From November 24, 2021 to March 13, 2022, the Arab World Institute (IMA) is home to an exhibition-event, dedicated to the plurality of the Arab world and the fight against amalgam. The opening of this exhibition entitled ” Eastern Jews, a multi-thousand-year-old story“, Will be organized on November 22.
“Judea is the cradle of Judaism. It has developed over the entire Mediterranean rim, along the Arabian Peninsula and on the banks of the Euphrates. On this vast territory many
civilizations (Persian, Greek, Roman and, from the 7th century, Islamic). The Jews came into contact with all of these societies. It was necessary to account for the cultural interactions which then nourished Judaism, while recalling its influence on the nascent Islam ”, underlines on this occasion, the president of the IMA, Jack Lang.
Thus, he continues, “through a course spread over 1,100 square meters, the visitor discovers the history of Jewish communities in Arab countries, punctuated by great periods of intellectual effervescence, without forgetting episodes of sporadic violence. From Baghdad to Cordoba, great scholars such as Saadia Gaon, Moses Ibn Ezra, Maimonides, Joseph Caro and so many others participated in the greatness of Jewish cultures in the land of Islam ”.
“Of these fifteen centuries of cohabitation, today remains a rich material and immaterial, profane and religious legacy. Exceptional archaeological works, sumptuous liturgical objects, jewels of great finesse testifying to the know-how held by Jewish artisans, magnificent costumes, precious manuscripts attesting to the life of Jewish communities in the Middle Ages as well as moving Family photographs are among the major pieces of this exhibition, ”adds Jack Lang.
For him, “hosting this unique event at the Institute of the Arab World carries a strong symbolism: celebrating the plurality of the Arab world and fighting against oblivion and amalgamation. This approach is more broadly part of a quest to transmit the memory of the history of the Jews and their relationship with Muslims, which the vicissitudes of the contemporary world are trying to silence. The general curator of this unprecedented exhibition, Benjamin Stora, a great historian and recognized specialist in Judeo-Arab relations, sheds light on this multi-millennial journey ”.
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