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A Symphony of Lives is
the companion publication to the documentary film and traveling exhibition.
The companion book offers an in-depth exploration of the Jüdische Kulturbund
that provides an overview
of the history and evolution of the Kulturbund. An afterword written by Gail
Prensky, the project director, will convey compelling personal stories that
unfold throughout the film production and project development.
The book will provide a fascinating portrait of the history of the Jüdische
Kulturbund and the lives of the many men and women who found solace and
inspiration in musical performance as well as actors, artists, and
dancers—and as spectators of the Kulturbund. The book will present a
collection of photographic portraits of the almost 30 former Kulturbund
artists along with first person accounts of their experiences in the
Kulturbund. Period photographs, posters and memorabilia from personal
collections now at the Kulturbund Archives at the Stiftung Archiv Der
Akademie Der Kuenste in Berlin will serve to illuminate the historical
narratives. The material will impart a deepened understanding of how the
Kulturbund was born and the intellectual, political, and cultural conditions
of its world, as the dark storm of the Holocaust engulfed the tens of
thousands of Jews throughout Germany. An introductory essay will precede
each of the sections in the book and will place this story into its larger
social history and cultural context.
The photographs and extended interview excerpts—the centerpiece of the
book—will convey a strong sense of the artists’ experiences, their passion
for music, and their tenacious desire to retain a sense of normalcy and to
maintain their own integrity in the face of one of the darkest times in the
history of humanity.
The book will also be produced in a slip-cased edition limited to 250 copies, numbered, and signed by the authors. Each of the survivors and the higher level donors will receive a copy of this special edition.
The book will be published throughout the world in conjunction with the release of the documentary film and opening of the exhibition.