PLAY: The Mitzvah Project

“The Mitzvah Project,” a one-person play and lecture about the more than 100,000 men of Jewish heritage who fought in Hitler’s army during World War II, is coming to Portland State University.

The  show is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. For tickets, contact the PSU Box Office.

The play is performed and was co-created by actor Roger Grunwald. Performed throughout the world, Grunwald’s concept for The Mitzvah Project was inspired by and is an homage to his mother, an Auschwitz survivor.

Through one soldier’s story, The Mitzvah Project reveals the history of Germany’s mischlinge – the derogatory term the Nazis used to describe those descended from one or two Jewish grandparents. Tens of thousands of these partial Jews served in the German military. Most of them were discharged in 1940, and nearly all were sent to forced labor camps – or worse.

Grunwald will follow the 25-minute play with a lecture and audience discussion covering two centuries of history about Jews in Germany.

“We are very excited that we’re are able to bring this story to the PSU and local Jewish communities through our first-ever formal partnership with Portland State,” said Rhonda Kruschen, director of Greater Portland Hillel, one of the plays sponsors. “Audience members will experience a rarely learned piece of the Holocaust — that many Jews had to fight on the side of the German armed forces.”

The production is also sponsored by the Jewish Student Union, Cultural and Historical Association for Israel and PSU Office of the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs.

About Portland State University (PSU)

As Oregon’s only urban public research university, Portland State offers tremendous opportunity to 27,000 students from all backgrounds. Our mission to “Let Knowledge Serve the City” reflects our dedication to finding creative, sustainable solutions to local and global problems. Our location in the heart of Portland, one of America’s most dynamic cities, gives our students unmatched access to career connections and an internationally acclaimed culture scene. “U.S. News & World Report” ranks us among the nation’s top 10 most innovative universities.