Art, Culture and Kippah

A film by Marina Farschid | 2021 | arte | mdr

2021 will mark the 1700th birthday of Judaism in Germany. Jewish life, with its synagogues, customs and traditions, would change the face of German and European cities over the next centuries. Only in the late 18th century, after the French Revolution and the Civil Code, an age of emancipation begins for European Jews – and with it, the existence of Jewish artists becomes visible for the first time. They push the boundaries of aniconism, rooted in orthodox judaism, and hold their ground self-confidently. The age of change and self-assertion ends in the holocaust. 

Today, Jewish culture is present again in everyday Europe. But what role did Jewish identity play for Jewish artists, in the past and today? How much did they identify with their religion, their customs and rituals? How much did they “illustrate” Jewish everyday life? Were they in touch with their roots or did they deny them? Are there even any traces of Jewish life left in Germany and Europe after the Shoah? The film will examine these questions and illustrate the search for answers by way of very different, Jewish, visual artists of the past 200 years.