European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 19, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By de Reavis staff writer the exposition patterns of jewish life appearing at the Martin Gropius Bau exhibition Hall in Berlin through april 26 is a demonstration of the uniquely Rich manifestations of jewish culture and life around the world. The exhibition takes the viewer from biblical times to the present from the near East to the jewish settlers along the Rhine River in the Middle Ages and to the centers of jewish culture in Eastern Europe Yemen Morocco Spain the ottoman Empire Greece the Netherlands Israel and the americas. It contains More than 2,000 original objects from More than 300 donors. About half of them come from european countries Israel and the United states. Thirty six experts collaborated in assembling the show which is spread Over 21 rooms dedicated to specific themes. Andreas Nachama curator of the exhibit said of the exhibit Quot after leading the visitor through the fundamentals of jewish life in biblical times we show him or her the multiple forms of jewish life in the world. But As great As the exhibit is it still Only shows a fraction of Richness of jewish  the exhibit is dominated by paintings and artefacts. It includes paintings by Well known jewish artists such As Marc Chagall Ben Shahn and Max Liebermann plus lesser known ones like cubist Issachar Ryback. Particularly captivating is a work titled the history of the matzoh by Larry Rivers which depicts the 4,000-year history of the jews in three Large acrylic paintings. The background of the paintings Bear the pattern of unleavened bread eaten during the passover Holiday. The artefacts include fragments from the dead sea scrolls and of inscriptions from the second Temple of Jerusalem dating from the first Century. The script bears the following warning Quot no Gentile shall enter into beyond the inner balustrades of the Temple and the Temple compound. Those encountered therein do so at the risk of  there Are also photographs collected from jewish communities around the world. The exhibition s run covers some significant dates. The grand opening coincided with the 50th anniversary of the wan see Villa conference of Jan. 20, 1942, when top nazi officials coordinated the rounding up of european jewry in what they called the Quot final  March 31 will Mark the 500th anniversary of the edict of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile that forced jews either to convert to christianity or leave Spain. It marked the end of jewish life in Spain. Although the exhibit has received a resoundingly positive response from the German press and the thousands of visitors who have flocked to the show it has not been spared some harsh criticisms. One of the main criticisms is that the exhibition did not give adequate space to the holocaust. Nachama counters that argument by claiming the exhibit is not about the holocaust but about the varied patterns of jewish life. Quot some people find it More comfortable dealing with dead jews rather than live ones Quot Nachama said. Nachama claims people already have pictures of the holocaust in their minds a images of the selection ramp at the Auschwitz prison Camp the Camp s wrought Iron main Gate the mass Graves. Quot we Don t need that Here. I realize the holocaust is the main identification Symbol for jews All Over the world but i did not intend to create Here a memorial to the third Reich Quot he said. Nachama Calls it a mistake to include nazi artefacts in All exhibits about jews or jewish life. Quot i know its popular to end All such exhibits with a photo of the Railroad tracks at Auschwitz but i want to show that Hitler did not succeed in exterminating us. I want to show the determination of the jews to prevail under the worst  to the criticism that working class jews Are sorely missing in the show Nachama said that would have been another exhibit. He said organizers of patterns of jewish life intentionally concentrated on the extraordinary achievements of the people and did not attempt to describe jewish life in its entirety. The Martin Gropius Bau is at Streseman Strasse 110 in Berlin Kreuzberg. It is open daily from 10 . To 8 . And on Friday and saturday until to . Entry is 8 Marks. A new print of a 1906 photograph shows men studying a torah in Yemen. It some Berlin exhibit captures 4,0 0 0 years jewish life Berliner fests Lole painting of German industrialist and statesman Walther Rathenau by Edvard Munch. Above left a Wood and plastic menorah made by american Mae shatter Rockland in 1974. Bust of newspaper publisher Joseph pulitzer by Auguste Rodin. Berliner feets Lele March 19, 1992 stripes Magazine 9