The Grain of the Wood: A Play about Justine Wise Polier at Scarsdale Library

The Grain of the Wood a play about the life of Justine Wise Polier, a visionary family court judge, dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged children and fighting social injustice will be performed at the Scarsdale Library at 3 pm on March 9. The first woman justice in New York State, Polier demonstrated her activist nature throughout her life, whether working undercover in a NJ textile mill or ruling against racial and religious discrimination in her courtroom. The daughter of prominent Rabbi Stephen S. Wise and child advocate Louise Waterman Wise, Polier worked with close friend Eleanor Roosevelt to open a school for delinquent boys in NY and mobilized to rescue 20,000 German refugee children desperate to escape Hitler, going up against fierce anti-Semitism in the US. She was also a vocal supporter of Israel and a leader in the American Jewish Congress.

The playwright is Ellen W. Kaplan, a professor of theatre at Smith College in Northampton, MA. She is collaborating with Debra Bradley Ruder, a Massachusetts-based journalist and granddaughter of Polier's. The script draws on Polier's vast collection of papers and the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe, along with materials from other archives, books, Congressional records, newspapers and interviews with people who knew her personally and professionally. The three-person play celebrates Polier's life while exploring deeper questions of, "Did I make a difference? What more could I have done?"

A discussion with the cast and producer will follow the play.

RSVP to (914) 937-3151 or [email protected]
$10 suggested donation. Refreshments will be served.

Sunday March 9 at 3 pm
Scott Room at the Scarsdale Library
54 Olmsted Road (at Post Rd.), Scarsdale, NY