Exhibition There Once Was a World in the Mohelnice Museum
From February 10, 2007 a selection of artifacts from the traveling exhibition There once was a world is presented in the Mohelnice Museum . In the last year this exhibition was presented in the Lostice synagogue, Usov synagogue, Castle Bouzov, Art Center of Palacky University in Olomouc and in Education and Culture Center of the Jewish Museum in Prague .
Several newly acquired artifacts are presented in the Mohelnice exhibition including a book Stunden der Andach (Hours of Devotion), which was written by Fanny Neuda in Lostice in 1854 . Fanny was a wife of the Lostice rabbi Abraham Neuda and the book is dedicated to his memory. Hours of Devotion is quite significant work, because it was the first of its kind to be written by a Jewish woman for Jewish women and was written in German (and not in Hebrew). Soon it became a best seller, published in more than 30 editions. Around 1860 it was also translated into English (Published in New York, 1866, reprinted until 1900). The modern German edition was issued for Jewish women living in the Nazi Germany ( Frankfurt , 1936) and reissued after the war during 1950s and 1960s. The next English edition is being prepared and will be published in United States next year.
Visitors will also find information about the world renown French artist Terry Haass, who lived with her family in Mohelnice before WWII, Emilie Schindler ( The Schindler's List) , who was born in the nearby village of Maletin and about Otto Wolf, who was born in Mohelnice. To avoid being deported to a concentration camp, Otto, together with his parents and sister lived from 1942 to1945 in hiding. During that time he wrote a diary, which was later published under the title: Dennik Otty Wolfa (Diary of Otto Wolf).
Exhibited also are historical artifacts such as the 19th century Torah, Torah pointer, menorah, mezuzah, tallit gadol, tallit katan, havdalah candlestick, coin Judea Capta etc.
The exhibition was prepared by members of the foundation Respect and Tolerance in cooperation with Mohelnice Museum as a contribution to The Year of Jewish Culture – 100 Years of the Jewish Museum in Prague.
© 2007 Developed by Jaroslav Brachtl AFirma.cz
