The Jewish Life in Germany: an exhibition
The new permanent exhibition in the Libeskind Building of the Jewish Museum Berlin informs about the history of the Jews in Germany from the Middle Ages to the present.
October 10th, 2022
After more than two and a half years of renovation, the Jewish Museum Berlin opened its exhibition on the 23rd of August 2020, titled: Jewish Life in Germany - Past and Present. The previous permanent exhibition was on display from 2001 to 2017 and, according to the Museum, was visited by over eleven million visitors throughout this time.
During the reopening of this exhibition new focal points and new scenography is applied. The 1700-year history of the Jews in Germany is not told in a strictly chronological order: The tour of the new exhibition alternates between historical epochs and insights into Jewish themes beyond geographical and temporal boundaries.
Eight thematic modules invite visitors to immerse themselves in Jewish culture and religion with all their senses. Visitors can listen to liturgical chants, Purim rattles and pop music or find out in interviews whether, how and why Jews today follow the commandments. The space-filling work of the artist Anselm Kiefer Shevirat ha-Kelim also offers an interpretation of the creation myths of the Lurian Kabbalah. Five historical chapters form the backbone of the exhibition. They range from the beginnings of Jewish life in Ashkenaz to the emancipation movement in the 19th century and its violent end under National Socialism, and the polyphony of Jewish life today.
References:
- - https://www.berlin.de/en/exhibitions/6241328-5202331-jewish-life-in-germany-past-and-present.en.html
- - https://www.visitberlin.de/en/event/jewish-life-germany-past-and-present
