Palestinian man shuts down anti-Israel protesters at ‘The Trial of Eichmann’ Holocaust play

A Palestinian man stopped three anti-Israel protesters from disrupting the off-Broadway show ‘The Trial of Eichmann’ at the Center for Jewish History in New York on Friday. 

The protesters began their disturbances before the start of the David Serero play, when the Consul General of Israel Ofir Akunis introduced the show and shared his personal memories of the famous Nazi trial. 

Adolf Eichmann was a famous member of the Nazi's Schutzstaffel and a major organizer and participant in the atrocities committed against Jews during the Holocaust.

When the General Consul ended his speech, Serero requested the protestors leave the venue - a request the protestors refused. This led to security being brought to the venue.

Serero later told The Jerusalem Post, "I'm grateful of the words of... Akunis for what he said about the show, that it was terrific and reflect[s] what it was during the original trials."

Serero probed the protesters, insisting, “One innocent life was taken from whatever side is one life too much,” before he questioned them, "You wish to lecture people on humanity? Where were you on October 7?" 

As the situation became more inflamed, a man from the audience became involved - quickly quelling the incident.

The man, directing himself to the protesters, said, “Hello, I’m a Palestinian. I came to see a play. This is not the place for protest. If one person would need to complain about the Palestinians, it would be a Palestinian, and I am telling you this is not the place”. 

The man was applauded by the audience. 

One Holocaust survivor was so distressed by the protesters that she yelled at them, "You should have been the one to go to Auschwitz!"

In other comments to the Post, Serero explained that the attempted protest during his show was a new phenomenon. 

"I had my previous show in NY, Anne Frank a Musical, which opened on October 9th 2023...so we had to have the NYPD in front of the venue every night," Serero recalled.

However, for The Trial of Eichmann, he explained he "was not expecting anything as I thought people would make the difference between the actual conflict and the Holocaust. But some three ladies have decided otherwise."

The show must go on

Despite their disruption, the protesters were allowed to stay for the show on the condition that they did not further interrupt the performance and handed over their signs. The protesters were informed that if they continued to disrupt the show, they would be arrested.

The show continued without further disruption. 

Outlining why the protesters were allowed to stay, Serero said, "I wanted them to stay and watch the show because that's what Israel did with Eichmann. They could [have] killed Eichmann in Argentina, but they chose to confront him with what he did. That's what I did after the show with them, and they apologized to me after.

"I'm also proud of this man who came to remind them that a performance of a play is not the place for a political rally, which is what I told them.

"No matter what, when you go to a theater to watch a show, you do not interrupt or disturb a performance to scream or show your signs with a political statement including a hate speech toward any countries," Serero said.

Reflecting on the incident, Serero said he was disappointed that it had happened. 

"Art and history are powerful tools for education and reflection," Serero stated. "While I respect the right to protest, it is unfortunate that this performance was disrupted. I believe in the power of dialogue and the importance of historical memory. I will continue to ensure that my stage remains one of learning and reflection. My goal is to foster understanding and remembrance, and we hope that our audiences can engage with these important historical events respectfully and meaningfully.”

Serero later revealed to the Post that two of the three protesters claimed to be Jewish.

Asked to comment if, given this information, Serero thought that the incident was connected to antisemitism, he responded, "Having studied what the Nazis did, there is a similarity with the Nazis. They used Jews as guards in order to dehumanize other Jews. It was a way to break their souls and last hopes."

He added, "The path between anti-Israel [sentiments] and antisemitism is very short these days."

Despite the incident, Serero kept a clear head and said that he "tried to diffuse and deescalate the situation and handle it professionally" as he "had a big show to do."