The Juggler

Having survived the Shoah, German-born entertainer Hans Muller (Kirk Douglas) arrives in Israel in 1949. Suffering from the trauma and psychological effects of the horrors he has witnessed, he struggles to fit into the young state. After an incident with the police, he flees and wanders the country. Finally, he arrives at a kibbuz where he hopes to find some peace. As the first U.S. film to be shot in Israel, this drama offers a unique perspective on the struggles of Shoah survivors with trauma who arrived during the chaotic period of state formation.

Co-operation with the Institute of Contemporary History of the University of Vienna.

Film series: Global Resettlement after 1945

An often overlooked consequence of the Second World War was to cause the largest migration movement of the 20th century. After 1945, millions of people became displaced persons through forced labour, deportation and flight. The film series sheds light on the fate of Jewish displaced persons after the war and their attempt to build a new life after the horrors of the Shoah. The feature film ‘The Windemere Children’ (GB 2020) deals with the resettlement of children, one of the most vulnerable groups of refugees. The film will be followed by a discussion with Trevor Avery, Historical Advisor of the film project.
The second film, ‘The Juggler’ (IL/USA 1953), deals with the arrival of a Shoah survivor in Israel shortly after the founding of the state in the context of trauma, loss of identity and feelings of guilt. The film will be followed by a panel talk by young researchers from the ERC project ‘GLORE - Global Resettlement Regimes: Ambivalent Lessons learned from the Postwar (1945-1951)’ and the FWF project ‘Norms, Regulation and Refugee Agency. Negotiating the Migration Regimes", which also organised this film series.