The opening reception for the exhibition hosted by UCLA Hillel will examine some of the most potent and enduring expressions of the Zionist vision and their origins in cities like Vienna and Berlin in the late 19th Century when the early Zionist movement took shape. This event is open to all students and the community.
Thursday, October 27, 20167:00 PM - 9:00 PMThe Dortort Center Galleries574 Hilgard AvenueLos Angeles,
Co-sponsored by Hillel at UCLA , the UCLA Department of Germanic Languages, the German Consulate General in Los Angeles, the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies, and the Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History at UCLA.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
The dream of refuge from antisemitism, freedom from the arbitrary dictates of despots, and a place for Jewish religion and culture to flourish gained in popularity in the late 19th century. Yet, some of the most potent and enduring expressions of the Zionist vision emanated from assimilated Jews in cities like Vienna and Berlin, where Jews enjoyed unprecedented rights and prosperity in this period. The organizational and financial capacity of the early Zionist movement was rooted in German lands, and German was the lingua franca for a global conversation about the future of the Jewish people. Diverse and contested dreams of a Jewish homeland too shape in German-speaking Jewish communities across Central Europe, whose allegiance to Kaiser and fatherland was often as strong as their attachment to Judaism. World War I transformed the political landscape of Europe and the course of the Zionist movement.
The new political constellation, the end of the Ottoman Empire and the Balflour Declaration of 1917, brought an end to the dominant role of German speaking Zionist leaders.The leadership shifted mainly to East European leaders such as Chaim Weizmann, a British citizen of Russian origin. In the following decades, the rise of the Nazi party encouraged many to consider emigration to Palestine, an option that was previously highly unappealing for most German Jews, and Zionism took on a new importance for Central European Jewry.
OPENING RECEPTION
Visitors will be able to take a guided tour of the exhibition led by UCLA Professor and Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History David Myers during the opening reception.
When: October 27 (7-9 PM) Where: The Dortort Center Galleries, 574 Hilgard Avenue
Sponsor(s): Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies, Germanic Languages, UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies, Hillel at UCLA, German Consulate General in Los Angeles, Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History at UCLA