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"We Will Never Die" A Hollywood Holocaust Remembrance and Awareness Program from 1943
We Will Never Die, a musical stage performance with a large cast and orchestra, raised awareness among Americans about the murder of European Jews. The pageant, written by Hollywood screenwriter Ben Hecht and sponsored by the Committee for a Jewish Army, was performed in several American cities during the spring and summer of 1943.
In late November 1942, newspapers throughout the United States reported that Nazi Germany and its collaborators had already killed two million European Jews as part of its mass murder campaign. Many Americans found it difficult to believe the information; a January 1943 poll showed that only 48% believed it to be true.
Oscar-winning Hollywood screenwriter Ben Hecht, who was Jewish, believed the information and was horrified by it. His February 1943 article in The American Mercury magazine, “The Extermination of the Jews,” recounted Nazi terror from the victims’ point of view. The piece was soon excerpted in Reader’s Digest for a wider audience and retitled “Remember Us.”
After writing these magazine pieces, Hecht decided to author a dramatic pageant to further raise awareness of the plight of European Jews. He called the show We Will Never Die. To produce the show, Hecht teamed up with Peter Bergson, the militant Zionist leader of the “Committee for a Jewish Army.” Bergson’s committee campaigned for the formation of a Jewish Army fighting under Allied command. The committee had already been planning a rally at Madison Square Garden in early March, to be called “Action—Not Pity.” After agreeing to work together, Bergson opted to stage Hecht’s performance instead.
Bergson’s brash tactics angered American Jewish organizations. However, he and Hecht found eager partners in both the Hollywood and Broadway communities. Broadway director Moss Hart and producer Billy Rose signed on for We Will Never Die. German refugee composer Kurt Weill quickly created a powerful score from original and pre-existing compositions. Cinema and stage stars performed the major roles, with a new cast in each city. The program booklet featured cover artwork by refugee artist Arthur Szyk.
The Premiere at Madison Square Garden
We Will Never Die premiered at Madison Square Garden at 8:30 pm on Tuesday, March 9, 1943, to a sold-out crowd of 20,000. The large cast (newspapers claimed 1,000 participants) performed the entire show again that evening at 11 pm for another sold-out performance, with the audio broadcast outside the theater to an overflow crowd.
In late November 1942, newspapers throughout the United States reported that Nazi Germany and its collaborators had already killed two million European Jews as part of its mass murder campaign. Many Americans found it difficult to believe the information; a January 1943 poll showed that only 48% believed it to be true.
Oscar-winning Hollywood screenwriter Ben Hecht, who was Jewish, believed the information and was horrified by it. His February 1943 article in The American Mercury magazine, “The Extermination of the Jews,” recounted Nazi terror from the victims’ point of view. The piece was soon excerpted in Reader’s Digest for a wider audience and retitled “Remember Us.”
After writing these magazine pieces, Hecht decided to author a dramatic pageant to further raise awareness of the plight of European Jews. He called the show We Will Never Die. To produce the show, Hecht teamed up with Peter Bergson, the militant Zionist leader of the “Committee for a Jewish Army.” Bergson’s committee campaigned for the formation of a Jewish Army fighting under Allied command. The committee had already been planning a rally at Madison Square Garden in early March, to be called “Action—Not Pity.” After agreeing to work together, Bergson opted to stage Hecht’s performance instead.
Bergson’s brash tactics angered American Jewish organizations. However, he and Hecht found eager partners in both the Hollywood and Broadway communities. Broadway director Moss Hart and producer Billy Rose signed on for We Will Never Die. German refugee composer Kurt Weill quickly created a powerful score from original and pre-existing compositions. Cinema and stage stars performed the major roles, with a new cast in each city. The program booklet featured cover artwork by refugee artist Arthur Szyk.
The Premiere at Madison Square Garden
We Will Never Die premiered at Madison Square Garden at 8:30 pm on Tuesday, March 9, 1943, to a sold-out crowd of 20,000. The large cast (newspapers claimed 1,000 participants) performed the entire show again that evening at 11 pm for another sold-out performance, with the audio broadcast outside the theater to an overflow crowd.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-we-will-never-die-pageant
Here is the audio of the program:
