The Whole Truth
... everything you always wanted to know about Jews
An exhibition of the Jewish Museum Berlin in cooperation with the Jewish Museum Hohenems
Trailer for the exhibition
A Rabbi is asked why Jews always answer a question with another question. "Why not?" he replies. The response throws the question back to the asker, provoking him or her to rethink the matter independently. At the same time, refusing to answer the question expresses the belief that there are no right or wrong answers, but a large number of valid responses.
With the exhibition "The Whole Truth," the Jewish Museum Berlin confronts various questions about Judaism and being Jewish: the FAQs, the difficult questions, the funny questions, the clever questions, and the questions that really have no answer.
"What happens to the notes in the Wailing Wall?" - Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz during the cleaning of the Western Wall
© Western Wall Heritage Foundation
Some of them make the questioner uneasy, some are politically incorrect, while others betray something about the person who asks them.
How does someone become a Jew? What am I, if my mother is Christian and my father is Jewish? What is the Jewish take on Jesus and Mohammed? Are the Jews a Chosen People?
With an even-handed and witty touch, we present questions through extraordinary objects and installations taken from religious practice, everyday life and contemporary art.
"How do you recognize a Jew?"
"Angry Birds" kippah for children and "Mercedes" kippah
© Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
One of the installations guides visitors through 70 Jewish hats, among them a shtreimel, a borsalino, a mitznefet, and kippot with motifs of a Mercedes’s star and Angry Birds – some are traditional, some are funny, others are commercial items. Some Jewish hats took their shapes from historical dress regulations and can be understood, even today, as signs of religious as well as ideological and political identification and affiliation. Other head coverings are discreet symbols of an affiliation that the wearer wishes to demonstrate to the outside world.
"Ask the Rabbi"
Seven rabbis (left to right): Joshua Spinner, Irith Shillor, Daniel Katz, Julien-Chaim Soussan, Jonah Sievers, Avichai Apel, Gábor Lengyl
© Jewish Museum Berlin, photos: Thomas Valentin Harb
In a life-size film installation, visitors encounter rabbinic answers to questions concerning religious laws in everyday life. Seven rabbis in service in Germany provide information from various perspectives – orthodox, liberal, conservative, progressive – and to various questions: Can a person be Jewish without being circumcised? Can a Jew ever stop being a Jew? What is the significance of Jesus and Muhammad for Judaism?
In our blog you can gain insight into the shooting of this film.
"Jews in a showcase"
© Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
"Are there any Jews left in Germany?" This question is answered by means of a highly unusual 'exhibit.' At selected times, a Jewish guest will take a seat in a showcase and will – if desired – react to visitors’ questions and comments. If you would like to know the names of our invited showcase guests in advance, please consult our facebook-page or follow our tweets.
Duration
22 March 2013 - 1 September 2013
Where
Old Building, first level
Admission
Admission with the museum ticket (7 euros, reduced rate 3,50 euros)
Throughout the exhibition, literary and documentary voices speak about Jewish identity today. Visitors will not receive simple or 'right' answers, but will hear a multitude of opinions varying according to the speakers. The exhibition presents 180 objects which offer insight into Jewish thinking and inner-Jewish questions of identity, in particular those that develop in a non-Jewish environment.
"The Whole Truth" picks up on controversial social debates, asks counter questions and sensitizes the viewers to stereotypical images and patterns of thought. And, every once in a while, a question will be answered. For instance, here:
Publication
The JMB Journal no. 8 accompanies the 2013 spring exhibition "The Whole Truth …everything you always wanted to know about Jews." In 100 pages and nine essays, it addresses questions pertaining to Judaism and Jewish identity that are echoed in the exhibition's topics. And so, for example, the Swiss literary scholar Caspar Battegay explores the possibility of representing "Jewish normality" in contemporary German film, the British columnist and documentary filmmaker Toby Lichtig analyzes the debates surrounding the practice and ritual of circumcision, the Berlin-based columnist Leeor Engländer zeros in on stereotypes, and the Talmud scholar Daniel Boyarin answers questions on Shabbat, sex and Satan.
Events Accompanying the Exhibition
Accompanying the exhibition, the museum offers a film series on the theme, an evening with three rabbis answering questions, as well as guided tours through the exhibition and a workshop for students and young adults.
30 May 2013, 7.30 pm
How can a Jew go to Heaven? - One question, three answers
Collage for the exhibition "The Whole Truth"
© KatzKaiser/nondesign, Jörg Waschat
Three Rabbis from different denominations - one Orthodox, one liberal, and one conservative - answer ordinary and not so ordinary questions about Judaism.
