Berlin’s Jewish Museum casts light on mystic golem

The Jewish Museum Berlin this week opens a new exhibition about the fabled golem, presenting the legend in diverse and unconventional ways through 250 different objects.

First mentioned in ancient Jewish texts, a golem is an artificial being made from mud or other inanimate material that’s brought to life through the power of Hebrew letters. It became popular and known outside Judaism in a famous story about the 16th-century Rabbi Judah Loew, who is said to have created a golem out of clay in the hope it would help protect the Jews of Prague from persecution.

But the golem has a dark side and often spins out of control, making its superhuman powers a threat to its creator.

“The golem can look back on a long career, in Judaism and far beyond,” Peter Schaefer, the director of the Jewish Museum Berlin, tells reporters. “Its story begins in the Hebrew bible and continues, in constantly new transformations, into the present day.”

The exhibition, which opens tomorrow and runs through Jan. 29, shows both traditional images of the golem and modern-day incarnations.

There are medieval instructions explaining how to use incantations, rituals and specific Hebrew letter combinations to bring the golem to life. There are also videos, costumes and installations presenting different interpretations of the golem by 30 contemporary artists from Israel, the United States and elsewhere.

— AP