A Purim miracle in Jerusalem 1933. This is what the historical records of the Alliance in Israel have revealed to us. Discover these fascinating documents on the Jerusalem School for the Deaf and Mute.
A Purim miracle in Jerusalem in 1933.
In 1932 the AIU School for the deaf-mutes opened, welcoming young children, often left behind by Jerusalemite society. There they were educated and cared for because the Alliance believed in their ability to progress.
So on March 9, 1933, the school for deaf-mutes invited the authorities in Jerusalem to attend the feast of Purim. After speaking, director Höxter invited the children to present a tableau vivant (living painting) inspired by “Little Red Riding Hood”, as well as a play on the theme of Purim and Queen Esther.
Miss Guitta Dizengoff was a teacher at the Alliance School for the Deaf and Mute in Jerusalem, and organizer of the event. To understand the surprise of the public invited to this theatrical performance interpreted by deaf-mute children, we quote her: "Our guests had a great time and so did our students, seeing the little mother dressing her daughter [...] The serious part began when we heard the mother speak to her daughter. The audience was then delirious with joy to hear a deaf-mutes articulate words and even distinct sentences. Deaf-mutes, who 4 months before would have been almost abandoned and who hardly were taken care of. "
This followed a report embellished with photos describing this festival of Purim, that Miss Dizengoff had sent to the AIU headquarters in Paris. And these are the same documents from the historical records of the Alliance in Israel that have just been revealed to us.
The photos remind us of these days, showing the young actors in costume and strongly involved in their roles.
It is indeed the usefulness of the Alliance's archives to allow one to jump back into moments of the past in order to better understand the extraordinary scope of the educational and social action of the institution over the years.
These documents were found during the preparation work for the digitization of historical archives of the AIU concerning Israel. This project was made possible by generous grants from the company SucDen, the Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe in London, and the Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah.
See here the archives from which these photos were taken