This immersive NYC art installation explores the origins of a secret Holocaust-era poetry magazine

Between 1943 and 1945, while hiding from Nazi deportation during the German occupation of the Netherlands, German Jewish writer Curt Bloch created Onderwater-Cabaret (“Underwater Cabaret”) in secrecy, a handmade, illustrated poetry magazine that used satire, wordplay and wit to confront Nazi propaganda and affirm Jewish humanity in the darkest of circumstances.

Now, decades later, Bloch’s clandestine work is the inspiration behind a new immersive art installation at Congregation Rodeph Sholom at 7 West 83rd Street near Central Park West. The walk-through exhibit draws from the extraordinary digital archive of Onderwater-Cabaret, preserved by Bloch’s family and brought to public view through years of research and collaboration.

While in hiding, Bloch produced 95 issues of the magazine, carefully assembling poems, collages and illustrations by hand.

After the war, Bloch survived, returned to Amsterdam and got married to an Auschwitz survivor. In 1948, they moved to New York, where he passed way in 1975. The magazines he created during the war remained largely unseen.

Following his death, Bloch’s family preserved the fragile works without knowing how they could ever be shared. That changed in 2011, when Bloch’s granddaughter, Lucy, rediscovered the collection and began investigating its history. She was joined by Bloch’s daughter, Simone, and together they embarked on the painstaking work of contextualizing and preserving the works.

Their efforts led to a collaboration with German designer Thilo von Debschitz, who helped transform the materials into a comprehensive digital archive. The project has since gained international attention, including major exhibitions and a recent profile in The New York Times, cementing Onderwater-Cabaret as one of the most remarkable artistic records of Jewish resistance created during the Holocaust.

The installation at Congregation Rodeph Sholom invites visitors to step inside this history. Designed as an immersive, self-guided experience, the exhibit allows viewers to engage with Bloch’s work not as distant artifacts, but as living expressions of creativity forged under unimaginable pressure. Through visual design, archival material and spatial storytelling, the installation underscores how art can function as both documentation and defiance.

The exhibition will be on display on January 22 between 12pm and 8pm. Guests are also invited to attend two live presentations—one at 12pm and the other at 7pm—with Simone Bloch and von Debschitz. The conversations will explore Curt Bloch’s life, the rediscovery of Onderwater-Cabaret and the ongoing work to ensure that his voice continues to be heard by new generations.

Entry is free but registration is encouraged right here.