MAKS BABICZ THE FIRST JEWISH ART EXHIBITION In 1919, soon after the end of World War I, the first Jewish Art Exposition took place in Bialystok. Poland was then independent, and the Jewish population, par- ticularly the young, was gripped by nationalistic fervor. Various art clubs were founded, and a number of tal- ented artists and singers emerged. Jewish life was filled with optimism and hope. A culture league was formed in Bialystok, consist- ing of representatives of the labor parties as well as Yid- dishists. Its purpose was to popularize Jewish culture in all forms within Bialystok. Thus arose the idea of mounting the first art exhibition. To be sure, such a plan was daring, since Bialystok was primarily a city known for its textile manufacturing, commerce and industry. Young people in those days either wished to establish their own factories or businesses, or alterna- tively were preoccupied with fighting for social justice. Consequently, the atmosphere in Bialystok was not conducive to artists and dreamers. Painters, poets and writers had found no welcome there, needing to travel instead to St. Petersburg, Warsaw, Wilno and other more inviting places. Bialystok did have one painter, Rozenecki, who used to take walks in the streets dressed in a uniform and wearing long hair. He did not earn a living from his painting and gave art lectures in schools for an income. Rozenecki taught and encour- aged the famous Bialystoker painter, Benn (Ben-Zion Rabinowicz), who now lives in Paris and whose artistic works are quite popular. The Bialystok Culture League turned to the artists in Warsaw and Lodz to assist them in setting up an art exhibition. Responding to this request enthusiastically, the outside artists decided to lend to the Bialystok exhi- bition many of their works. The very center of Bialystok was selected as the most appropriate location for the show. The famous artists from other towns brought with them numerous boxes filled with works of art. These paintings were unpacked with great joy and were carefully hung on the walls of the exhibition hall. Several of the organizers of the exhibition felt it should not only be aesthetically successful but should generate revenues that would be paid to the artists, encouraging them to continue their creative work. The display officially opened September 20, 1918, and continued for ten days. Many hundreds of visitors, from all strata of the Jewish population in Bialystok, came to see the art exhibits. Among the viewers were entire Jewish schools led by their teachers. In addition, professional groups and organizations attended. Even guests from surrounding towns came to participate in this joyous celebration of art. The Bialystoker Memorial Book Many of the paintings dealt with specifically Jew- ish themes, such as women blessing the Sabbath can- 0165, people going to synagogue, dancing at weddings, how they appeared during the week and how they dressed for the Sabbath — the gamut of Jewish life. But totally absent were paintings of landscapes, the sea or nature in general. This was understandable because these painters were children of Eastern European Jews, to many of whom these subjects were entirely alien. The world in which they lived and with which they were most familiar was the Jewish community in Poland’s towns and cities. Although the art exhibition enjoyed great success, it could hardly have been considered a financial coup. The wealthy Jews in Bialystok saw fit to purchase only twenty-four paintings at this show. As much as the exhibition excited and enlivened the community, It was evident from this poor financial showing that art remained on the periphery of Bialystoker Jewish interests. THE GOLDBERGS Isaac Goldberg and his wife Deborah-Gitel the baker, some 90 years ago in Bialystok. 27