New Jerusalem, by David Ives January 4, 2012

It’s 1656, and a large number of Portuguese Jews have found asylum in Amsterdam from the Inquisition. There’s just one caveat: no Jew may speak of religion to the Christian Dutch. All seems to be in harmony—until Baruch de Spinoza starts airing some pretty radical ideas about God, and it comes to the attention of the city fathers. Now he has to answer for his “crimes” in David Ives’ intelligent (and often humorous) New Jerusalem, the Interrogation of Baruch De Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation: Amsterdam, July 27, 1656. For times and tickets, see www.stagewest.org.