100 Years to the 1st Zionist Congress in Basel

100 Years to the first Zionist Congress in Basel, Kunstmuseum Basel (Photo credit: Gina Folly Courtesy Kunstmuseum Basel)

A Hundred years ago young Jews from England, France, Germany, Austria, Russia and Poland, met in the Casino Hotel in Basel. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss a new solution to the rising tide of the of new European anti-semitism, the proposal for the discussion was of a secular foundation of a Jewish State. The meeting was a success. The participants left with a feeling that they opened a new of chapter of Jewish history. Indeed, they were right. A process has began that culminated 51 years later, in the foundation of the state of Israel.

The main objective of the exhibition is to commemorate 100 years of the 1st Zionist congress. The focus is on the congress as a unique event which took place in Basel. The exhibition will contain material on the background of the participants, on the congress itself and on the consequences of this historical event, where young Europeans, who did not have much in common, defined for themselves a new identity and a new plan. The cogency of their analysis can not be questioned. 40 years or so later, it became evident the European Jews were indeed in danger of being annihilated. The option of assimilation which was advocated by previous generations of Jews was not a real option.

The exhibition is divided into various environments: The Heder, the Salon, the University, the Cafe etc., which typify the variety of the Jewish life styles in the 19th. Century. The viewer is invited to read booklets, pamphlets and newspapers which are related to the congress, to watch movies of different aspects of Zionism, or simply, to browse in a setting from which vantage point one can reflect on the experience of Jewish life in the European diaspora. Also exhibited are photographic portrait of European Jews. The exhibition was organized by the history department of the university of Basel in collaboration with Clegg & Guttmann, a New York based artistic team who grew up in Israel.