Berlin Jewish Museum’s ‘Jew in the Box’ Exhibit - Some people are not happy about this

[Paul E Ester]

To help educate postwar generations, an exhibit at the Jewish Museum features a Jewish man or woman seated inside a glass box for two hours a day through August to answer visitors’ questions about Jews and Jewish life. The base of the box asks: “Are there still Jews in Germany?”

“A lot of our visitors don’t know any Jews and have questions they want to ask,” museum official Tina Luedecke said. “With this exhibition we offer an opportunity for those people to know more about Jews and Jewish life.”

But not everybody thinks putting a Jew on display is the best way to build understanding and mutual respect.

Since the exhibit — “The Whole Truth, everything you wanted to know about Jews” — opened this month, the “Jew in the Box,” as it is popularly known, has drawn sharp criticism within the Jewish community — especially in the city where the Nazis orchestrated the slaughter of 6 million Jews until Adolf Hitler’s defeat in 1945.

http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/128317/berlin-jewish-museums-jew-in-the-box-exhibit

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2301268/Outrage-Jew-box-exhibition-Berlin-museum-participant-sits-glass-cage-hours-answering-questions.html

[baldguy]

1. Really? Can't imagine why.

[MannyGoldstein]

2. No fair! That Jew cut his horns off!

Messing mit der Germans, I see.

Oy gevalt!

[ZombieHorde]

3. Interesting. nt

[Demo_Chris]

4. Brilliant. I love it. n/t

[dballance]

5. They Have A Jewish Person Available to Answer Questions - That's a Problem?

The Jewish person is not enclosed in a case or cage. The pictures I saw showed the one on duty at the time of the pictures sitting on what looks like it's probably an uncomfortable sort of chair.

Is the issue that the detractors feel the volunteer is more "on display" than they are a helpful resource? I could understand that concern.

So take the controversy out of it all. Put the volunteers behind a desk like an information booth. Make sure it is apparent they are a resource and not an exhibit.