The play 'Copenhagen,' written by Michael Frayn, is being performed at Jerusalem's Khan Theatre, revisiting the enigmatic 1941 meeting between physicists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg. The meeting, which took place in Nazi-occupied Copenhagen, has been the subject of historical debate regarding its implications for nuclear weapons development.
The production probes themes of truth, memory, and nuclear ethics, as the two scientists discuss the possibility of an atomic bomb during World War II. Heisenberg, who led Germany's nuclear program, and Bohr, a Danish physicist who later fled to the United States, had a conversation that remains shrouded in mystery.
According to historical records, the meeting occurred in September 1941, when Heisenberg visited Bohr in Copenhagen. The exact nature of their discussion is unknown, but it has been interpreted as an attempt by Heisenberg to gauge Allied progress on nuclear weapons or to seek moral guidance.
The Khan Theatre's staging brings this pivotal moment to contemporary audiences, highlighting the ethical dilemmas faced by scientists in times of war. The play originally premiered in London in 1998 and has since been performed worldwide.
