Cultural program at the Jewish Museum Berlin in September 2016

23 September 2016 - 29. January 2017 
Exhibition GOLEM

Homunculi, cyborgs, robots, androids – the myth of a man who can create artificial life is the focus of the golem exhibition. Through the ages right up to this day, this best-known legendary Jewish figure has inspired generations of artists and writers. A figure molded from inanimate matter such as dust or earth is brought to life by means of ritual incantations and a specific combination of Hebrew letters. Created by a human, the golem becomes a helper, a companion, or a rescuer of a Jewish community in danger. In many stories, the golem runs out of control and becomes a threat to its creator. Through the golem figure, the exhibition addresses themes such as creativity, creation, power, and redemption. The exhibition shows the thematic richness of the subject and how it has been presented in medieval manuscripts, in complex narratives, and in works of art over the last two hundred years. Be it in painting, sculpture, object art, video, installation, photography, or illustration – the golem lives on and with it the question of what it means to be human. 
Catalogue: Kerber Verlag, 176 pages 
Location: Old Building, first level 
Opening Hours: Mon 10 am - 10 pm, Tue - Sun 10 am - 8 pm 
Admission: with the museum ticket (8 €, reduced 3 Euro) 
More information: www.jmberlin.de/golem/en 
Talks in the exhibition: sundays 2 pm, 80 min 
Admission: 3 € per person, additional to the entrance ticket

+++SAVE THE DATE+++: Press Conference on Thursday, 22 September, 11am (Accreditation and preview: 10-11 am)

7 September 
Panel Discussion 
TIMES OF CRISIS – On the significance of the past for the policies of different European countries in the current crises

Flight has become reality for over 60 million people worldwide in the 21st century. Hundreds of thousands sought refuge in the European Union in the summer of 2015. Less than 12 months elapsed between German "we can do it" optimism and the assessment that migration from war and crisis zones is an attack on the EU’s external borders. To date, there is no consensus on European asylum policy. On the contrary, the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine, the ongoing € debt crisis, Great Britain’s wish to leave the European Union, the crisis in Turkey, the threat of the "Islamic State" in Syria and Iraq and the terrorist attacks in European cities are confronting Europe with an endurance test with an uncertain outcome. In this context, the issue arises of European countries’ reactions to Germany’s stance – which is perceived as dominant – in the debate on European and refugee policy. Discussion about sustainable policy is often conducted with recourse to history. The panel discussion will focus on the significance of the past for the European countries’ present policy in the face of current problems including flight and migration movements in the EU. The Jewish Museum Berlin hosts this discussion of the following questions with international guests: How was the so-called refugee crisis discussed last year and how today in Germany, Poland, France, and the UK? And which historical references are made? Which memories of flight and expulsion are still in existence and are there renewed fears about Germany’s claim to European leadership? 
With Dan Diner, Adam Michnik, Dietmar Herz, Étienne François, and Hans Kundnani. Moderation: Ines Pohl – Correspondent Deutsche Welle, Washington 
Location: Old Building, Glass Courtyard 
Time: 7 pm 
Admission: free 
Bookings on tel. +49 (0)30 25 993 488 or reservierung@jmberlin.de

11 September 
Jazz in the Garden 
Libelid Quintet | Ambient Jazz

A highlight to round off – we look forward to the Libelind Quintet performace in the Museum Garden. The singer and songwriter Ola Bilińska and her Libelid Quintet from Sejny (Eastern Poland) breathes new life into Yiddish love poems of yesteryear and dresses them in modern minimalist jazz robes. Poems by Polish-Jewish poets such as Debora Vogel meet contemporary classical music – with inspiration from Steve Reich’s minimalism and spherical electro-acoustic jazz. 
In cooperation with the Polish Institute Berlin. 
Program for Children: Matryoshka mask-making. 
Location: Museum Garden (in bad weather in the Old Building, Glass Courtyard) 
Admission: free 
Time: 11 am –1 pm

