Oh, Jerusalem! Berlin exhibition encapsulates troubled past, sobering present
THE IRISH TIMES
By Derek Scally in Berlin
When Germans talk of a Reise nach Jerusalem, they might be discussing a trip to the city recognised last week by US president Donald Trump as the capital of Israel. Or they might be referring to the game we know as musical chairs: too many people march around too few chairs and, when the music stops, the person who fails to grab a chair is excluded. Given that the game usually ends in tears, its German fits perfectly with Jerusalem’s 5,000-year history of too many groups fighting over contested spaces to the exclusion of one or more – often with catastrophic results. From now until April, anyone taking a trip to Berlin can take a quick detour to Jerusalem, in a striking new exhibition at the German capital’s Jewish Museum.[More]
By Derek Scally in Berlin
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| An ancient book with Jewish text, part of the “Welcome to Jerusalem” exhibition in Berlin. The diverse challenges Jerusalem faces are presented in historical displays, artistic reactions and medial staging. Photograph: Felipe Trueba/EPA |