Moderator: Cilly Kugelmann
When
30 May 2013, 7.30 pm
Where
Libeskind Building, second level, Great Hall
Admission
5 euros, reduced rate 3 euros
Ticket reservation
Tel. +49 (0)30 259 93 488 or
reservierung@jmberlin.de
Monday Movies
15 April 2013, 7.30 pm
Der Weg nach Mekka - Die Reise des Muhammad Asad
[The Road to Mecca - The Journey of Muhammad Asad]
Directed by Georg Misch
Austria, 2008, 92 mins, various languages (German subtitles)
![Still from the film "Der Weg nach Mekka - Die Reise des Muhammad Asad" [The Road to Mecca - The Journey of Muhammad Asad]](/main/img/ausstellungen/sonderausstellungen/2013-ganze-wahrheit/weg-nach-mekka.jpg "Still from the film \"Der Weg nach Mekka - Die Reise des Muhammad Asad\" [The Road to Mecca - The Journey of Muhammad Asad]")
Still from the film "Der Weg nach Mekka - Die Reise des Muhammad Asad"
© mindjazz pictures
When
15 April 2013, 7.30 pm
Where
Old Building, ground level, Auditorium
Admission
free
Ticket reservation
Admission with seat ticket only (available at the cash desk)
Tel. +49 (0)30 259 93 488 or
reservierung@jmberlin.de
In his early 20s, the Jew Leopold Weiss set off on a trip to the Middle East. He left Judaism behind him, converted to Islam, and changed his name to Muhammad Asad.
Asad is one of the most important Muslims of the 20th century. He was an advisor at the Royal Court of Saudi Arabia, a translator of the Koran, a founder of Pakistan and then its Ambassador to the UN.
Trailer for "Der Weg nach Mekka - Die Reise des Muhammad Asad" by Georg Misch.
29 April 2013, 7.30 pm
Hats of Jerusalem
Directed by Nati Adler
Israel, 2006, 52 mins, original version with English subtitles
When
29 April 2013, 7.30 pm
Where
Old Building, ground level, Auditorium
Admission
free
Ticket reservation
Admission with seat ticket only (available at the cash desk)
Tel. +49 (0)30 259 93 488 or
reservierung@jmberlin.de
Hats are not just a basic protection from weather. This film explores the diversity of characteristic headwear in Jeruaselem. Behind every type of hat is a story, explored by the filmmaker Nati Adler in this quirky yet informative documentary.
Trailer for "Hats of Jerusalem" by Nati Adler
13 May 2013, 7.30 pm
David
Directed by Joel Fendelman
USA, 2011, 80 mins, in English
Trailer for "David" by Joel Fendelman
When
13 May 2013, 7.30 pm
Where
Old Building, ground level, Auditorium
Admission
free
Ticket reservation
Admission with seat ticket only (available at the cash desk)
Tel. +49 (0)30 259 93 488 or
reservierung@jmberlin.de
Daud is an 11-year-old boy from Brooklyn. After a misunderstanding, he is perceived to be Jewish, and called David. He makes friends with his peers, young Jewish boys, and is caught in a conflict-he is the son of an Imam.
27 May 2013, 7.30 pm
Hava Nagila
Directed by Roberta Grassman
USA, 2012, 73 mins, in English
Trailer for "Hava Nagila" by Roberta Grassman
When
27 May 2013, 7.30 pm
Where
Old Building, ground level, Auditorium
Admission
free
Ticket reservation
Admission with seat ticket only (available at the cash desk)
Tel. +49 (0)30 259 93 488 or
reservierung@jmberlin.de
Everybody knows this Hebrew song: from the school choir or the version by Harry Belafonte, as party music or the background to sporting events. This film reveals the power of a single song that expresses and preserves identity, and tells stories while bridging cultural differences.
10 June 2013, 7.30 pm
Jew by Choice
Directed by David Bernet/Robert Ralston
Germany, 2007, 54 mins, in German
When
10 June 2013, 7.30 pm
Where
Old Building, ground level, Auditorium
Admission
free
Ticket reservation
Admission with seat ticket only (available at the cash desk)
Tel. +49 (0)30 259 93 488 or
reservierung@jmberlin.de
Up to 100 German Christians or atheists annually register a request to convert with Jewish communities in Germany and Israel. This film shows how and why people choose to act on their desire to identify with Judaism, how they interact with their old environments, and how they are absorbed into their new ones.
Trailer for "Jew by Choice" by David Bernet and Robert Ralston
