With a large exhibition about the most famous Jewish legendary figure, the golem (Hebrew: גולם), the Jewish Museum Berlin has focused its attention on a narrative strand that continues to inspire artists, filmmakers, and writers to this day.
In this extensive catalog, experts from a variety of disciplines describe their associations with the objects in the exhibition. The volume is completed with excerpts from literary texts that have shaped the image of this legendary figure. The exhibition and the accompanying catalog shed light on the golem’s wealth of interpretations – from its origins in a ritual of Jewish mysticism to its heyday as an artificial creature in popular culture.
The catalog is available in German only, but you can read a selection of texts from the catalog in English online, too.
What is a golem?
Golem, a creature formed out of a lifeless substance that is brought to life by ritual incantations and sequences of Hebrew letters, origin in medieval Jewish mystics
Details
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GOLEM
184 pages with 100 color illustrations,
Kerber Verlag
Bielefeld and Berlin 2016ISBN: 978-3-7356-0277-0
available in German only
- Editors
Emily D. Bilski and Martina Lüdicke
for the Jewish Museums Berlin - Contributing Writers
Isaac Asimov, Caspar Battegay, Jorge Luis Borges,
Ronit Chacham, Joshua Cohen, Esther Dischereit,
Louisa Hall, Karin Harrasser, Anselm Kiefer,
Cilly Kugelmann, Hanno Loewy, Gustav Meyrink,
Robert Pinsky, Peter Schäfer, Jeffrey Shandler,
Helene Wecker, Paul Wegener et al. - Translations
Gertrud Baruch, Michael Ebmeyer, Armin Eidherr,
Gisbert Haefs, Dr. Tamar Lewinsky, Dr. Haim Mahlev,
Valerie Schneider, Otto Schrag, Stefan Siebers,
Michael Stavarič, Matthias Strobel - Design
Cee Cee Creative
- Price
29 euros (at the museum shop)
34 euros (regular bookstore price)
