The City Without Jews (1924) & Discussion with the Greenfield Human Rights Commission

Continuing our First Monday Silent Film Series with support from The Sunrise Foundation 1924’s A City Without Jews with live music from renowned musicians Donald Sosin (Keyboards) and Alicia Svigals (Violin) followed by a conversation about antisemitism led by the Greenfield Human Rights Commission.

A pre-WWII German film by Austrian expressionist Hans Karl Breslauer based on Hugo Bettauer’s novel, this film proves prescient. Intended as a satirical response to primitive antisemitism of the 1920’s this allegorical vision of the near future was designed as entertainment. The film stars well-known Jewish actors including Gisela Werbisek (Kathi the Cook) and Armin Berg (Isidor the commissionaire) in minor roles.

Two weeks after its release Bettauer was assassinated by a member of the Nazi Party who was released after 18 months.
While the film was released in New York in 1928, it had its last commercial run in 1933 as an Amsterdam protest against Hitler. Lime many silent films it was thought lost, in 2015 an excellent copy was discovered at a Paris flea-market and the film was restored for us today.