PORTLAND, OR.- Berlin: A Jewish Ode to the Metropolis showcases photographs by Portland photographer Jason Langer. The project is deeply personal to Langer, a reconciliation of impressions of the Holocaust that were seeded in him as a 10-year-old living on a kibbutz in Israel. Even after moving to America, Langer carried a deep fear of Germany, and Berlin, in particular. Years later, he set out for Berlin to confront and capture these impressions in film.

In the five years that it would take to complete the series, Langer learned that Berlin–like so many places, people, and histories–is more complex than he realized. A city of dichotomies, the Berlin that Langer portrays in Berlin: A Jewish Ode to the Metropolis is marked by division and reunification in ways both grandiose and mundane. Deeply personal and prescient, OJMCHE is proud to share Langer’s work with our visitors.

Explaining the personal, cultural, and historical complexity of the subject, Langer says, “It's a historical project about Berlin through the eyes of a Jewish person two generations later, and how much that threat of death and annihilation has transferred to my generation and beyond.”

“I tried to photograph a history of the city, representing multiple generations and eras, all the way from medieval times through modernity. By mixing that all together, I wanted to give viewers an experience of what it's like to be in contemporary Berlin, surrounded by the weight of the city’s history, for good and bad.”

Langer lends a poetic sensibility to classic views of Berlin, including historical remnants of the Holocaust and Jewish life, as well as intimate glimpses that tell specific, individual stories. It’s the juxtaposition between the broad strokes of a horrifying history and the smallest intricacies of daily life that Langer brings to the attention of the viewer. The photographs themselves seem timeless, characteristic for Langer’s work. His photographs are formally composed, rich and moody, favoring darker tones.

“There's a death, rebirth and renewal idea that runs through the exhibit. It still seems miraculous, really, that life continues even after that level of genocide. My children and I are living examples of the ability to come through that and to continue life in a positive way.”

OJMCHE will host and produce a variety of programs and community gatherings throughout the exhibition’s run, including a talk and book signing with Langer, as well as guided tours of the exhibition led by the photographer.