Fr., 25. Sept.
|Kulturhaus Schwartzsche Villa
Susanna Sultana
Susanna Sultana is a moving song cycle inspired by the true story of Susanna Moshonov, exploring war, displacement, memory, and the unexpected connections between Jewish and Arab lives across generations.
Time & Location
25. Sept. 2026, 19:00 – 23:00
Kulturhaus Schwartzsche Villa, Grunewaldstraße 55, 12165 Berlin, Germany
About the event
The song cycle Susanna Sultana tells the incredible, true, and universal story of Susanna Moshonov (1920–2022).
Elena Kats-Chernin · Music
Susanne Felicitas Wolf · Text
Born in Sliven, Bulgaria, to Sephardic Jewish refugees, her experiences as a young woman during the Second World War leave a lasting mark on her: the consequences of Nazi terror throughout the Balkans, the persecution and disenfranchisement of Jewish people, and, not least, the labor camps in Bulgaria, of which more is suspected than truly known, and to which Susanna’s husband is also deported.
After the war, Susanna emigrates to Israel with her husband and children.
In a small settlement, she is assigned a house that previously belonged to an Arab family. As soon as she enters the house, Susanna senses the spirit and presence of the mother who had to leave her home for the sake of her family. She gives her the name “Sultana.”