Modern Jewish Art in Berlin- Jewish Museum Berlin

Photograph by Suzanne Lettrick

Daniel Libeskind's architectural design of the Jewish Museum in Berlin, named "Between the Lines" refers to the shape of the buildings as seen from above, resembling a deconstructed Star of David. It symbolizes the tensions of German-Jewish history, and causes the visitor to emotionally react to and reflect upon the design of the museum. The Jewish Museum in Berlin opened in September 2001, fifty six years after the end of Nazi Germany.

Modern Jewish Art in Berlin- Art Show Interviews

SILVIA DZUBAS

What drew you to Berlin as an artist?

"I was born here [in East Berlin]."

Is there something about Berlin that inspires your art?

"No."

Do you think that your jewish identity is always or sometimes incorporated into you art? How?

"Yes!...my father was from a concentration camp, so you [can't really ignore that]... jewish history [is an influence]. "

What is Jewish art?

"[We are all] human beings...Art is so free that there is not a jewish style. That's bullshit. [There are] colors...and [art is] emotional."

NORMA DRIMMER

What drew you to Berlin as an artist?

"I was born in Berlin after the [second world] war."

Is there something about Berlin that inspires your art?

"I have seen all of the historical events..."

Do you think that your jewish identity is always or sometimes incorporated into you art? How?

"Not specifically Jewish...You are somewhat informed from where you come from."

DEBORA GUTMAN

What drew you to Berlin as an artist?

"I was born here."

Is there something about Berlin that inspires your art?

"No."

Do you think that your jewish identity is always or sometimes incorporated into you art? How?

"Not really...there are some words."

What is Jewish art?

"The way I paint and the way I see the world [can be Jewish]...but I am just human...[it is] artistic."

DAFNA GROSSMAN

What drew you to Berlin as an artist?

"I came because Berlin was honest...it is ugly and beautiful at the same time...and not static....without ugliness there is no beauty; and without beauty there is no ugliness."

Is there something about Berlin that inspires your art?

"I am a photographer, so I use locations."

Do you think that your jewish identity is always or sometimes incorporated into you art? How?

"More my Israeli identity...I moved two years ago."

What is Jewish art?

"Also a Christian can make Jewish art...[But] just because it is a star of David does not mean it is Jewish art."

Jewish Cultural Identity in Berlin Interviews Part 2

Dalia Grinfeld

Student at the Jewish High School (Juedische Oberschule) in Berlin

Age 15

Jewish

Born in Germany

How would you define your cultural identity?

“German, but a very Jewish German”

What does it mean to be Jewish in Berlin today?

"I think it is not hard [to be Jewish in Berlin] anymore... I live my way, I go my way and I don't have problems because I’m Jewish. … Actually in Berlin, you have [some Muslim] areas you can’t go… But I’m not there so I don't have these problems.

"[Non-Jews] don't know us, they don't know Jew in Berlin... and so you are something special, you are something very, very special. They all say 'Wow, you are Jewish! You're the first Jew I know! Wow! Can I ask you questions?’... They are German and just German and most of them are Christian and they have their own community in Berlin."

German Navoyenko

Student at the Jewish High School (Juedische Oberschule) in Berlin

Age 16

Jewish

Born in Ukraine

Moved to Berlin 1998

How would you define your cultural identity?

“German”

What does it mean to be Jewish in Berlin today?

"It is a big honor because I have the possibility to do something new, to show the world how Jewish people live in Germany... Many, many people are thinking 'ok Jewish people living in Germany - how could they do this because of what happened 60 years ago?' and we have to show to the world how to act with some people like [the Nazis]... and to show the [rest of the Jewish world] that we are Jewish just like they are."

Esther Smith

High School Student in Berlin

Age 17

Jewish

Born in Germany

How would you define your cultural identity?

“Jewish German”

What does it mean to be Jewish in Berlin today?

“I think it's good that I’m living here because somebody needs to... build the Judaism up here more…We're getting really strong now. [But] a lot of people are [still] not coming back because of the Holocaust, but I think it’s right to live here because it should be developed."

Nataniel Satanowski

High School Student in Berlin

Age 17

Jewish

Born in Germany

How would you define your cultural identity?

“Jewish”

What does it mean to be Jewish in Berlin today?

"I think the Jewish life should go on in Berlin where Nazi Germany had the power 65 years ago. I think it is important that there are Jews in Germany.”

David Wainstejn

Student at the Jewish High School (Juedische Oberschule) in Berlin

Age 17

Jewish

Born in Germany

How would you define your cultural identity?

“half Israeli, half German, and all Jewish

What does it mean to be Jewish in Berlin today?

“Nothing. It's just I am [a] Jew living in Berlin... it's just normal...You always have anti-Semitism in every country, in every city, so it's easier if you have your own background, you have your own friends… Because in my opinion... when you have a connection [with someone] not just because you're friends… it's closer."

Lily Smith

High School Student in Berlin

Age 17

Jewish

Born in Germany

How would you define your cultural identity?

“Believer”

What does it mean to be Jewish in Berlin today?

"[Being Jewish] means a lot to me... [I feel I have a] duty to do it because [I] just want to keep it alive and…want to do so much for it to keep it strong."

