Professor David Peimer
The Cult of Horror: Dybbuk and Golem
Summary
David Peimer delves into the topic of The Dybbuk (1937) and The Golem (1920), exploring their significance in Jewish history and tradition. In the context of the 21st century, the discussion revolves around the coexistence of rationality and belief in mythical creatures. The focus is on Ansky’s play The Dybbuk, its adaptations, and the symbolism of The Golem, with connections to contemporary films and literature.
Professor David Peimer
David Peimer is a professor of theatre and performance studies in the UK. He has taught at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and New York University (Global Division), and was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. Born in South Africa, David has won numerous awards for playwriting and directing. He has written eleven plays and directed forty in places like South Africa, New York, Brussels, London, Berlin, Zulu Kingdom, Athens, and more. His writing has been published widely and he is the editor of Armed Response: Plays from South Africa (2009) and the interactive digital book Theatre in the Camps (2012). He is on the board of the Pinter Centre in London.
I think it was two.
Originally, it is mentioned in the Bible and in the Psalms as an unformed, unfinished material. Dust or clay or mud. It’s not quite formed into a human body.
Perhaps in the 1600s and 1700s, yes. Not a literal, but a spiritual belief. Part of a bigger picture of how to understand things which could not be rationally explained. You know, misfortune, disease, plague or pogroms, violence, antisemitism, hate, things that could not be rationally explained.