13 September 
ARTE Film Première and Discussion. Program Surrounding the GOLEM Exhibition 
Golem

Documentary by Torsten Striegnitz and Simone Dobmeier, ARTE/rbb 2016, approx. 52 min 
The golem is a figure from Jewish mysticism that has arisen time and again in poetry and literature and inspired numerous filmmakers and visual artists. The golem theme has shifted across the ages to reflect the fears and desires of the respective eras. In times of crisis particularly, this mythical, human-like creature has boomed. The film Golem – Die Legende vom Menschen which was made to mark the big golem exhibition at the Jewish Museum Berlin, traces the origins and development of the golem figure from the Bible and the Talmud through works by Goethe to science fiction films – it is an exciting journey through two thousand years of cultural history. 
Following the movie première, there will be a panel discussion with Peter Schäfer (Director, Jewish Museum Berlin) and Torsten Striegnitz (filmmaker), moderated by Stephan Abarbanell (Head of Culture Programs rbb). 
Location: W. Michael Blumenthal Academy, Hall 
Admission: free 
Time: 7 pm 
Bookings on tel. +49 (0)30 25 993 488 or reservierung@jmberlin.de

Broadcast of the documentary: Sunday 25 September 2016 at 5.35 pm on ARTE.

16 September 
Congress 
Sites of Memory. Lost and entangled Narratives

When we talk about Berlin’s collective memory, the stories of many minorities are often overlooked. This the final conference of the project "Places of Remembrance. Forgotten and Interconnected Stories" addresses global and local history events and narratives from the perspective of Black Germans, Jews, Sinti and Roma, and other People of Color in their interconnectedness. In his keynote, Michael Rothenberg (University of California, Los Angeles) will introduce his multidirectional memory approach and illuminate perspectives on commemorative and memorial cultures. How marginalized stories can be told and made visible will be discussed in the concluding panel discussion. 
The grand finale of the program is a concert with Tayo Onutor. The Afro-Sintezza plays Soul, Jazz and R’n’B, in German, English and Romanes. She is accompanied by bluespianist Ernie Schmiedel. 
The detailed program and information on the speakers and the project are available online at Sites of Memory. Lost and Entangled Narratives The congress is a cooperation with the Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences, Berlin. 
Location: W. Michael Blumenthal Academy, Hall 
Time: 9 am – 8 pm 
Admission: free 
Bookings on tel. +49 (0)30 25 993 488 or reservierung@jmberlin.de

20 September 
Book Presentation with the Author 
Leon de Winter: Geronimo

"Geronimo" was the code word to be used by SEALs Team 6 when Osama bin Laden was found. But has the hunt for the most wanted man in the world really been how we have been led to believe? Leon de Winter has created a secret backstory that sounds uncannily realistic. 
A novel about tragic failure and ingenious feats, about love and loss, about the imperfection of the world, and the perfection of music. 
A cooperation with the Literaturhandlung. 
Location: Old Building, second level, Great Hall 
Time: 7.30 pm 
Admission: 10 €, reduced 7 euros 
Bookings on tel. +49 (0)30 8824 250

27 September 
Book Presentation with the Author an the actor Ulrich Matthes 
Saul Friedländer: Wohin die Erinnerung führt. Mein Leben (Where memories lead- My life)

Saul Friedlander is just a child when the Second World War comes to an end. Gently and in wonderful language, the great historian tells of the Holocaust and his life afterwards, which is rich in experiences and encounters, but remains the life of an uprooted soul. "Wohin die Erinnerung führt" is a great testimony of an era and at the same time allows unusually open insights into the fragile emotional worlds of survivors. 
A cooperation with the Literaturhandlung. 
Location: Old Building, second level, Great Hall 
Time: 7.30 pm 
Admission: 10 €, reduced 7 euros 
Bookings on tel. +49 (0)30 8824 250

28 September 
Film Showing and Discussion in with the director Férid Boughedir 
Villa Jasmin

France, 2008, 87 min, French/Arabic original soundtrack with English subtitles. 
Twenty years after he had to leave Tunis as a child, Serge Boccara goes in search of traces of his childhood with his fiancée in 1976. At his parents’ grave and in their former home, the Villa Jasmin, he delves into the history of his Jewish family. At the heart of his memories is his father, who came from an eminent Sephardic family, joined the socialist movement, and fought for the independence of Tunisia. After the German invasion, he was deported to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. This film tells of the life of Tunisian Jews from the early to mid-20th century and provides insight into the little-known period of the German occupation in Tunisia. 
The film will be followed by a public discussion in English Language. 
An event as part of the series "Between Marrakech and Mashhad" within the thematic focus "Jews in Islamic Countries" of the Jewish-Islamic Forum. 
Location: Old Building, second level, Great Hall +++ relocated +++ 
Time: 7 pm 
Admission: free 
Bookings on tel. +49 (0)30 25993 488 or reservierung@jmberlin.de