Ženi Lebl and Beginnings of the Research of
Jewish Art in Serbia Cover Image

Ženi Lebl i počeci istraživanja jevrejske umetnosti u Srbiji
Ženi Lebl and Beginnings of the Research of Jewish Art in Serbia

Author(s): Milica Rožman
Subject(s): Cultural history, Jewish studies, Visual Arts, History of the Holocaust
Published by: Филозофски факултет, Универзитет у Београду
Keywords: Ženi Lebl;Jews;Jewish art;visual culture;Serbia

Summary/Abstract: The beginnings of the research of Jewish art in Serbia are inextricably linked with the name Ženi Lebl. She researched the history of Jewish people in the former Yugoslavia, particularly in Serbia and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. As a result of years of research in archives and libraries the following monographs dedicated to Jewish people in Serbia were created: To„the final solution” Jewish people in Belgrade 1521-1942, To „the final solution” Jewish people in Serbia and Jewish people in Pirot. The first part of the two-volume work To “the final solution”, is dedicated to the Jewish people in Belgrade. In this monograph Ž. Lebl covered the period from 1521 to 1942, thus giving one of the most complete overview of the history of Jewish people in Belgrade, from their immigration to their suffering in the Holocaust. In addition to the historical context that is unavoidable in the research of Jewish visual culture in Serbia, she covered other contexts, such as religious, cultural, political and funeral, and which are very important for the study of Jewish art in a view of visual culture. The second part of the two-volume work To“the final solution” is dedicated to the Jewish people in Serbia, where Serbia after the Balkan wars is covered. This book along with the previous one of the Jewish people in Belgrade represents an entire unit, and all the major cities in Serbia where the Jewish community lived are covered in it. Finally, Pirot, like Belgrade, was the subject of the specific research which Ženi Lebl covered in the monograph dedicated to Jewish people in Pirot. Based on the published archival materials and visual material on Jewish mahala, synagogue, mikvah and a cemetery, valuable data for the research of Jewish art in Pirot are provided. Considering the monographs that were created as a result of many years of research in archives and libraries, we can conclude that they represent one of the most complete edition of the history and fate of the Jewish people, based on the contemporary methodological research, that are based on a multidisciplinary method and contribute to studies of visual culture. Although Ženi Lebl primarily covered the history of Jewish people in these monographs, she also covered other phenomena and contexts, such as religious, cultural and funeral, which are very important for the study and understanding of Jewish art in Serbia in a view of visual culture.

  • Issue Year: 5/2017
  • Issue No: 5
  • Page Range: 34-45
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Serbian