From October 15, 2021 to March 31, 2022, the Jewish Museum of Belgium presents its new educational project “Caricatured Imagery of Jews throughout History. Outline of an unusual collection”.
Through an overview of the extraordinary collection assembled by Arthur Langerman, an Antwerp-born Belgian born in the middle of the war, it offers a glimpse into the collective madness represented by visual anti-Semitism, a phenomenon that is tracked here across continents and centuries. From pagan and religious anti-Judaism to social and political anti-Semitism, this didactic project presents an original and striking look at the representation of Jews, from the Middle Ages to the present day, and the stereotypes attached to them.
The presentation of multiplex-printed facsimiles includes paintings, engravings, wooden statuettes, photographs, archives, posters and postcards, as well as unusual objects such as beer mugs, kennels, enamel plates, ashtrays and matchboxes. While offering images from all origins, the designers have chosen to focus particularly on “Belgian” illustrations: from the alleged desecration of the hosts in Brussels (1370) to the textile vignettes made by some of the actors at the Aalst Carnival, Belgium is not to be outdone.
The panels are accompanied by objects and archives from the collections of the Jewish Museum of Belgium. A video module, dedicated to the collector Arthur Langerman, reveals his personal story, shedding light on his atypical career and his motivation, driven by the duty of remembrance.
The Jewish Museum of Belgium presents this project as part of its Educational Service, accredited by the “Democracy or Barbarism” department of the Wallonia-Brussels federation. À travers des visites guidées, le service éducatif propose d’interroger l’utilisation de stéréotypes, hier et comme aujourd’hui. Our “Let’s meet a Jew” workshops, in particular the “Myths and Stereotypes” activity, will be offered in conjunction with this educational exhibition, as will the possibility of organizing a meeting with a witness to the Holocaust.
