Homecoming

Kari Melhuus Jenssen’s “Homecoming”, a theater performance about Jewish life in Trondheim.
Jewish cultural festival Trondheim in collaboration with Trøndelag theater and Den kulturelle
the school bag.

Creator of the show’s script and direction as well as actor is Kari Melhuus Jenssen.
Played in the Teaterkelleren at Trøndelag theatre.

When the war was over, the Jewish population in Trondheim was halved. The Jews who came
return to the city, either from captivity or escape, now stood on bare ground. Both assets and
property had been taken from them during the war, and they did not get it all back afterwards
the liberation. Nevertheless, it was a relief to come home, but at the same time there was a strong despair
over everyone who was gone. Many Jews had a desire to rebuild the Jewish community in
Trondheim, although anti-Semitism could also appear after liberation.

Certain Jews were heavily involved in the rebuilding of Trondheim after the war, and used
such activity to distance themselves from the memories of the atrocities. Other Jews had
difficulties in distancing themselves from memories of the inhumanity they had experienced.
Common for most Jews after liberation was the silence about what they had experienced.
The Holocaust is well portrayed through documentaries, books and films. But what happened
really with those Jews who returned home? And what is a home when you have no family
or a house to return to?

Through interviews with contemporary witnesses and descendants, Kari Melhuus Jenssen has created one
performance that deals with the return of the Jews to Trondheim in 1945.
The performance was Kari Melhuus Jenssen’s master’s thesis in drama and theater NTNU in 2022.
Since then, the performance has been performed a number of times, both in Oslo and Trøndelag. From January 2024
the performance, through DKS, will visit several secondary schools and upper secondary schools in
Trøndelag

The performance is produced with support from NTNU, Fritt Ord, Sparebanken Nidaros, Trondheim
Historical Association and Jewish Museum Trondheim.
Today, Kari studies pedagogy at NTNU and works as a guide and pedagogue at Jødisk
museum Trondheim.

Director, script and actor: Kari Melhuus Jenssen.