Oktober 1 – November 24, 2024 | Audio Installation in the foyer | Free admission

OCTOBER 7

Audio Installation in the foyer

A year after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 and the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the Jewish Museum Munich commemorates this traumatic turning point with a temporary audio installation. It features the poem “Safe Room” by the Israeli poet Agi Mishol. The poem was written immediately after the events of October 7 and in it Mishol attempts to react to the traumatic situation by turning inwards and withdrawing into language. The text creates a paradoxical realm of thought in which the atrocities committed by Hamas, the daily news reports regarding the hostages, the effects of the war and the humanitarian catastrophe of the Palestinian people are echoed.

The Artist:

Agi Mishol was born in Romania in 1946 and immigrated to Israel with her family in 1950. She studied Hebrew Literature in Jerusalem. Her first poetry collection was published in 1972, followed by 20 others to date. As the daughter of two Shoah survivors, her linguistic imagery often reflects the pain, suffering and complex interconnection between Jewish and Israeli identity. Mishol is one of the most widely read poets in Israel today and has received numerous literary awards throughout her career.The poem “Safe Room” was written directly after October 7, 2023 and was published in German in the summer of 2024 in her latest poetry collection “A Poem for an Imperfect Man”. 

Curator: Ulrike Heikaus in cooperation with Yuval Schneider