West End Exhibitions: The World Of Jewish Postcards | David Pearlman

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The Review - FEATURE
Published: 12 December 2008

Jewish life before post-modern society

THE WORLD OF JEWISH POSTCARDS
City Hall

AT the turn of the 19th century, postcards were the equivalent of text messages – the quickest and cheapest means of communication.
A new exhibition of postcards from esteemed collector David Pearlman is going on show at City Hall which reveals a remarkable snapshot of Jewish life in London from the late 1800s up until the golden days of the “Twenties”.
Postcards have traditionally been overlooked as archive material, but Pearlman’s collection provides a time capsule, holding a mirror up to Jewish history at a time when so much of it is being reassessed and recast.
The craze of postcard sending and collecting gripped the world in the short window between 1900 and the First World War. Corner shops from the East End to Warsaw were filled with cards, as new designs appeared almost daily to keep up with the insatiable demand.
We see Jews at work and at prayer, at the synagogue and studying the Talmud – an indicator of how little some things have changed.
Then there are the jokes. Interestingly, a lot of them are self-deprecating rather than being the butt of more perniciously targeted humour.
But what is most apparent from this rare collection is the Jewish contribution to British society in all its forms – much larger than the sum of its parts.

• The World of Jewish Postcards is at City Hall, SE1, from December 15 to January 2

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What a shame I missed this exhibition, would have loved to have seen it - but hope it comes around once more!!!
L. Levy

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