BLESSED THORN: The Excommunication of Baruch Spinoza
About
B'nai B'rith Melbourne Mitzvah Lodge presents the premiere Australian performance of an original play which explores the mind of Baruch Spinoza and his family’s reactions to his life-time excommunication by the leaders of the Amsterdam Sephardic community.
The play is directed by George Werther and features leading community-based actors. The program will include an informative video presentation by the playwright, providing historical background and insights and pointing to issues for further discussion.
Tickets $25
Baruch Spinoza (1632-77) was the son of a Portuguese-Jewish family that fled the Inquisition and settled in Amsterdam, where Spinoza became a brilliant student in the Cheder. He would ultimately be excommunicated for his radical views about the nature of G’d and Judaism. Spinoza would ultimately become one of the most famous philosophers of the Enlightenment Period. His concepts of Biblical criticism, ethics and the nature of G’d and the universe continue to have much influence – he is regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of all time.
Location
Phoenix Theatre
Elwood College, 101 Glenhuntly Rd, Elwood Vic 3184