''New Jerusalem'' is a play written by

David Ives David Ives (born July 11, 1950) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. He is perhaps best known for his comic one-act plays; ''The New York Times'' in 1997 referred to him as the "maestro of the short form". Ives has also written ...

, based on a true story that features the noted philosopher and scholar

Spinoza Baruch (de) Spinoza (born Bento de Espinosa; later as an author and a correspondent ''Benedictus de Spinoza'', anglicized to ''Benedict de Spinoza''; 24 November 1632 – 21 February 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin, ...

, a Jewish-Dutch philosopher of Portuguese Sephardi origin. Complete title and subtitle: ''New Jerusalem; The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation: Amsterdam, July 27, 1656''.

Synopsis

Spinoza’s writing and inquiries have caused trouble for himself and other Jews, who are not completely accepted by Dutch society. He is said to be spreading poisonous thought, and to be a threat to the piety and the morality of the city.Farmer, Tina
"In the pensive and engrossing 'New Jerusalem,' conformity and a false sense of peace threaten genius"
''KDHX''. April 12, 2018 He is accused of atheism and heresy for challenging important tenets of Judaism and Christianity. He is interrogated by the Jewish authorities, and his ideas are debated, with the threat of excommunication and ostracism. The play follows the young Spinoza into the tavern, and to his music teacher he is in love with. Everywhere he goes his ideas and character are challenged. The play ends in catastrophe — the excommunication of Spinoza.Isherwood, Charles

''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' 10 February 2008

Context

In an interview regarding this play author David Ives points out that the Jewish authorities were "faced with a very difficult question: They had made a deal with the Dutch authorities that in order to retain their freedom to practice their religion, they would police their own community. This was a Faustian bargain that they had to fulfill." The play tells of a young man whose community needed to shut him out if they were to survive in Amsterdam. Though Spinoza’s ideas are lucidly expressed, the real subject of ''New Jerusalem'' may be the “problematic place of revealed religion in a secular society”, according to one critic.Teachout, Terry
"Funny Man Gets Serious"
''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

''. Jan. 18, 2008. At the start of the play it is revealed that Spinoza has been spied on by an agent of the

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

leaders of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, who fear the spread of atheism may be a threat. "We are tolerant, but we have our limits," says the character Abraham van Valkenburgh. "Like the God of Israel, we can smite. And with a vengeance." He warns the chief rabbi a heretic exists in his community, and he must take action or there will be dire trouble. It is described as a "battle of ideas", a "portrait of the philosopher as a young man", and a "daring leap into metaphysics". Peter Marks has said, "One of the fascinating facets of Ives's play is the degree to which the gears of the gentle Spinoza's probing intellect, and his effort to understand the nature of the universe in ways not explained in Scripture, seem to his adversaries to be instruments of chaos and terror."Marks, Peter
"Review: "New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Theater J"
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''. 2 July 2010.

Production history

It opened January 13, 2008 at the

Classic Stage Company Classic Stage Company, or CSC, is a classical Off-Broadway theater. Founded in 1967, Classic Stage Company is one of Off-Broadway's oldest theaters. Its 199-seat theatre is the former Abbey Theatre located at 136 East 13th Street between Third a ...

in New York. It was directed by

Walter Bobbie Walter Bobbie (born November 18, 1945) is an American theatre director, choreographer, and occasional actor and dancer. Bobbie has directed both musicals and plays on Broadway and Off-Broadway, and was the Artistic Director of the New York City ...

, with sets by

John Lee Beatty John Lee Beatty is an American scenic designer who has created set designs for more than 115 Broadway shows and has designed for other productions. He won two Tony Awards, for ''Talley's Folly'' (1980) and ''The Nance'' (2013), was nominated for ...

costumes by Anita Yavich, and lighting by

Ken Billington Ken Billington (born October 29, 1946) is an American lighting designer. He began his career in New York City working as an assistant to Tharon Musser. He was born in White Plains, New York, the son of Kenneth Arthur (an automobile dealer) and ...

, with a cast that included

Richard Easton John Richard Easton (March 22, 1933 – December 2, 2019) was a Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of Brian Hammond in the 1970s BBC serial '' The Brothers''. Life and career Easton was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the son of Mar ...

, Jeremy Strong, Fyvush Finkel,

David Garrison David Earl Garrison (born June 30, 1952) is an American actor. His primary venue is live theatre, but he is best known as the character Steve Rhoades in the television series, '' Married... with Children''. He has also appeared in numerous theat ...

, Jenn Harris, Michael Izquierdo and Natalia Payne. It opened July 2, 2010 at Theatre J in Washington D.C., where it broke box office records, and was directed by Jeremy Skidmore. It was produced in 2018 at the New Jewish Theatre in New York, and the Lantern Theatre Company in Philadelphia. ''New Jerusalem'' was performed at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. and recorded as an audio book with a cast that includes

Edward Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' a ...

, Andrea Gabriel,

Arye Gross Arye Gross (; born March 17, 1960) is an American actor, who has appeared on a variety of television shows in numerous roles, most notably Adam Greene in the ABC sitcom ''Ellen''. Personal life Gross was born on March 17, 1960, in Los Angeles ...

Amy Pietz Amy Pietz (born March 6, 1969) is an American actress, known for her roles on television. She received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series nomination for her role as Annie Spadaro in the ...

, James Wagner, Matthew Wolf.New Jerusalem The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation: Amsterdam, July 27, 1656.
''Rakuten Kobo''.

References

{{Baruch Spinoza New Jerusalem New Jerusalem Plays based on real people Off-Broadway plays Plays set in the Netherlands Works about Baruch Spinoza Cultural depictions of Baruch Spinoza