Thanks for this. I didn't know anything about Vishniac but I've orderd a copy of A Vanished World and it'll be great to have this context as I look through it.
Hey man, this is an interesting, and subtle, discussion. I think you bring out the ambiguity of being a European Jew during the periods you discuss with nuance; and your point about Vishniac as not exactly myth maker…but then artist with a particular (always touching, always respectful) of his subjects. It is true that many people did not live in the shtetl, indeed led affluent bourgeois lives (but frequently with the fear and reality of antisemitism looking over their shoulders), but - maybe because of their status - had a real anxiety and fear of the shtetl, I think because the gains of emancipation were so hard won and so fragile that there was a worry about that being taken away and the return to the shtetl. And the Schnitzler quote is perceptive.
I’m not sure I’d agree all the way with Caddihy and the ‘yid’ to ‘id’leap…but it is true, I think, that the Jewish tradition of learning, and debate, and questioning, and experience of family plays a hugely significant role in the development of psycho analytical theory and practice.
Thank you Nicolas for your thoughtful response. Lots of nuance in these discussions. Curious when you encountered the emancipation in the course of your education?
these themes are part of every European Jew’s backstory…part of our cultural DNA if you like. So, it’s there for everyone: non Jew and Jew alike, to engage with and think about. There’s so much material…written, photographic, art (so many artists have painted the Jewish experience from their own perspectives…again Jew and non Jew)…and I think the material does, somehow, all have the same themes running through it. In a way, how could it not.
Another great photographer I foolishly knew nothing about, thank you for new knowledge!
Thank you! this is all a journey of discovery for me too!
Thanks for this. I didn't know anything about Vishniac but I've orderd a copy of A Vanished World and it'll be great to have this context as I look through it.
You're welcome! Great to hear. A friend told me they'd done exactly the same thing and ordered a copy. Curious to hear what you think!
Fascinating read, Neil, about a photographer who I know very little about and will now go and discover more.
A photographer friend instantly ordered A Vanished World for the same reason. Glad to hear! Thank you.
Hey man, this is an interesting, and subtle, discussion. I think you bring out the ambiguity of being a European Jew during the periods you discuss with nuance; and your point about Vishniac as not exactly myth maker…but then artist with a particular (always touching, always respectful) of his subjects. It is true that many people did not live in the shtetl, indeed led affluent bourgeois lives (but frequently with the fear and reality of antisemitism looking over their shoulders), but - maybe because of their status - had a real anxiety and fear of the shtetl, I think because the gains of emancipation were so hard won and so fragile that there was a worry about that being taken away and the return to the shtetl. And the Schnitzler quote is perceptive.
I’m not sure I’d agree all the way with Caddihy and the ‘yid’ to ‘id’leap…but it is true, I think, that the Jewish tradition of learning, and debate, and questioning, and experience of family plays a hugely significant role in the development of psycho analytical theory and practice.
Thank you Nicolas for your thoughtful response. Lots of nuance in these discussions. Curious when you encountered the emancipation in the course of your education?
Hey,
these themes are part of every European Jew’s backstory…part of our cultural DNA if you like. So, it’s there for everyone: non Jew and Jew alike, to engage with and think about. There’s so much material…written, photographic, art (so many artists have painted the Jewish experience from their own perspectives…again Jew and non Jew)…and I think the material does, somehow, all have the same themes running through it. In a way, how could it not.
Another excellent read! Thank you!
Thank you ☺️
thank you for this.
Thanks for this introduction Neil!
🙏
Very interesting, thank you.
An interesting read 👍