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Collage in gray-blue on an orange background with a blue zigzag line: the head of a man in a diving bell, his hand holding a hose, next to it a manometer.

CATASTROPHE. ACTION FROM THE UNDERGROUND

Tour of the Exhibition “My Verses are Like Dynamite.” Curt Bloch’s Het Onderwater Cabaret

The tour connects the exhibition “My Verses are Like Dynamite.” Curt Bloch’s Het Onderwater Cabaret” with the core exhibition epoch room Catastrophe.

Past event

Map with all buildings that belong to the Jewish Museum Berlin

Where

Jewish Museum Berlin
Lindenstraße 9–14, 10969 Berlin

Where, when, what?

Between 1933 and 1945, the Nazi regime enacted hundreds of measures targeting Jews. These are printed on giant banners that hang from the ceiling of the core exhibition, creating an installation that lets the extent and perfidiousness of state-sanctioned antisemitism be spatially experienced.

For Curt Bloch, the 1933 Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service marked the end of his career as an attorney in Germany. He emigrated to the Netherlands, where he went underground in May 1940 following the German occupation. From his hiding place in Enschede, he created a unique work of creative resistance: Week by week, from August 1943 to April 1945, he put together a magazine featuring handwritten poems that dealt with Nazi propaganda as well as other themes: “Het Onderwater Cabaret.”

This tour examines the impact of the National Socialists’ anti-Jewish policies on Jews in Germany, as well as the potential for Jews in the Netherlands to take action.

Het Onderwater-Cabaret from Jan 15, 1944; Jewish Museum Berlin, Konvolut/816, Curt Bloch Collection, on loan from the Charities Aid Foundation America thanks to the generous support of Curt Bloch's family

Collage with writing: Doktor Göbbels Mummenschanz. The picture shows a figure in a Nazi military uniform with the head of a lion.

Het Onderwater-Cabaret from Jan 15, 1944; Jewish Museum Berlin, Konvolut/816, Curt Bloch Collection, on loan from the Charities Aid Foundation America thanks to the generous support of Curt Bloch's family
Collage in gray-blue on an orange background with a blue zigzag line: the head of a man in a diving bell, his hand holding a hose, next to it a manometer.

Exhibition “My Verses are Like Dynamite” Curt Bloch’s Het Onderwater Cabaret: Features & Programs

Exhibition Webpage

“My Verses are Like Dynamite” Curt Bloch’s Het Onderwater Cabaret: 9 Feb to 23 Jun 2024

Publications

JMB Journal 26: Het Onderwater Cabaret: Special edition on the occasion of the exhibition

See also

Digital Content

Where, when, what?

  • When9 Feb to 26 May 2024, by appointment
  • Duration90 Minuten
  • Where Jewish Museum Berlin
    Lindenstraße 9–14, 10969 Berlin
    See location on map

  • Costs per group45 € for school groups incl. admission
    60 € for adults reduced incl. admission
    90 € for adults incl. admission

    Booking requestWe offer guided tours for groups on the desired date. Please make your request at least 4 to 6 weeks before the desired date.

    ContactP +49 (0)30 259 93 305 (Mon-Fri, 10 am - 4 pm)
    visit@jmberlin.de

    Number of participants Up to 15

    Please note This tour is suitable for both adults and school classes from grades 9 to 13.

    Languages We offer this tour in German and English.

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