A study of Jewish identities in German popular entertainment seems particularly timely given the recent attention paid to German artists and performers working both in Germany and abroad. Berlin, Germany's old and new capital, has once again become a showcase for German intensity and innovation. Not only do the locals identify Berlin as one of Europe's emerging cultural metropolises; countless international travel guides second their claim. A rich and colorful nightlife, a kaleidoscope of innovative artists, live performances by the leading actors of our times – there is no doubt that Berlin attracts an extraordinary mixture of talent and voyeurs. The city's eclectic architecture, its contested spaces, its relics and monuments – sites of kitsch and creativity – are simultaneously experienced and reflected upon; the true Berliner is a self-conscious stranger, drawn to a city of lights and construction sites. Quite literally, Berlin is set on the border where the East meets the West, the past the present, and where the avant-garde coexists with a seemingly unfazed Berlin bourgeoisie. Today, as it had in the 1920s, Berlin's unique energy stems in part from great social and political turmoil: a war, a revolution, the need to redefine Germany's role within the European community. Are we then experiencing the renaissance of the “Golden Twenties” in a unified Germany?

On second thought, however, today's Berlin is nothing like the metropolis of the 1920s. The most noticeable difference is the almost complete absence of an active and integrated Jewish community.