Jüdischer Kinderkalender: 1928–1929

Emil Cohn, 1881–1948 (Editor)

Nina Anna Brodsky, 1892–[1979] (Illustrator)

Jüdischer Kinderkalender: 1928–1929 (Jewish Children’s Calendar: 1928–1929)

Berlin: Jüdischer Verlag, copyright 1927

This children’s calendar for 1928–29 provides a glimpse into the world of Jewish-German youth at the beginning of what would be the most tragic historical period of the 20th century for the Jewish people. It was characterized by the rapid rise of anti-Semitic sentiments in Germany. The amplification of the Nazi propaganda machine was followed by the launch of the National Socialist movement that brought Hitler to power in 1933 and led to the systematic extermination of the Jews during World War II (1939–45). 

Six editions of the children’s calendar were published between 1927 and 1936, an increasingly difficult time where children’s books nevertheless continued to nurture youngsters’ dreams and identity. These literary calendars remained a beloved and popular format, as they included poetry, fairy tales, games, theater plays, songs, riddles, jokes, and crafts that revolved around the Jewish holidays and history—all the while positioning the children as rightful members of German society. Emil Bernhard Cohn, a rabbi, writer, and educator, compiled and edited the calendars. Charming illustrations with a modernistic touch boosted children’s imagination and made these calendars popular items that children held onto for the whole year.  

The artist behind the color illustrations in this volume, Nina Anna Brodsky, was born in Kyiv into a wealthy and prominent family. Brodsky studied art in Berlin, Moscow, Weimar, and St. Petersburg, while also trying herself in poetry. Fleeing the destruction of post-revolutionary years, in 1919 she settled in Berlin, where she worked as a theater stage designer and illustrator.  In 1930-1933, Brodsky lived and worked in Basel, but later relocated to Toulouse, where she encountered World War II. Miraculously, her cousins were able to secure a visa for her to live with them to Switzerland, where she stayed until the end of the war.  She returned to France and lived in Paris for the remainder of her life. 

The cover of this calendar features a group of Jewish boys and girls of different backgrounds, religious and secular, with books, toys, flowers, and Torah scrolls. The image symbolizes their dreams, which would soon be shattered by the horrors of Nazism and World War II.