CANDLES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

At the beginning of the 1940s, Bezidul Nou still seemed like an island of peace, as the most different religions, confessions and worldviews coexisted peacefully here. Among other things, a small Szekler community lives here, which, since the Middle Ages, has followed Jewish customs. They are the Saturdays. In the second half of the XIX century, most of them convert to the Israelite religion, and at the beginning of our story, they are Szeklers with Jewish identity. They live undisturbed with the rest of the village's population, but when Northern Transylvania is annexed to Hungary, suddenly, Budapest's politics rush into their lives. Henceforth, ethnic origin and religious identity becomes a matter of life and death.

The candles of justice, by Csaba Székely commemorates the ordeal of those in Bezidul Nou. The author approaches this decidedly poignant subject with deep empathy and his signature humor. It opens a window to the existence of a community where everyone has always gotten along very well, except for the four years in history when the authority involved itself violently in people's lives. The drama tells us the story of these four years. This absolute premiere is directed by Aba Sebestyén, with music by Tibor Cári.