Exposition Le Juif et la France au Palais Berlitz
Paris: Institut d'Etude des Questions Juives, [1941]. First edition. Softcover. Quarto. 30pp. [2]. Original illustrated b/w wrappers, with red lettering on the front cover. Cover illustrated by René Péron. This extremely rare exhibition guide was published in 1941 by the Institut d'Etude des Questions Juives (IEQJ: Institute for the Study of Jewish Questions*) on the occasion of the first and only anti-Semitic exhibition held in German occupied Paris from September 5, 1941 to January 15, 1942. Just like the exhibition "Der Ewige Jude" (The Eternal Jew) held in 1937 at the German Museum in Munich, this exhibition presented the Jews in a stereotypically racist manner, with facial representations corresponding to classic anti-Semitic depictions, such as the hooked-nose or dirty hair. On display were photographs and charts intended to show the 'invasion' of Jews in the French media and in the movie industry, a diorama of a ghetto, the 'nefast' Jewish influence throughout the world (especially Europe, Russia, and America). The exhibition drew on the work by George Montandon, a professor at the Parisian School of Anthropology and author of the work "Comment Reconnaitre un Juif ?" (How to recognize a Jew?), published in November 1940. The exhibition claimed to be "scientific." Behind a seemingly educational front, the exhibition was sheer Nazi propaganda designed to support the principle of ethnic cleansing. It is estimated that about 200,000 people visited the exhibit. This guide is complete with its 10 b/w photographic reproductions, and its exhibition map.
Front wrappers with light stains and smudges, back wrapper more heavily stained. Faint library ink stamp on the front cover, as well as some light vertical creasing. Wrappers with minor age toning. A few minors stains and/or smudges to the first few leaves. Wrappers in good, interior in very good+ condition overall. Quite scarce. Protected in modern mylar. g to vg+. Item #55774
*Nominally, the exhibit was the work of the Paris-based Institut d’Etudes des Questions Juives (Institute for the Study of Jewish Questions, IEQJ). However, the German embassy provided both the initiative and the funds (1,285,786.30 francs). The Germans were always eager to place as much of the anti-Semitic measures taken on French shoulders, no matter the role they actually played. Commissioner-General Vallat, an ardent Germanophobe and French nationalist, was unwillingly associated with the exhibit. He refused to attend its opening. Parisians could hardly miss the presence of this exhibit and its opening on September 5th. A propaganda campaign developed to draw people to the exhibit had been laying the groundwork for weeks. Posters had been plastered to walls, informing the French people of the campaign, articles appeared in the press, and radio announcements were broadcasted. Newsreels spotlighted both the exhibit and arguments made by IEQJ director, Paul Sézille. Arrows adorned to streetlights, such as in the Place de Concorde, and pointed the way to the exhibit. The sign was simply an arrow reading “Exposition” with a Star of David. Loudspeakers, found on boulevards between the Opéra and the Place de la République, encouraged pedestrians to attend the exhibit. Once visitors reached the entrance, they were given a pamphlet explaining the purpose of “Le Juif et la France.” Another measure used to entice people to view the displays and purchase items relating to the exhibit was the possibility of winning a bread card if they purchased a catalogue which had a number in it.
Price: $1,250.00