, "Convert. Count Potocki from Vilnius" is a three-act composition-libretto by Jonas Vaitkus, based on the dramatic legend "Ger tzedek" by the artist and writer Šolomas Zelmanavičius. Count Potocki of Vilnius", works of art, written and oral sources of Jewish culture.
Š. Zelmanavičius' legend "Ger tzedek. Count Potocki from Vilnius" in Yiddish ("Ger tzedek. Vilner graf Potocki") was published in a very small edition in 1934 in Kaunas. Ger tzedek is a Hebrew term for a proselyte, a righteous man, a convert to the Jewish faith.
The convert Count Potocki is partly a historical figure, a man who was burnt at the stake for his beliefs in Vilnius 275 years ago. Zelmanavičius adapted an old Jewish legend about a rich Christian youth who converted to Judaism, which has become an integral part of Jewish folklore not only in Vilnius, but also throughout Eastern Europe. The prototype of the legend was probably the Croatian Rafal Sentimani, who was burnt at the stake in Vilnius on 9 June 1753 by a decision of the Lithuanian High Tribunal, and who converted to Judaism and settled in the shtetl of Ilja. There are several written accounts of the legend, but the basic motif of the story has remained the same over the centuries - the tragic fate of a Christian nobleman who renounces not only his wealth and social status, but also his life, for the sake of the Jewish faith.
There are several clear layers in the play: the drama of the love between Count Potocki and Judith, and of the duality of the Count (he has two souls living within him), which is accompanied by a clear desire to purify oneself, to repent for one's sins, to strive for purity. The Count is a man in search of the truth, and confession becomes a constant leitmotif. Fire is the best cleanser, but in this case fire is the executioner, the punishment.
Can we still die for our convictions and is it worth it? Where is the line between sacrifice, bigotry and naivety? And, more generally, is the quest for cleanliness, modesty, moderation not at odds with the ideology of the "good life" that prevails today? In the play, a sense of spiritual hunger invites society to hunt for the Lamb of God.
Š. Zelmanavičius creates a colourful Jewish world in the play, revealing Jewish history, religion and traditions. Zelmanavičius gives a special role to the Gaon of Vilnius, although the hero himself does not appear in the play. The legend of the convert is a carefully developed polemic between Christianity and Judaism, embodied by Count Potocki. The conflict between the two great religions, but also Judaism's internal division - the confrontation between Litvaks and Hasidim - becomes an important focus of the play.
The play is written in a rich, lively and emotional language, full of words and expressions typical of the Hebrew language and the Litvaks dialect. In order to maintain as much authenticity as possible and to convey the colourfulness of the language, the text does not translate some names of Jewish cultural and religious realities.
In the play, the languages (Yiddish, Lithuanian, Russian, Hebrew) jostle and jostle - as if in the streets of the once vanished Vilnius, as if testifying to a civilisation that has already disappeared.
"Written in memory of his parents, Zelmanavičius's play about the convert Count Potocki seeks to grasp the essential, fatal motives of religious faith. The lively, colourful and mystical scenes dramatically present the characters' states of mind, while the tragic fate of the nobleman, who renounced everything for the sake of his faith, highlights the anxiety and cruelty of society, and at the same time, the great piety of the people." (Albertas Vidžiūnas)