Sharon Bajda

Student at the Jewish High School (Juedische Oberschule) in Berlin

Age 14

Jewish

Born in Germany

How would you define your cultural identity?

“Jewish German”

What does it mean to be Jewish in Berlin today?

"I mostly have Jewish friends, my community is Jewish, my best friend is Jewish, my mom [and] my dad are Jewish, so I am [also] Jewish."

David Ohayon

Student at the Jewish High School in Berlin

Age 17

Jewish

Born in Germany

How would you define your cultural identity?

“Jewish German bound to Israel”

What does it mean to be Jewish in Berlin today?

"I think it doesn’t matter if I am Jewish living in Germany because of course there is some big history here in Germany, but I think we have to move on and not be stuck in remembering stuff about things that happened to us. [Instead we need to] just to go on and be open here to Germany and to find how to make [our] life here and stay happy."

Alina Putilin

Student at the Jewish High School in Berlin

Age 15

Jewish

Born in Germany

How would you define your cultural identity?

“Jewish kid that lives in Germany”

What does it mean to be Jewish in Berlin today?

"I live my whole life [in Germany]... I have different friends: Jewish friends and not Jewish friends but there isn’t a difference."

Modern Jewish Art in Berlin- Large Holocaust Figures

Each figure has a different colored triangle. The triangle color represents the type of person persecuted.

The Ravenbrück Concentration Camp can be seen in the background.

The yellow triangle stands for the Jewish victims.

Online Interview with artist STUART N.R. WOLFE:

What inspired you to create these figures?

"The question of reconciliation, meaning the way forward into the future, can only be achieved if all side are part of the process. That means that the commemoration must include all people who where in the concentration camps."

What points did you want to get across to the public?

"Most Germans and Berliners are not aware, that deportations of Jews and Political prisoners to various concentration camps departed at the Anhalter Bahnhof [train station] in the middle of the city under the very eyes of everyone. Extra carriages where simply attached to the regular trains."

The figures can now be seen at the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp for women (90 kilometers north of Berlin).

For more information, visit the artist's website.

Modern Jewish Art in Berlin- Youth Arts

The arts are very prominent among Jewish youth in Berlin. Among other activities, Jewish teens at the Youth Center Olam gather to practice dances and songs about being Jewish, one of which they recently performed at two different Jewish song contests. In February, they placed first at Jewrovision, a contest that took place in Cologne, Germany, and then, in May, they placed third at Jeurovision, a European Jewish song contest that was held in Sweden where teams from ten countries were represented. The Jewish teens also spent one freezing winter day in Berlin creating a music video about being Jewish for which they took the song "Single Ladies" by Beyonce and changed the lyrics. The message they wanted to convey to viewers is that it doesn't matter who you are or what you look like--you should be proud of being Jewish.

Links to videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXZl5fdHeRU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLjaU6cGiWo

At the Jewish High School in Berlin (Jüdische Oberschule), art classes are a requirement. When asked what they thought Jewish art was, students at the youth center had various responses. One teen said that a person can be "Jewish, but it [might] not be shown in the pictures [or paintings]." Another said it depends on if the artists "want to think of it as Jewish art." One student said that she liked to express her own identity in her art. "Art is an important part of any education [not only a Jewish one]." Another student said that art is important in relating to Judaism because it can educate people about the Holocaust. Art is supported and encouraged throughout Berlin and

the Jewish community.

Modern Jewish Art in Berlin- The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Inside the Information Center.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews in Berlin, designed by architect Peter Eisenman is made up of about 2,700 gray rectangular blocks that are short at the edges of the memorial but increase in height as a person walks toward its center. The entire site encompasses about 19,000 square meters (roughly the size of a small city block) and is accessible through narrow walkways. In addition, the memorial includes an underground information center with exhibition designed by Dagmar von Wilcken, which repeats the rectangular shapes seen above ground within ceilings, floors, and displays.

The idea for the memorial originated from non-Jewish Germans, starting out as a grass roots initiative by citizens collecting signatures in support of the project. Eventually politicians got on board and after much discussion, a site in the center of Berlin was found and the government decided to fund the project. In 2003, five years after inception, construction on the project began, and in 2005, the memorial opened.

Unlike the information center, where visitors can obtain facts about the Holocaust and the persecution of Jews during the Nazi era, the memorial upstairs, which contains no writing or inscriptions, has remained controversial. An important aspect of Eisenman's design is its purposeful lack of overt symbolism, which has been criticized by some. There is no obvious title, there are no names displayed, and there are no inscriptions on the blocks. Moreover, the architect never explained why he chose the design he did, nor did he comment on any particular reactions it might elicit as a response.

As a result, visitors come up and walk away with manifold interpretations of their own. Some have said they feel lost and sad inside; but due to the memorial’s grid pattern, others literally see a light at the end of the walkway or “tunnel.” From an aerial view, the blocks form a wave, which is a result of the difference in height between the different stelae. Some also say the blocks seen from above resemble an aerial view of Auschwitz. Walking further into the memorial, some may experience calm; others say it reminds them of walking through a graveyard.