Joel Schalit

Repetition Compulsion

I’ve never seen so many references to the Holocaust. At least outside of Israel. That’s the meme that has repeated in my mind, each time I’ve encountered street signs like this. Though tied to this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day, the references have been especially unsettling this time out.

I think it’s how much I’ve been reading the statements of rightist Israeli politicians recently, as they’ve made their case against Iran acquiring nuclear weaponry. I think it’s also because I’ve seen so many swastikas scrawled on the walls of Turin lately. Near my wife’s office, they’re especially plentiful.

Turin for Migrants

For Ghanians and Nigerians

For Tunisians, Morrocans and Senegalese

In Their Crosshairs

In Italy, anti-media sentiment is particularly significant given the concentration of media ownership in the country. This slogan appeared all over central Turin, following a leftwing demonstration, ten days ago.

Souciant was hacked twice in the last eight days, so I can especially relate. Not by progressives, but rightwing extremists, leaving things like anti-EU messages, and complaints about our German coverage.

Holocaust Memorial Day Advert Plus

Italy always has the best Shoah commemoration adverts. See the flyers for the migrant rights benefit gig above (in yellow) and the squat gig, to the upper right. The collage is of course telling, if accidental. Turin, on my birthday.

Same Shit, Different Pile

The Nazi bit is overkill. Around the corner from our apartment, Karl Marx Strasse. Berlin, 20/10/10.

“Grenade Jewish hunchback druggies.” Courtesy of Google translate, warts and all. Torino, 21/01/12.

The New Europe

Bilingual migrant solidarity flyer. Torino, January 10th.

All Roads Lead to Roma (Reference Version)

Back at it, finally, after a well deserved break. See my similarly titled new article (All Roads) in Monday’s Souciant. Last week’s piece, No Navigation Required, is still fresh, and, of course, thematically tied. New photos featured, as well as some older ones, some of which have already appeared here.

Leftist Rubbish Bins

The communist version. Torino, January 14th.

The anarchist version. Neukölln, January 5th.

Burqa and Child

This photo has been kicking around since August. Shot in Torino, I finally used it on Tuesday, in Behind the Veil, for Souciant. A short piece combining four photos with commentary, I’ve had little time to write these past four weeks, as editorial responsibilities have gotten the better of me.

We’re taking a two week break starting next Thursday. I’ll be driving us back to Berlin, from Torino, across Switzerland, and up north, through Germany. I’m already planning the next essays for the book I’ve been unable to write this past month. I’m really looking forward to regrouping.

The nice thing is, of course, that whenever I’m not writing (if one can really say it’s actually possible) there’s always time to take new photographs. After three years of work, I’ve got just about enough pictures for a coffee table-style photo book. I’ll play with an outline for it early next year.

Nationalist Chic

Torino is my favorite city in Italy. Its liberalism plays no small role in what I like about it. Unfortunately, it also boasts the largest number of Nazi Swastikas I’ve ever seen. I assume it’s targeted because the city has such a large migrant community. For example, according to an article in La Stampa last Friday, Torino has the largest Moroccan community of any municipality in the country.

This unsettling photograph was taken in the San Salvario neighborhood last summer. This, as well as more recent photos I’ve taken, were featured in today’s Randomizer column, in Souciant. An anonymously-authored series, when a feature was postponed, I put this piece together this morning. The layout could be better (our platform still needs work) but the photos speak for themselves.