The Jewish Museum in Berlin was definitely a meaningful experience for a museologist (and half-Jew) like me. But it sounds like their current exhibit “The Whole Truth” is causing a lot of controversy in more ways than one. To help educate postwar generations who are largely uninformed and have no memories of Nazi Germany, various Jewish people sit on a pink felt cushion in a glass box each day and talk to visitors. People ask such questions as “Why are you always causing trouble?”, “Do Jews have big noses?”, “How does someone become a Jew?” and “Can you make jokes about the Holocaust?” Basically it’s like a sequel to one of my favourite Woody Allen films, Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Jews* (*But Were Afraid To Ask). Since the museum opened in 2001, thousands of comments have been collected in its 800 visitors’ books. The curators whittled down 32 of the most frequently asked questions, which serves as the backbone of the exhibit. The most popular question “Are there still Jews in Germany?” is the reason behind the controversial “Jew in the Showcase”. Some believe it to be contrived or dehumanising. The idea of a living Jew serving as a museum display in the former capital of the Nazi Reich has touched a nerve. A woman on the museum’s Facebook page wrote, “Our grandparents and friends spent enough time in boxcars on the way to concentration camps. How dare you!” Some have compared it to Adolf Eichmann in a bulletproof box at his trial in Israel, others are reminded of animals displayed at the zoo. Although it was meant to be educational and thought-provoking, there is more to see than just the “Jew in a box” piece. Throughout the display, literary and documentary voices speak out about the Jewish identity, controversial opinions, social debates, counter questions, and the effects of stereotypical images. There are also a number of historical artifacts. The exhibit runs through September of 2013.
The Jewish Museum in Berlin
