a flourish of modern and secular culture between the two world wars
“As we were young, we told ourselves: it will be our world, the world of our dreams, better and more humane”
– Stefan Zweig, “The World of Yesterday”
Between the two world wars, a new, multifaceted culture flourished throughout the Jewish world, which for the most part was of a modern and secular nature. In this new culture, Jewish sources converged with the wealth offered by universal culture. It included literature and philosophy, works in diverse fields of art, a variety of languages and an abundant entertainment and recreational culture.
This flurry of activity blossomed, however, in a world where hyper-nationalist and fascist ideologies had begun brewing, spearheaded by the Nazi movement in Germany. A sense of the fragility of Jewish existence hovered once again over the Jewish street, primarily in Europe.