“Here There Are Blueberries”: A Play Confronts the Banality of Evil at Auschwitz

A new play, “Here There Are Blueberries,” currently running in London, confronts audiences with a disturbing glimpse into the lives of SS officers stationed at Auschwitz. The production is based on a photo album compiled by Karl Friedrich Höcker, an adjutant to the camp commandant, Richard Baer, during 1944. The album, now held by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., depicts a seemingly ordinary life of leisure amongst those responsible for unimaginable atrocities.

The Album’s Disturbing Content

The photographs reveal SS officers and their families picnicking, hunting, and celebrating holidays near Auschwitz-Birkenau. One image, which lends the play its title, shows young women auxiliaries enjoying blueberries at a chalet approximately 20 miles from the camp [The Forward]. These scenes stand in stark contrast to the horrors unfolding within the concentration camp, where gas chambers were operating and prisoners were being tortured, and murdered.

A Reflection of “The Banality of Evil”

The play, written by Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich, aims to portray the Nazi perpetrators not as monsters, but as disturbingly ordinary people. This concept echoes Hannah Arendt’s theory of “the banality of evil,” as explored in her 1963 perform, Eichmann in Jerusalem [Cambridge University Press]. Kaufman suggests that the normalcy of these individuals is what makes their actions all the more unsettling.

Höcker’s Fate and the Album’s Legacy

Karl Höcker himself was never tried for murder or complicity in war crimes. He received a relatively light sentence for aiding and abetting and later lived a comfortable life as a retired bank employee [The Forward]. The album’s journey from his possession to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and now to the stage, underscores its importance as a historical artifact and a powerful reminder of the Holocaust.

The Play’s Message for Today

Kaufman emphasizes the play’s relevance in contemporary society, arguing that it prompts reflection on the dangers of indifference and the normalization of prejudice. He suggests that the play challenges audiences to consider their own complicity and responsibility in a world where “being different” can lead to discrimination and marginalization [Cambridge University Press].

“Here There Are Blueberries” ran until February 28th. More information can be found at www.heretherareblueberries.com.