Oxford Jewish Congregation

15th Jan - 10 March 2012

A fascinating new exhibition, '"Persecution and Survival: A Wartime Refugee's Story" opens at the Oxford City Museum on January 15th, based on the life of Professor Paul Jacobsthal, the eminent archaeologist who fled Nazi Germany in 1936 and found personal and professional refuge in Oxford.

Like many other Jewish academics, Jacobsthal was persecuted by the Nazi regime because of his Jewish origins and his refusal to kowtow to the Nazification of history. One of the world's preeminent authorities on Celtic archaeology, Jacobsthal was was forced to leave his post in Germany in 1937 and was offered sanctuary in Oxford.

The exhibition describes Jacobsthal's experience of being a refugee on the Isle of Man and in Oxford during the war, based on hitherto unseen personal letters and diaries. It also explores the wider picture of wartime Oxford as a refuge for other Jewish refugees in WWII. It shows the role played by academics and others to ensure Jewish refugees and their families a place of safety, and portrays the painful experience of leaving one's home and culture and settling in another country.

As well as exploring the issue of freedom of scholarship through the medium of interpretations of Celtic Art, the exhibition draws on oral histories and displays from a number of other survivors who came to Oxford as children of Jewish academics.

The exhibition brings visitors forward in time to show how Jacobsthal's story, and those of other wartime refugees, is still highly relevant today, as Jacobsthal's experience is being re-enacted - now - by many other people.

The exhibition is organised by the Oxford Institute of Archaeology and is running an exciting schools outreach project using visual and audio media to broaden children's understanding of the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers, in the past and today.

For further information, contact Sally Crawford at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.