SPEAKING OUT ON CENSORSHIIP
In May 1943, New Yorkers gathered together in Bryant Park to remember the tens of thousands of Nazi sympathizers who gathered on college campuses across Germany on May 10, 1933, to participate in the burning of some 25,000 books by scientists, philosophers, political theorists and poets labeled “degenerates” by the Nazi regime.
For the opening of Sheryl Oring’s installation “Writer’s Block: Bebelpatz to Bryant Park,” supporters of the written word will once again gather in Bryant Park, where eight writers — including Arthur Miller, Russell Banks and Jamaica Kincaid — will read from literature about the Nazi book-burnings and about more recent incidents of censorship and oppression.
Reflecting on today’s freedom to read and write, New York-based artist Oring created “Writer’s Block,” which comprises 18 metal cages filled with 540 prewar typewriters and is making its New York debut. Oring told the Forward she first came upon the idea for the installation after visiting the memorial for the book-burning at Bebelpatz, a square across from the University of Berlin in Germany, and after noticing many old typewriters at flea markets in Berlin. To Oring, typewriters simultaneously represent the typed orders issued by the Nazis and the free expression of ideas. The event is sponsored by the PEN American Center, National Coalition Against Censorship and American Bookseller Foundation for Free Expression.
Bryant Park, 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue; opening Sept. 30, 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m., installation through Oct. 12; free. (212-334-1660, ext. 105 or www.writers-block.org)
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
2X match on all Passover gifts!
Most Popular
- 1
News A Jewish Republican and Muslim Democrat are suddenly in a tight race for a special seat in Congress
- 2
Film & TV What Gal Gadot has said about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- 3
Fast Forward The NCAA men’s Final Four has 3 Jewish coaches
- 4
Culture How two Jewish names — Kohen and Mira — are dividing red and blue states
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward ‘Another Jewish warrior’: Fine wins special election for U.S. House seat
-
Fast Forward A Chicagoan wanted to protest Elon Musk — and put a swastika sticker on a Jewish man’s Tesla
-
Fast Forward NY attorney general orders car wash to stop ripping off Jews with antisemitic ‘Passover special’
-
Fast Forward Cory Booker proclaims, ‘Hineni’ — I am here — 19 hours into anti-Trump Senate speech
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.