Landmarks of Jewish History

Eine steinerne Löwenskulptur mit detaillierter Mähne sitzt auf einem Sockel und hält eine Tafel mit hebräischen Inschriften. Ein weißer rautenförmiger Umriss erscheint im Hintergrund vor einem blaugrünen Hintergrund.

The Jewish presence in Hamburg dates back over 400 years. From the very beginning, it has been characterized by cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity. The Sephardic-Ashkenazi cemetery on Altona’s Königstrasse and the ruins of the world’s first Reform Jewish temple in Hamburg-Neustadt bear witness to this plurality in Hamburg’s cityscape. Jewish life in the independent cities of Altona and Hamburg was shaped by different legislations. These legislations influenced self-assertion, the struggle for civil rights, and interactions with non-Jewish society. The ports and their trade opportunities were also important factors in the lives of Hamburg’s Jews. But how and where is this special Jewish history of Hamburg told?

For some 130 years, Jewish and non-Jewish protagonists have initiated collections and exhibitions from different perspectives and in different locations. For just as long, there has been a discussion about establishing a Jewish museum in Hamburg – a discussion that has been reignited in 2024. This is the inspiration for the project space at the Altonaer Museum, which recounts selected landmarks of the city’s rich Jewish history and present.

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14 Landmarks of Hamburg’s Jewish history and present

The project space provides insights into Jewish stories from Hamburg. Fourteen chronologically arranged dates present a selection of important landmarks in the diverse and often unique history of Hamburg’s Jews. Selected places, biographies, and discourses trace the development of the Jewish congregations and communities – from their beginnings in the sixteenth century to the present day. Their history has always been characterized by plurality.

Altona Museum Musealization of Jewish Culture and History in Hamburg Landmarks of Jewish History

The prologue tells of the first ideas and efforts to establish a Jewish Museum for Hamburg around 1900, of different approaches, perspectives and actors. An overview of exhibitions on Jewish history in Hamburg after 1945 reveals the background to this project space.