“The City without Jews” – Facebook without Jews?
Personal Reflections from Mexican Exile
by Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh
Time to Get Serious: Yiddishland in Exile and the Lessons of “The City Without Jews”
I feel fortunate to be writing from Mexico, where Yiddishland in exile currently enjoys a relatively peaceful existence. In contrast, friends and Jewish institutions in the United States regularly report countless incidents of antisemitism. Those working in arts and culture are exhausted, struggling to make their voices heard amid the endless noise and misinformation on social media—content that is often consumed as “news” by the general public. The pressure to keep things brief, catering to shrinking attention spans, makes it nearly impossible to discuss history in any meaningful way.
So what is the role of Yiddishland California in exile at this moment, in these meshugene (crazy) times? Of course, it would be naïve to think that our efforts alone could magically solve the world’s problems.
A real concern is that many young people today lack historical knowledge about antisemitism—knowledge that generations of Jews have painstakingly built and shared. While Hebrew schools cover the basics, they rarely address the causes of rising antisemitism in Europe a hundred years ago, or how history is repeating itself today.
One role of Yiddishland California right now is to help fill those gaps in historical understanding. We’re planning monthly educational events in San Diego and Baja California, and are open to collaborating with other non-profit organizations to organize similar events elsewhere. As our societies face increasing fragmentation, it’s more important than ever to build strong local communities and support each other.
Our next educational event will take place on Wednesday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m. in Balboa Park, San Diego, and will be broadcast on Zoom for an international audience. We never expected an event like this to feel so relevant in the 21st century, but as history shows, moments of peace and harmony are the exception, not the rule.
“The City Without Jews,” a historic silent film from 1924—expertly restored in 2018—speaks directly to these themes. When I was a student at the University of Vienna, I had the privilege of seeing this film and learning about its historical context.
Directed by H. K. Breslauer and based on the novel by Hugo Bettauer, “The City Without Jews” is one of the rare Expressionist films to survive to this day. After its premiere, Bettauer was murdered by Nazi Otto Rothstock, who was celebrated as a hero and avoided imprisonment. National Socialists disrupted screenings of the film with stink bombs, and in Linz, the film was banned.
The story is set in the fictional city of Utopia—a stand-in for Vienna—where economic hardship fuels antisemitism and the scapegoating of Jews. Under populist pressure, the government passes a law expelling all Jews. As the Jewish community leaves, they take their businesses, culture, and vitality with them. Utopia’s economy and artistic life quickly deteriorate, affecting everyone regardless of religion, while the expelled Jews establish a new, flourishing community elsewhere.
We should not disclose the ending of this powerful movie. I certainly hope that our local and international audiences will get together and support the cause. While promoting the movie screening, Yiddishland California and YAAANA encountered various problems including the post and all related content getting removed from social media, especially Facebook. Facebook used to be our main promotion platform. We would like to, therefore, ask our audience to help us spread the word about the movie and about the event.
The San Diego screening will feature live original music composed and performed by world-renowned Klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals and celebrated silent-film pianist Donald Sosin, both traveling from the East Coast. This is a rare opportunity for local audiences to experience their artistry firsthand and engage with them about their experiences presenting this film around the world.
I want to personally thank our supporters: The Sunrise Foundation for Education and the Arts, The House of Israel, and L’Chaim Magazine, represented respectively by Professor Cynthia Walk, Ruth Mastron, and Diane Benaroya. Without their generous support, we could not bring these exceptional artists to San Diego or organize this special screening.
It’s especially important to encourage young people to attend this event. If you have family members who might be interested, please shlep them along! Support the arts and introduce these experiences to your children and grandchildren—before they, like “The City Without Jews,” vanish from our shared cultural memory.
You can register for the event at:
https://yiddishlandcalifornia.org/activities
I look forward to seeing you in San Diego during our short visit (May 22 to 24), or here in our peaceful corner of Baja California.
Additional historical references about the film:
