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St Mary's host Performance of Etty

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The Philiosophy and Drama programmes at St Mary’s University, Twickenham hosted a performance of the play Etty on Thursday 18th February. The play is based on the diaries and letters of the Dutch Jewish author Etty Hillesum. It was created and performed by Susan Stein and directed by Austin Pendleton. Etty Hillesum started her diaries in 1941 when she was 27 years old. They convey her personal and spiritual development, against the background of the increasing persecution of the Jews. Her two letters from the transit camp Westerbork in Drenthe are a powerful witness to the situation in the camp and its weekly transports to the concentration and extermination camps. Etty Hillesum describes both misery and courage in her portrayal of the people she encountered. She went on a transport in September 1943 and died a few months later. Senior Lecturer in Philosophy Hannah Marije Altorf said, “I have been reading the letters and diaries with the philosophy students who took the module on 20th century Jewish thinkers. Students were moved by her words. It is yet a different experience to hear them performed by Susan Stein. I found the play both inspiring and sad.” More information on the play can be found here.    
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