JUDAÏCA & HEBRAÏCA
Most of the pieces that will be exhibited at the Grand Curtius in Liège between 8 June and 20 August 2012 come from the private collection of Isy Halpern. An antiques dealer from Liège, who has been passionate about history for more than thirty years, he "hunts" and – driven by his passion for Jewish history – has built up a significant collection of objects that evoke the great moments of Judaism through their variety and the diversity of their origins, from its glory days to its major tribulations.
Isy Halpern explains the origin of his “Judaica-Hebraica” exhibition: “I’ve been thinking about this exhibition for a long time. Initially, I wanted to show it to the Liège public in the former Saint-André church in Place du Marché for one or two weeks. However, when I presented my project to Jean-Marc Gay, the director of the Grand Curtius, he was immediately enthusiastic and decided to host my exhibition at his museum. Dinah and Maurice Korn, who are responsible for the small Museum of the Jewish Community of Liège (MCIL), have prepared the catalogue texts that have been published by the museum to accompany the exhibition. The aim is to show visitors works of religious art and objects from everyday life, thus evoking the many facets of Judaism, from ancient times through World War II. These pieces come mainly from central and eastern Europe, but also from the Maghreb, France, the USA, Iran, etc. One section of the exhibition evokes tourism to Palestine during the Ottoman Empire and under the British mandate.”
Some of the exhibits come from the small museum of the synagogue of Liège, but the bulk of the "treasures" are the result of the collector's efforts. He likes to describe his relics carefully, effortlessly commenting on their functions, origins and the historical value of each artefact. Like this typewriter, which was produced especially for the Jewish community in New York in 1918, or this unusual iron that is decorated with a Star of David and was produced in Poland before 1900, etc. Or, this curious reading pointer for the Torah (yad), the hollow pommel of which could serve as a tobacco snuff box...
Commenting on a lithograph by Berlin-based artist Ludwig Meidner, Isy Halpern discusses the correspondence exchanged between this expressionist painter – who was inspired by Van Gogh and Munch – and Rabbi Pinchas Kahlenberg about the relationship between painting and Jewish orthodoxy. A passionate collector of anything related to Jewish history in our country, Isy Halpern proudly exhibits a copy of one of the first editions of The History of the Miracle of the Blessed Sacrament by Steven Ydens, a "bestseller” in anti-Judaism in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is illustrated with engravings that recount the story of the "miraculous hosts", who were allegedly profaned by the Jews of Brussels in 1370, and then preserved as relics in the Saint-Michel cathedral, becoming the subject of significant popular devotion until the end of the 19th century.
Lovers of Jewish liturgical art will be delighted by the beauty of the work of the craftsmen who created the superb objects of worship selected by Isy Halpern, with the collector's choices also attracting bibliophiles and lovers of modern Jewish art. A work stemming from Isy Halpern's passion, the Judaica-Hebraica exhibition is also didactic: legends and explanatory panels define the historical context and the functions of the objects on display. In short, this is an essential exhibition that honours our Jewish cultural heritage in the historical heart of the "Ardent City".