laikin as brother Raymond de Penaforte, Philippa Carr as Queen Yolanda of Aragon, Paul Silver-Myer as King James of Aragon, and Richard Greene as Rabbi Moses ben Nachman]