The play “Ottla—Franz Kafka’s Favorite Sister” tells the story of Ottla Kafka, her family, her deportation, and her fate during the Nazi persecution.
A play about Ottilie Kafka and her fate during the Shoah
On October 29, 1892, Ottilie Kafka—known as Ottla—was born. She was Franz Kafka’s youngest and most beloved sister, who held a special place in his life. The play “Ottla—Franz Kafka’s Favorite Sister” tells the story of Ottla David’s life with her family in Prague and her deportation to Theresienstadt. Upon her arrival at the Theresienstadt ghetto, Ottla is assigned to care for the children at the orphanage. Also there is the Jewish camp doctor Felix Hershkovitz, who survived Theresienstadt and later told Ottla’s daughters about his encounter with her. Ottla’s letters to her two daughters have also been preserved.
The situation came to a head. Ottla volunteered to accompany a “Kindertransport” of Jewish Polish children to Auschwitz. Felix wanted to dissuade her from doing so in order to save her. For Ottla, the spiritual connection to her brother remained ever-present even during this time. Franz Kafka is present in the play through various quotations.
All three of Franz Kafka’s sisters were murdered in the Shoah.
