‘Bald People are Forbidden to Visit Public Libraries’
February 6th, 2007 by Menachem Wecker
In an aethetic educational campaign “against racism and xenophobia,” the Jewish Museum in Prague is exhibiting 78 posters around Prague. All the eight poster types — which are up until February 12 — employ the same yellow text on black background design. The posters are based upon “the wording of the bans and restricting regulations aimed against Jews from the period of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia,” according to the museum release. “Yet, the texts are updated to reflect the present situation and they play on irony – e.g. ‘Bald persons are forbidden to visit public libraries.’”
In small print on the bottom of the posters, the museum explains the posters’ real goal: to raise awareness about the bans placed upon Jews, as absurd as singling out bald people.
The museum further explains: “The campaign aims particularly at young people who know nothing or only very little about the persecution of Jews between 1939 and 1945 and it has been devised as a contribution to the education towards racial tolerance and against xenophobia. In a striking and unusual way the campaign draws attention to Nazi antisemitism and to the phenomenon of gradual and creeping offset of the suppression of basic human rights and liberties that may end in genocide. VKC hope the campaign will contribute to the increased tolerance towards minorities and greater respect for human rights in our country … The Citylights project might be also transposed to other towns and cities in the Czech Republic.”
In an interview with Iconia, Vladimir Hanzel, director of education and culture centre of the museum, who also shot the two pictures included in this post, clarified a few specifics:
“The basic idea came from Mr. Jan Binar, the Director of McCann Ericson advertising company.
The sentences are based on Nazi anti-Jewish orders, laws and measures which were valid from 1941 to 1945.
The final design was the result of collaboration between McCann and our Centre.
The posters are hanging now mainly in the centre of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, and will hung there till Frebruary 12.
We will get a half of posters (40) back. We intend to use them in others Czech cities later.”
For more information (quite extensive) provided by the museum, follow the link that follows.
Restricting the rights of Jews in the Czecho-Slovak Republic and in the Protectorate of Bohemia - Moravia between 1939-1941 – selected restrictions and provisions
The anti-Jewish provisions in question present only part of all restrictions that gradually came into force on the territory of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia from the time of its declaration till autumn 1941, when the transports of the Protectorate Jews to Terezín started. Even then, though, they continued to be issued. It is difficult to enumerate the total number of all the provisions, since they were issued by several institutions, from the Government to individual Ministries, local authorities, etc. It can be said, however, that their number reached several hundred.
Legend: Restrictions from the advertising campaign posters are marked with bold colour.
1939
January
• Ordinance on the residency of emigrants
• Review of the citizenship of inhabitants who became citizens during the First Republic (1918-1938)
• People of Jewish descent are no longer allowed to be actively employed in the civil service
16 March 1939: Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia proclaimed
March
• Jews are banned from practising law
• Jews are banned from working in the public administration and in public institutes/institutions
• Jews are banned from working in courts of law
• Jews are banned from working in schools
• Doctors of “non-Aryan descent” are banned from working at all health facilities
• Ban on the holding of shares in businesses that are owned completely or in part by Jews
June
• Jews are banned from selling real estate
• Jews are banned from selling economic enterprises and associated rights
• The sale of all valuables is subject to the approval of the Protectorate
• Aryan trustees are appointed to manage Jewish assets
21 June 1939: the Nuremberg Laws come into force in the Protectorate
July
• Jewish children can no longer attend German elementary and secondary schools
August
• Jews are banned from pub and café rooms frequented by Aryans
• Jews are banned from certain public venues
• Jews are banned from municipal swimming pools and public pools
• Jews may not occupy the same rooms as Aryans in hospitals, sanatoriums and poorhouses
1 September 1939: the beginning of the Second World War
September
• Jews are banned from German universities
• Jews are ordered to immediately hand in radio sets
• Jews are placed under 8 pm curfew
October
• Jews may be dismissed from their jobs on the first day of the month without any reason given
November
• Blocked accounts are opened for Jews but may be used only with the approval of the financial authorities
• Jews are obligated to pay property and land rent into blocked accounts
• An emigration tax comprising 25% of an emigrant’s entire assets is introduced
December
• For every property transfer, legal representatives, notaries and judges are obligated to state whether Jews are involved in the legal proceedings
1939
• Jews are expelled from all associations/clubs
• Jews may not visit sports grounds, even as spectators
1940
January
• All payments to Jews must be sent to blocked bank accounts
• Jews are completely excluded from economic life
• Jews may not run enterprises that have been transferred into Aryan hands
February
• Jews are obligated to declare the value of their assets as of 31 December 1939
• Jews are banned from theatres and cinemas
March
• The identity cards of Jews are marked with the letter “J”
• Jews are obligated to place all their valuables in bank safe-deposit boxes
• Anyone to whom the Nuremberg Laws apply is obligated to register with the Jewish religious community
May
• Jews are banned from entering all public parks and gardens in Prague
July
• Jews are banned from breeding pigeons
• Jews are banned from using rental cars
• Jews are banned from travelling on steamboats
August
• Shopping hours for Jews are restricted: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., 3 p.m. – 4.30 p.m.
• Jewish children are banned from attending Czech-language schools
• Jews are banned from using dining-cars and sleepers on trains
• Jews are definitively banned from all cafés, pubs and restaurants, even where separate rooms are available for Jews
September
• Jews are banned from all municipal woods in the Prague district
• Restrictions on tram use: Jews are allowed to board only the rear carriage and are banned from single-carriage trams.
October
• Ordinance on the renting of vacated Jewish apartments to Germans
• Prague Jews may no longer obtain clothing ration cards
November
• Jews are forbidden to change domicile and to leave their district
• All Jewish bank accounts are to be transferred to blocked Jewish accounts
December
• Jews are banned from German streets in the centre of Prague
1941
January
• All telephones are confiscated from Jews
• Apple rations are taken from Jews
• Jews are ordered to hand in their driving licences
• Jews are banned from attending driving schools
February
• Jews must return their fishing licences and are banned from fishing
March
• The Jewish community’s retraining courses are cancelled
• Jews may no longer obtain clothing ration cards
June
• Jews may no longer obtain sugar rations
• Jews may go to the barber’s shop only between 8 and 10 a.m.
July
• Retroactive ban on marriage and extra-marital relations between Jews and Reich nationals
• Jews are banned from all woods and forests (including private woodlands)
August
• Jews may no longer obtain rations of pulses
September
• Jews are forbidden to leave their district or community without permission from the police
• All Jews over 6 are forced to wear the yellow Star of David
• Jews are banned from public libraries
• Music by Jewish composers may not be broadcast or performed in public
October
• Jews are forbidden to smoke tobacco and to procure tobacco products
• Jews may use only third-class train compartments
• Jews may no longer obtain shaving soap
• It is forbidden to provide Jews with fruit or candy
• It is forbidden to sell or give Jews marmalade or jam
• It is forbidden to sell cheese to Jews
• It is forbidden to sell or give Jews fish, poultry or game
• It is forbidden to sell or give Jews any remaining assets
• Jews lose their entitlement to sick pay, health insurance and family allowance
• Jews lose their holiday pay entitlement
• Jews lose their entitlement to overtime pay
• Jews may be employed only in groups that are kept separate from other employees
• Jews are forbidden to receive occupational training
November
• Jews may no longer obtain onions
• Jews lacking means are obligated to register at central offices
• Jews are banned from buses, except war veterans and the blind
• Total ban on Jews using trolleybuses
24 November 1941: the first transport train carrying the ‘construction squad’ arrives in Terezín