Jewish RENAISSANCE A FRESH PERSPECTIVE ON JEWISH CULTURE SPONSORED BY DANGOOR EDUCATION JULY 2018 £7.25 TEARING UP THE RULES VIENNA’S CULTURE REVOLUTION IS THERE LIFE AFTER ROTH? AMOS OZ MOROCCO MEETS VENEZUELA The future of Jewish fiction Peace is still possible The restaurant that’s defying the crisis JR Pass on your love of Jewish culture for future generations Make a legacy to Jewish Renaissance ADD A LEGACY TO JR TO YOUR WILL WITH THIS SIMPLE FORM WWW.JEWISHRENAISSANCE.ORG.UK/CODICIL GO TO: WWW.JEWISHRENAISSANCE.ORG.UK/DONATIONS FOR INFORMATION ON ALL WAYS TO SUPPORT JR CHARITY NUMBER 1152871 JULY 2018 CONTENTS WWW.JEWISHRENAISSANCE.ORG.UK JR YOUR SAY… Reader’s rants, raves 4 and views on the April issue of JR. WHAT’S NEW We announce the 6 winner of JR’s new arts award; Mike Witcombe asks: is there life after Roth? FEATURE Amos Oz on Israel at 10 70, the future of peace, and Trump’s controversial embassy move. FEATURE An art installation in 12 French Alsace is breathing new life into an old synagogue. NATALIA BRAND NATALIA © PASSPORT Vienna: The writers, 14 artists, musicians and thinkers who shaped modernism. Plus: we speak to the contemporary arts activists working in Vienna today. MUSIC Composer Na’ama Zisser tells Danielle Goldstein about her 30 CONTENTS opera, Mamzer Bastard. ART A new show explores the 1938 32 exhibition that brought the art the Nazis had banned to London. FILM Masha Shpolberg meets 14 34 the director of a 1968 film, which followed a group of Polish exiles as they found haven on a boat in Copenhagen. 32 THEATRE Holy Sh!t comes to the 36 (renamed) Kiln Theatre in Kilburn; Judi Herman speaks to Jamie Lloyd, the director behind a season of Harold Pinter’s one-act plays. BOOKS Shoshi Ish-Horowicz ; ©ROB GREIG; ©ROH 2018: IMAGE BY AKA; ©THE BERNARD SIMON ESTATE, WIENER LIBRARY COLLECTIONS; COLLECTIONS; WIENER LIBRARY AKA; ©THE BERNARD SIMON ESTATE, BY ; ©ROB GREIG; ©ROH 2018: IMAGE 40 speaks to AM Homes; Liz Cashdan meets the poet Aviva Dautch; David Herman remembers Clive Sinclair and David Brauner reviews Sinclair’s last book. Plus: Nina Caplan on Romans, Jews and wine. 30 SEPHARDI RENAISSANCE 47 Henrietta Foster explores a photography show at the Jewish Museum of Greece; a taste of Morocco in Venezuela; Eileen Khalastchi on life in Baghdad. WHAT’S HAPPENING Our three- 55 month guide to art, books, film, music, theatre and other cultural events in the UK, Europe and Israel. FAMILY Asterix is Jewish! And four 65 other things you (probably) didn’t ©JÜDISCHES MUSEUM WIEN; ©IMAGNO/PICTUREDESK.COM; COURTESY OF MAK COURTESY ©JÜDISCHES MUSEUM WIEN; ©IMAGNO/PICTUREDESK.COM; know about the comic book hero. : MEET THE READER Our series in 36 47 66 which we meet you, the reader. This ON THE COVER issue: Yael Brauer in Brighton. JULY 2018 JEWISHRENAISSANCE.ORG.UK 3 YOUR SAY… JR Jewish Thanks to our supporters EDITOR Rebecca Taylor RENAISSANCE PRESIDENT David Dangoor SPONSORS •Prof Joan Freeman A FRESH PERSPECTIVE ON JEWISH CULTURE CEO Janet Levin SPONSORED BY DANGOOR EDUCATION APRIL 2018 £7.25 •David Dangoor •Jonathan Glass ART DIRECTOR Becky Redman •The Mirisch & •Chris Godbold LISTINGS EDITOR Danielle Goldstein Lebenheim Charitable •Stephen Goldman POETRY EDITOR Liz Cashdan Foundation •Icky Kurgan ARTS EDITOR Judi Herman MUSIC EDITOR Danielle Goldstein •David & Annie Lass FILM EDITOR Jason Solomons PATRONS •Bernard & Sylvia OUTLOUD EDITOR Judi Herman •The Shoresh Marder OPERATIONS MANAGER Caroline Porter HAVEN IN THE FENS Foundation •Prof Simon ADMIN ASSISTANT Lorraine Sheridan SUB EDITORS Agi Erdos, Judi Herman, CAMBRIDGE •Dee and Leslie Majaro MBE Stephen Herman, Patti Langton, Bergman •Stephen Moss CBE Diane Lukeman, Judith Mirzoeff ILLUSTRATIONS Thomas Fournier FREDERIC RAPHAEL, •Stanley Cohen OBE •Lesley Paiba ELAINE FEINSTEIN, PHILOSOPHERS, PHOTOGRAPHY Rob Greig, Daniel Shaked SCIENTISTS, •Anthony Coren •Harry Perovetz ACTIVISTS & WEBMASTER Anne Cotgreave STUDENT LEADERS •Walter Goldsmith •Rosalind Preston SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS Danielle Goldstein, •Lionel Gordon OBE Caroline Porter •Ian Lancaster •Sarah Rose MARKETING CONSULTANT Ricky Coussins •Hilary & James Leek •David L Rubin EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Monica Bohm-Duchen, David Conway, Raphael THE GOLEM IN ICELAND MY INVISIBLE CULTURE JEWISH PIRATES •Brian Linden •Anne Sebba Gee, Judi Herman, Shoshi Ish-Horowicz, Liz Ison, Ancient myths retold Roxana Jebreel’s Sephardi manifesto Revenge on the high seas •Colette Littman •Naomi & Victor Bea Lewkowicz, Michael Mail, Irene Newton, Judith Mirzoeff •Judy Weleminsky Stone EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Reactions to our April issue •Marlene Sutton Geraldine Auerbach MBE CAMBRIDGE: HAVEN IN FRIENDS •Karen Trew Alex Brummer City Editor, Daily Mail •Gretha Arwas •Terry Turk Monica Bohm-Duchen Art historian Max Dunbar CEO, Jewish Museum Manchester THE FENS •Janice & Charles •Lady Watson David Glasser Chair, Ben Uri Art Gallery Bloom (Betty P Skolnick) Judy Ironside MBE Founder & President of UK Jewish Film LETTERS Cambridge connections •Susan Cresswell •Bencie Woll, FBA Jennifer Jankel Chair, Jewish Music Institute I was born in Cambridge in 1932. My parents •Julian Dawes & •And thanks to our Clive Lawton OBE Senior Consultant, Limmud were active members of the Cambridge Ann Rau Dawes anonymous donors Maureen Lipman Writer and actor Jewish Residents Committee. Two refugee Claudia Rubinstein Director Jewish Book Week Raymond Simonson CEO, JW3 girls stayed with us at different times – Nitza Spiro Director, Spiro Ark maybe Greta Burkill had heard about our Wedding dress mystery Lena Stanley-Clamp Director, European spare bedroom! My aunt, Flora Association for Jewish Culture The Master of Emmanuel certainly had Diamond, was BOARD OF TRUSTEES Janet Levin, Ian Lancaster (Chair), strong views, and although Frederic Raphael married at Bayswater Martin Motz, Judy Weleminsky, Brian Harris, heard that he did not admit Jews, I’m not Synagogue in June Lady Collins, Diane Lukeman (Volunteer sure he was antisemitic: I applied there and 1923 to Philip Jacobs. Coordinator) was accepted (as were three members of After Flora died in HON LEGAL ADVISOR Richard Rampton QC the family before me – nepotism trumping 1972, my mother The publisher, editor and members of the antisemitism, perhaps?). Anne rescued her committees of Jewish Renaissance wish to make it clear that the views in the articles are A pity that Rosalind Franklin (Newnham beautiful wedding those of individual authors and should not be College 1938-41) was not included in the dress (left), which had taken to reflect their own opinions. The rights of copyright holders are recognised. Copyright list of distinguished people connected been made by the holders we failed to locate should contact us at with Cambridge. And many people at the Jewish dressmaker Aida Woolf, and the address below. Printed in Wales by Pensord. Thompson’s Lane Synagogue were scholars donated it to the V&A Museum. It was Published by Renaissance Publishing of Jewish subjects, including Rabbi Dr David displayed in an exhibition in Bethnal a company limited by guarantee Margules, who served the congregation Green but later the delicate decoration Registered Charity Number 1152871. during World War II. His life story, including deteriorated. Now the dress has been CONTACT INFORMATION 353-359 Finchley Rd, spells where he was interned at Dachau repaired and is on display in the V&A London NW3 6ET and the Isle of Man, was written up by his Fashion Gallery (in Case No 9) for at least +44 20 7794 5254 daughter Nina in He Came to Cambridge. a year. In a 2015 V&A book, Edwina Ehrman WEBSITE Hillel House was one of only two describes the dress as made of “silver lace www.jewishrenaissance.org.uk EMAIL boarding houses for Jewish boys at English …with appliqué pink silk flowers”. I would [email protected] schools and was a feature of life at the city’s like to know how much my aunt’s dress [email protected] [email protected] Perse School. Derek Taylor has written its would have cost. The curators have no [email protected] history. Thank you for bringing back so information. If anyone can help, please SOCIAL many memories. JOHN HARRIS contact: [email protected]. Twitter: @JewishRen BRYAN DIAMOND www.facebook.com/JewishRenaissance © Copyright Jewish Renaissance The Jews of Silicon Fen? ISSN 1476 1769 The Cambridge articles were fascinating Please send your letters to: but I would have liked to have known about [email protected] or by post to: Jewish involvement in the area’s ‘Silicon Editor, Renaissance Publishing, Office 2, Fen’ and biotech cluster. NIGEL GRIZZARD 353-359 Finchley Rd, London NW3 6ET 4 JEWISHRENAISSANCE.ORG.UK JULY 2018 OUR To show the To celebrate To nurture 1 vitality of 2 the diversity of 3 understanding AIMS contemporary Jewish experience between Jewish FROM JR’S and traditional in the UK and and other PRESIDENT Jewish culture. around the world. cultures. FROM THE EDITOR ven I – no football fan – whooped watching Harry Kane net England’s Esecond goal during the crucial England versus Tunisia World Cup game. It got me thinking, in this season of sport, how such activities throw up unlikely scenarios. The world is lurching towards authoritarianism and intolerance, but was delighted to be among over 2,500 people Russia, one of the countries driving all of this, is hosting an who attended celebrations for Israel’s 70th event celebrating passion and co-operation. Fans from 32 Ibirthday in May at the Royal Albert Hall and I countries have mingled together peacefully in Red Square. had the honour of receiving the guest of honour, Also remarkable was the choice of Jerusalem as the start the Prince of Wales (above). for one of the world’s biggest cycling races, the Giro d’Italia, in The evening was a showcase of the diversity of May.