Featured video presentation:
April 2009
Thanks to so many of you who have contacted me about The Jüdische Kulturbund Project, I wanted to post a status about its production efforts.
The project has been on temporary hold since 2007. The decision to do was necessary for various reasons, among them it is an independent endeavor and a labor of love that requires a lot of continued fundraising efforts and personal attention.
Because of a few supporters and their strong encouragement, we are continuing with a new effort. The Jüdische Kulturbund Project is gearing up to produce a fresh new program about the Jüdische Kulturbund and how its story is relevant today.
Feel free to share your thoughts with me about how the story of the Jüdische Kulturbund might be relevant to you and others in our world today. I have started an online community for this discussion, which you can access on facebook and http://www.tisproject.ning.com.
Sincerely yours,
Gail Prensky
Executive Producer
Jüdische Kulturbund Project
The Jüdische Kulturbund Project, a multimedia project, is a remarkable and moving account of
Jewish musicians in Nazi Germany and the little-known story of the Jüdische
Kulturbund, the Jewish Cultural Association—the all encompassing Jewish arts
organization that was smiled upon briefly by the Nazis until it was
disbanded in 1941 and its members shipped to concentration camps.
By April of 1933, Germany's National Socialists had expelled more than
8,000 Jewish musicians, actors, and other artists from German orchestras,
opera companies, and theatre groups. Jews were later forbidden from
attending "Aryan" theatres. In the summer of 1933, the Jüdische Kulturbund,
or Jewish Culture Association, was created. The Kulturbund was a
heart-rending paradox. Proposed by Jewish performers as a response to their
exclusion from German cultural life, the organization was appropriated by
Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister, as a ploy for foreign
consumption (“You see, we really aren’t treating the Jews so badly after
all”). Nevertheless the Jüdische Kulturbund became a spiritual refuge to
some of the finest musicians and music in Europe, a beacon of artistic light
in the gathering European gloom of the 1930s.
The Jüdische Kulturbund Project offers a compelling
testament of an important and little-known part of pre-World War II history
about love, music, the human spirit, and survival.
Few know about the Jüdische Kulturbund. In fact little has been written
about the performing arts of the 1930s. Surviving artists and subscribing
members of the Kulturbund immigrated to the United States, to Australia, and
to Uruguay. Others remained in Europe. They changed the cultural landscape
with their art. They survived and inspired millions through their passion
for culture, their heritage, and their love of art and music.
The Jüdische Kulturbund Project,
created by Executive Producer Gail Prensky in collaboration with a talented
team of producers and designers, will present a 90-minute documentary film
for Internet, film festivals, and television broadcast as well as extensive
companion programs about the extraordinary history of the Jüdische
Kulturbund. The Project is expected to reach people in the United States and
around the world in major cities from Los Angeles to Berlin, Sydney to
Shanghai.
The first-hand accounts of the Kulturbund are disappearing rapidly, as Kulturbund survivors are now in their late 80s and 90s. This is our last opportunity to share their stories and preserve this important piece of pre-World War II history. We invite you to support this testament to the redemptive power of music and the triumphant nature of the human spirit with communities across North America and around the globe.
Power of Music, Resiliency of the Human Spirit, and the Will to Survive. The Legacy of the Jüdische Kulturbund. We want to tell this story to the world. Please support our efforts.
The Frankfurt Kulturbund
Support and Sponsorship Opportunities
We are seeking Support and Sponsorships from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Please help our independent effort by making a tax-deductible contribution. For more information about becoming a contributor or a sponsor of the Documentary Film and/or the Companion Programs please contact info@judischekulturbund.com.
Kurt Singer conducting the Kulturbund
(photo credit:
Bildarchiv Abraham Pisarek)
NEW: Online Educational Resources document