The blood libel in postwar New York: Erwin Piscator’s The Burning Bush (1949)

This paper discusses an unexplored chapter in the long aftermath of the Tiszaeszlár blood libel case (1882–1883), a lesser-known example of East Central and Central European exile theater, and a compelling episode in a postwar campaign to counter antisemitism in the United States. It follows the transnational transfers and intersecting trajectories of intellectuals, Leftist-antifascist culture, and historical memories between Hungary, Germany, and the United States. In doing so, the paper reconsiders the play as an example of antifascist humanism and addresses the following questions: how did émigré intellectuals from Central and East Central Europe transfer an emblematic story of anti-Jewish prejudice to a postwar audience? How did they respond to the recent European past and transform the cultural and political legacy of Leftist antifascism in the process? And finally, how did the latter shape the play's contribution to opposing antisemitism in the United States?