Does the 20th century Jewish Avant-garde reflect a distinct quality of movement and motion nourished by place and space perceptions? The course will consider this question while examining East-European interwar Jewish artistic expressions. We will focus on Yiddish avant-garde, which was linked to diverse political and artistic currents such as Expressionism, Futurism, Constructivism, Dadaism, Anarchism and diverse manifestations of intellectual and artistic avant-garde.

Spatial aspects of the Jewish avant-garde trends as expressed in literature and in Yiddish poetry, in theatre and cinema, in music, and the arts will be reviewed. We will examine the link to Jewish content and spirit and attempt to assess the contribution of a modern artistic Jewish renaissance to the practice and philosophy of modern art, as well as to the structuring of the renewal of an Israeli Jewish identity and culture.