Events in February 2015

Special Exhibition "Snip it! Stances on Ritual Circumcision" and Accompanying Program

"Snip It! Stances on Ritual Circumcision" takes a careful look at the diversity of stances on the ritual circumcision of boys. Incisive in every sense of the term, the exhibition explores ritual circumcision as such, but also reflects a sense among many Jews and Muslims that they and their religious traditions are not welcome in Germany.

Starting from the Jewish concept of the Abrahamic covenant, which is sealed with a bodily sign, "Snip it!" illuminates circumcision from the perspective of the three monotheistic religions: from its roots in the ancient Orient, via the circumcision of Christ, right up to elements of popular culture with US television series.

Duration	24 October 2014 to 1 March 2015
Where	Old Building, first level
Admission	with the museum ticket (8 €, reduced rate 3 euros)
Opening Hours	Monday 10 am to 10 pm Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 8 pm
Public Tours	Sundays, 2 pm (3 € plus museum ticket)

Shadow puppet theater with Karagöz master Emin Şenyer and ensemble from Istanbul

Circumcision, or: The Wounded's Delight

Türkisch mit deutscher Simultanübersetzung

Turkish with German translation

The mischievous Karagöz ("black eye") is a mixture of Punch and "Simplicissimus," who encounters some dicey situations together with Hacivat, a reputable and educated citizen. The Sünnet shadow theater – in which Karagöz is circumcised as an adult in Prince costume – is part of the traditional circumcision ceremony. The tambourine and poems, word games and puzzles, folk stories and miniatures are all part of the shadow theater performance, drawing a satirical society portrait of the Ottoman Empire. Emin Şenyer is one of the few remaining active masters of Karagöz shadow theater, which UNESCO included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.

Also suited for children 7 years and up.

Supported by the Yunus Emre Institute

When	8 February 2015, 5 pm
Where	Old Building, second level, Great Hall
Admission	7 €, reduced rate 3 euros
Bookings	Tel. +49 (0)30 259 93 488 or reservierung@jmberlin.de

Monday Movies

Monsi€ Claude and his daughters

Claude and Marie Verneuil are a wealthy, conservative, Catholic couple in the French provinces. They have four daughters – Ségolène marries the Chinese Chao, Isabelle the Muslim Rachid, and Odile the Jew David. At least their youngest daughter, Laure, has chosen a French Catholic. When he comes for dinner for the first time, the parents are at the end of their tether – Charles is black. Claude and Marie take the wedding preparations as their opportunity to sabotage the unwelcome relationship.

When	23 February 2015, 7.30 pm
Where	Old Building, ground level, Auditorium
Admission	free
Bookings	Tel. +49 (0)30 259 93 488 or reservierung@jmberlin.de

Lecture

Possessed Bodies: Secular Body Politics and the German Circumcision Debate

n her talk, Dr. Schirin Amir-Moazami (Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Islamic Studies) approaches the question of why, in a specific historical moment, certain religious practices fall into the blinding light of publicity and inspire a variety of voices to speak, and on which understanding of religion and secularity this incentive to discourse is based. The circumcision debate is analyzed as part of secular body politics that sees the body as an expression of the self-determined subject.

The discussant, who will speak following the talk, will be Professor Christina von Braun (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, ZJS – Center for Jewish Studies).

When	26 February 2015, 7 pm
Where	Academy, Hall
Admission	free
Bookings	Tel. +49 (0)30 259 93 488 or reservierung@jmberlin.de

Academy Programs

How to Handle the Discrimination of Sinti and Roma?

Talk and panel discussion

The attitudes that Sinti and Roma still encounter range from a refusal to acknowledge through everyday rejection to open hatred. These often follow traditional prejudices. In his recent study "Sinti and Roma. The undesirable minority," the Berlin historian and former director of the Center for Research on Antisemitism Professor Wolfgang Benz analyzes the causes and effects of bias and their exploitation by the media and politics.

After the talk, the tasks faced by politics, civil society, and education will be discussed by: Prof. Wolfgang Benz (Technische Universität Berlin), Dr. Jane Schuch (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Dr. Andrés Nader (Regional Centre for Education, Integration, and Democracy, Berlin) and Barbara Loth (Permanent Secretary in the Senate Department for Labour, Integration and Women’s Issues).

Moderated by Isidora Randjelovic, IniRromnja.

A cooperation with the Academy of the Jewish Museum Berlin and the Regional Center for Political Education, Berlin.

When	12 February 2015, 7 pm
Where	Academy, Hall
Admission	free
Bookings	Tel. +49 (0)30 259 93 488 or reservierung@jmberlin.de

Lecture

Opening talk of the international symposium

Community Now?

The German-Israeli cooperation "Community Now?" poses questions about the design of bottom-up structures and their political implications in the context of the realities of both the countries’ societies. The focus of the two-day symposium from 20 to 21 February is a new community spirit that is defining current developments in Israel and Germany.

The art and architecture critic Hanno Rauterberg (DIE ZEIT) talks about the self-organized building of cities. Tal Balshai & Band create the musical framework.

A cooperation with the German Society for Design Theory and Research, Berlin University of the Arts, Bezalel Academy for Art and Design Jerusalem, and MadaMe at Berlin-Mehringplatz.

When	19 February 2015, 7 pm
Where	Old Building, second level, Great Hall
Admission	free
Bookings	www.community-now.org

Showcase Exhibition

Pictures Galore and Collecting Mania - Advertising in Miniature

The Jewish Museum Berlin continues its series of exhibitions on consumer and economic history with this exhibition about advertising. The starting point is a comprehensive collection of advertising stamps – stamp-sized images used mainly for corporate and product advertising that were donated to the museum by a private collector. Before the First World War, millions of these stamps were in circulation, sparking a veritable "collecting mania".

Duration	4 December 2014 to 31 May 2015
Where	Libeskind Building, basement, Rafael Roth Learning Center
Admission	with the museum ticket (8 €, reduced rate 3 euros)
Opening Hours	Monday 10 am to 10 pm Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 8 pm

Installation

Robot writes Torah scrolls

In the installation "bios [torah]" by the artist group robotlab, a human-sized robot takes on the role of a sofer, a Torah scribe whose task is to copy Torah scrolls. The robot picks up the copying labor of the sofer. The writing arm with its calligraphic nib and ink will work for ten hours every day at a human writing speed. By the end, it will have written more than 914.415 Hebrew letters and three Torah scrolls in the right-to-left direction of Hebrew script. The robot-written Torah cannot be used in the synagogue. It does not satisfy the requirements imposed upon a Torah scribe, who must write the text onto parchment obtained from kosher animals and use a quill pen with special ink. When the robot writes, it is devoid of intention, knows no blessings, and does not have the inner devotion of the trained sofer.

robotlab / Matthias Gommel, Martina Haitz, Jan Zappe

"bios [torah]" (2007/14), Robot Installation

Work on Hebrew calligraphy and typesetting: Sahar Aharoni, Karlsruhe

With the kind support of: ZKM Karlsruhe, KUKA Augsburg, LAMY Heidelberg, PAPIER UNION Karlsruhe, CORDIER Papier Bad Durkheim, WINTOPO Biggleswade/UK

Duration	10 July 2014 to 12 April 2015
Where	Libeskind Building, ground floor, Eric F. Ross Gallery
Admission	with the museum ticket (8 €, reduced rate 3 euros)
Opening Hours	Monday 10 am to 10 pm, Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 8 pm