JIFF: Schocken, A Self Made Man

The legacy of Salman Schocken — businessman, publisher and intellectual — is brought to life in this fascinating new documentary.

Polish-born Salman Schocken was the king of department stores in Germany. Famous for their sleek design, his successful stores were found across the country and employed over 6,000 workers. The rise of Nazism in Germany resulted in Schocken being stripped of his citizenship and losing his empire.

Schocken subsequently immigrated to Palestine where he founded a modern Jewish publishing house, known for publishing the works of Franz Kafka, Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig, amongst others, and acquired the Haaretz newspaper. Schocken Library in Jerusalem still houses his collection of 60,000 rare Jewish books. 

Rating

E

Language

German, Hebrew (English subtitles)

Director

Noemi Schory