“Bad Jews,” Sarasota Jewish Theatre’s latest production, creates edgy comedy in the minefield of authentic Jewish identity.
Joshua Harmon’s “Bad Jews” is Sarasota Jewish Theatre’s latest production. The comedy begins after the death of “Poppy,” the family patriarch. Three cousins arrive in a Manhattan studio apartment before their grandfather’s funeral. A farcical struggle for Poppy’s chai necklace ensues between the three. To the cousins, it’s far more than a piece of jewelry. It’s a potent symbol of family heritage.
Chai is a letter in the Hebrew alphabet. It symbolizes “life.” Their grandfather was a Holocaust survivor. He risked his life to save that necklace. “Poppy” hid it under his tongue during his time in a Nazi concentration camp. Who’s entitled to it now?
Daphna sees it as a sacred link to her Jewish identity; Liam wants to give it to his non-Jewish girlfriend as a romantic gesture. They both stake a claim. Jonah stays neutral. Daphna and Liam fiercely argue. Their squabble becomes a proxy war for deeper issues of faith, family and what it means to be “good” Jew…