Young & Jewish  29 November 2010 until 30 June 2011

Young Jewish people tell their stories

Nine young people aged between 18 and 25 share how they experience their Jewishness. The Jewish Historical Museum asked them: how do you relate to your culture and faith in the Netherlands at the beginning of the twenty-first century? In Young & Jewish they give their personal answers in photographs, films, drawings and texts. Their objects are on display in the museum from 29 November 2010 until 8 May 2011.

To help them realise the exhibition, the JHM organised workshops in photography, film and oral history. The participants then had a free hand in how to tell their personal stories. The results vary from photographs of a Jewish poker evening to a film about chazzanut (Jewish cantors).

The participants experience being Jewish in a variety of ways. They refer to themselves as orthodox Jews, liberal Jews or culturally Jewish. For example, 23-year-old Sharon Goldstoff gives us a glimpse of her Jewish poker club in a series of photographs. Natascha van Weezel (24) talks about how she experiences her family history; she looks at Jewish persecution during the Second World War but also shows us her collection of crazy Jewish souvenirs. In his film Daniël ten Brink (20) takes the visitor on a journey through four generations of chazzanut.

Young & Jewish is part of the exhibition Out of the Shadows. Jews in the Netherlands after 1945. The participants' objects are displayed throughout the museum. Their locations are to be found on a map in the newspaper that visitors are given at the entrance to the exhibition. Visitors will be surprised by these diverse young Jewish stories.

Participants: Natascha van Weezel, Ben Gershon, Esther de Bruijn, Gabriëlle Davelaar, Daniël ten Brink, Sacha van Ravenswade, Joël Boosman, Chaya Rodrigues Pereira, Sharon Goldstoff.