Legendary Holocaust-Era Opera 'Brundibár' Published as Children's Book in Israel
The legendary Terezín children's opera "Brundibár" is released in Israel as a Hebrew illustrated book, offering a message of resilience, solidarity, and hope for children.
More than 80 years after it was first performed in the darkness of the Terezín concentration camp, the legendary children's opera "Brundibár" has found a new life in Israel, adapted as an illustrated children's book in Hebrew titled "Brundibár: Children's Triumph!". This initiative was born as a gesture of support, empathy, and solidarity with Israeli children and their families, serving as both a voice of protest against attacks and a message of moral resilience.
Written by German author Hannelore Brenner and illustrated by Maria Thomaschke, the book is published with the support of the German Federal Office. As part of this cultural project, Hebrew editions are being distributed free of charge to children across Israel, accompanied by public readings and musical performances of excerpts from the opera.
Reflecting on a journey spanning three decades, author Hannelore Brenner shares the poignant story behind the project's inception. For her, publishing this work is the realization of a cherished personal dream and the closing of an emotional circle that began nearly thirty years ago when she interviewed Holocaust survivors who remembered the original ghetto performances.
In Terezín, between 1942 and 1944, young girls living in the cramped quarters of Room 28 participated in the opera's premiere on the attic stage of the Magdeburg barracks. Brundibár became a powerful symbol of spiritual resistance and hope, with the tyrannical organ grinder representing the cruelty of oppression, while the children's chorus sang of justice and unity.
The idea to distribute the book to children in conflict zones originated with opera director Mstislav Pentkovsky. Following the publication of Ukrainian and subsequent international editions, the Hebrew release seeks to remind young readers that they are not alone and that together they possess the strength to overcome adversity and champion democratic values.
