Jelinek’s Rechnitz and Greenberg’s The Testament: Two Executions of One Massacre

Abstract

Holocaust as entertainment? Millions of people participated in the Holocaust actively, involuntarily, or as bystanders. Holocaust survivors and Hollywood writers have brought very different historic facts to life. This study meets at the intersection of historical drama and dramatic history in two different formats: cinema and theater. It explores the relationship between the Israeli/Austrian film The Testament (2017), and Elfriede Jelinek’s play Rechnitz (2008), and the historical accuracy of both. Film and play skillfully reflect the clash between selective pasts and different presents, exemplified by a massacre of Jews during the last days of WWII in the Austrian town of Rechnitz. Although the format and genre of both pieces differ, their renditions reveal significant parallels. Their admonishing tone evokes a discussion about guilt, responsibility, and the past. Director and writer Amichai Greenberg depicts the search for the mass grave. Elfriede Jelinek centers her play on the guests who committed the horrendous murder, and the residents who have made every effort to forget and deny.