"A Dutch Lawrence of Arabia?" Jacob Israël de Haan - A man of contradictions and controversies

Jacob Israël de Haan (1881-1924), a man with many faces and even more stories. From being the son of a Jewish cantor in Smilde (nearby Groningen) he made it to becoming a journalist, poet, writer, teacher ánd lawyer. He was the author of the first Dutch autobiographical homosexual novel. Despite his early death (de Haan was only 42), he left a lasting impression in many circles. In 1919 he went to Palestine, where exactly one hundred years ago he was murdered because of his sharp criticism on political Zionism. This exhibition is dedicated to the man said to be, for some, a ‘Dutch Lawrence of Arabia.’

This exhibition intends to bring a lost and forgotten world back to life. You experience the surprising, turbulent and multi-faceted Mandate Palestine through the eyes of Jacob Israël de Haan and the lens of his contemporary Frank Scholten. The story of de Haans life is told from an artistic, historic and political perspective. Come to this exhibition and find out how De Haan was and continues to be of importance for many people.

This exhibition is realized in collaboration with the Encouragement Fund for Public Engagement and the Department of Middle Eastern Studies of the University of Groningen, Faculty of Arts.