Poetry machine at Anhalter Bahnhof: poems from exile inspire!

Poetry machine at Anhalter Bahnhof: poems from exile inspire!

The poetry machine in the Escape, Expulsion, Reconciliation Documentation Center at Anhalter Bahnhof is very popular. As the Berlin newspaper reported that 50 cent pieces are in short supply on Monday evenings. Even when buying drinks you can hardly find any change in the form of 50 cent coins. Fortunately, a visitor eventually discovered a suitable piece in his coat pocket to pull a poem from the exile poetry machine.

The machine dispensed a blue cardboard box with a leaflet containing verses by Ilana Shmueli, a Jewish poet from Chernivtsi. Shmueli, born on March 7, 1924 in Chernivtsi, is known for her sensitive poems. She survived the ghetto and emigrated to Jerusalem after the war, where she died in 2011.

The poet and her work

Ilana Shmueli grew up in a culturally rich family; her father was an engineer and chairman of the Chernivtsi Maccabi football club. She learned several languages ​​and attended a Yiddish school during the Soviet occupation of Bukovina. In 1941 she experienced the ghettoization of the Jews, but in 1944 she and her family managed to escape to Palestine, where she studied music and social education.

Shmueli was not only a talented poet, but also active in Israeli society. She worked as a social educator, criminologist and training manager for the Israeli Ministry of Welfare in Tel Aviv. Her friendships with important personalities such as Oskar Kokoschka and Paul Celan shaped her literary life. After her retirement, she began writing poetry and translating Celan's works into Hebrew.

Historical and literary classification

Ilana Shmueli's works often address the theme of loss and home, as the example from one of her poems shows: “Home was without soil / my home that trained me / to put down roots in the wind”. These and her other publications, including "A Child from a Good Family. Chernivtsi 1924-1944" (2006) and "Life in Draft. Poems from the Estate" (2012), are more than just literary works. They are also a testimony to Jewish history in the 20th century, which is closely linked to exclusion and persecution.

In this context, it is important to consider the comparison between Shmueli's work and the current social discourse on anti-Semitism. Literary discussions of the topic can also be found in numerous analyzes and articles published in the Central Council of Jews be called. These works raise public awareness of the still current issues of anti-Semitism and are part of a much-needed discussion about tolerance and diversity in society.

Ilana Shmueli's poems are not only an expression of personal experiences, but also a cultural heritage worth preserving and listening to. They deserve the attention they deserve, especially at a time when memory work is more important than ever.