A bold new opera titled Eichmann’s Trial, composed by acclaimed Israeli musician Gil Shohat, will have its world premiere on March 30 at the Bucharest National Opera. The production marks a significant international effort to preserve Holocaust memory through culture and education.
Directed by Erwin Șimșensohn and conducted by Daniel Jinga, with a libretto by Israeli playwright Motti Lerner, the opera dramatizes the 1961 trial of Adolf Eichmann, one of the central architects of the Holocaust. The performance brings to life the searing testimonies of survivors and the moral reckoning that followed the war.
“This is more than a performance—it’s a mission,” said Tova Ben-Nun Cherbis, founder of the Laude-Reut Educational Complex and the Magna Cum Laude-Reut Foundation, who spearheaded the project. “History is essential. Learning from the past strengthens the present and prepares the future.”
The idea for the opera was conceived in 2023 during a cultural visit to Siret, Romania. According to the organizers, Ben-Nun Cherbis partnered with Daniel Jinga and Noam Semel, President of the Hanoch Levin Institute of Israeli Drama, to develop the project after a visit to Israel.
It builds on her previous initiatives, including a 2023 mock trial of Nazi eugenicist Ernst Rüdin at the United Nations and an educational simulation of Eichmann’s trial in the Romanian Parliament in 2024.
The opera will debut alongside a renewed educational initiative. On March 31, a student-led simulation of Eichmann’s trial will be staged at the Bucharest National Opera, followed by a session at the University of Bucharest’s Faculty of Law on April 1.
History lesson for future generations
A final performance will be held on April 28 at the High Court of Cassation and Justice of Romania. The project involves dozens of high school students and has received endorsements from Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, Education Minister Raluca Turcan, and other top officials.
“This is a history lesson for the future generation,” said Ben-Nun Cherbis.
The opera follows a successful run of Lerner’s play Eichmann’s Trial at the National Theatre in Bucharest in 2024, where every performance sold out. Students participating in the program will also travel to Berlin, visiting key Holocaust sites including the Wannsee Villa.
Organizers hope the production will serve as both a powerful work of art and a warning against rising antisemitism and historical denial.
“This is a pledge to never forget,” said Lerner. “And to ensure that future generations remember not only the crimes but also the courage of those who stood up to them.”
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