Mala & Edek - A tale of Auschwitz

The first play of the trilogy tells the story of Mala Zimetbaum and Edek Galinski who found love amidst the horror of Auschwitz. Based on survivors' testimonies it provides an insight into the harshness of camp life as well as highlighting the hope that helped to overcome the brutality of daily life.

Mala Zimetbaum was a young Jewish woman arrested in Belgium who ended up in Auschwitz. She was fortunate to work as a translator and worked as a Lauferin delivering messages around the camp when instructed by the SS officers. This presented her with an unusual degree of access and many testimonies speak of her utilising this opportunity to help others within the camp.

Edek Galinski was a member of the Polish army and was described as “extremely handsome, very manly, brave, willing to take risks”. Mala and Edek were very much in love and managed to see each other most days.

The play tries to piece together what these meetings were like. It tells how they first met, fell in love and planned their escape. But perhaps the most important part of the story is the impact they had on their fellow prisoners.

Mala & Edek will be performed at venues around the UK in 2005-2006. For further details, click here.

"few manage to combine the gravity of their subject matter with such a dramatically appealing narrative as this snatched, doomed love story...the Pole and his Belgian girlfriend share anxious yet tender moments that are never mawkish or sentimental, always underscored by the bleakness and danger of their affair, yet beautiful...without compromising realism"
Jay Richardson, The Scotsman

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