Theater play “Just One Day" by Martin Baltscheit

The Hermann and Karoline Hirschfeld family from Hohenems emigrated to Izmir in the 19th century to work in the textile trade. Their trail then leads further to Istanbul, to Vienna, to Frankfurt, and that of their descendants to Guatemala and back to visits in Hohenems.
The piece follows this journey with all its questions about life as a minority in the then multicultural Izmir as well as the personal conflicts of the characters, some of which are historically documented and some fictional.
Filmic sequences bring the historical narrative into the present, confronting today's conflicts and questions. Migration is a topic for the merchants of the Levant almost 180 years ago as well as for people who are migrating from Turkey today and in the recent past. Political themes mix with the psychological issues of individuals.
A fictional young couple from Austria embarks on a journey to the port city of Izmir in the Turkish Aegean region, initially still vague in their goals, then increasingly fascinated by the stories that unfold for them. They encounter Hermann and Karoline Hirschfeld; places and times no longer matter. The trip becomes a search for roots and Jewish heritage, for political and personal taboos, and for one's own freedom of mind.
The text was written by the Turkish-Jewish author Aksel Bonfil, who lives in Istanbul as a director and writer, based on research from the theater team.