Musealization of Jewish Culture and History in Hamburg - Additional Info Landmarks of Jewish History

Collection of the Society for Jewish Folklore

In addition to cultural assets such as song lyrics and proverbs, the Society for Jewish Folklore collected some 400 objects. This collection was created through purchases and donations from members living in Hamburg, but also in Prague and New York. Today, most of the collection is lost. As part of two provenance research projects, nine objects were identified in the Museum am Rothenbaum and two more in the Altona Museum.

A “Jewish Worship Room” in the Altona Museum

From 1914 to 1933, a “Jewish worship room” was part of the permanent exhibition at the Altona Museum. It displayed parts of a synagogue interior and other religious objects. The museum had either purchased the exhibits or borrowed them from the Jewish Congregation and Jewish private individuals. They were not involved in the design of the exhibition. Around 1930, the Society for Jewish Folklore also made items from its collection available on loan.

Musealization in Hamburg after 1945

In the 1970s, the musealization of Jewish history was once again discussed. The key figures were, for instance, the publicist Erich Lüth and Naftali Bar-Giora-Bamberger, son of Simon Simcha Bamberger, the last “curator” of the Society for Jewish Folklore’s collection. Lüth demanded that the Museum of Hamburg History dedicate a separate department to Jewish history. At the end of 1991, the special exhibition “400 Years of Jews in Hamburg” opened there, followed by a permanent exhibition in 1997.

Initiatives for a Jewish Museum in Hamburg in the 21st century

In 2004, Johannes Missall founded the ‘Jewish Museum Hamburg’ support association. The aim was to create a museum that would connect existing institutions and showcase the vibrancy and diversity of Jewish life in Hamburg. The project could not be realised and the association was dissolved in 2013. On the occasion of the discussion about a Jewish Museum, which has been revived since 2024, a ‘circle of friends’ was founded in 2026. The circle of friends is a voluntary association of interested individuals who support the establishment of a Jewish Museum in Hamburg.

Questionnaire on Jewish Folklore

Document, 1896, reproduction

Empirical Cultural Studies Switzerland (EKWS)

In 1896, Rabbi Max Grunwald and his colleagues published the first ethnographic questionnaire specifically related to Jewish folklore. They sought cultural assets such as traditional costumes, dialects, customs, and the names of domestic animals in order to explore the question of Jewish identity.

Meeting Hall of the Lodge

The Lodge House in Hamburg. Commemorative publication. Memories of the inauguration.

Sunday, 28 August 1904, p. 59, printed work, reproduction, Hamburg State Archives, reference number A 870/59

Since 1904, the Society for Jewish Folklore had been using rooms in the meeting hall of the Jewish Henry Jones Lodge in the Grindelviertel district. It had its library there and displayed individual items from its constantly growing collection of objects. Other Jewish institutions also had rooms there, such as the Youth Association.

Max Grunwald, Rabbi and Folklorist, 1871–1953

Max Fenichel, photograph, undated, Austrian National Library, call number Pf 29548 : C (1), 00370656

In 1895, Max Grunwald became the first rabbi of the New Dammtor Synagogue under the umbrella of the German-Israelite Congregation. In 1898, he co-founded the Society for Jewish Folklore. Even after he moved to Vienna as a rabbi in 1903, he continued to publish the Society’s newsletters.

View of the “Jewish Worship Room” in the Altona Museum

Emil Puls, photograph, c. 1915, SHMH-Altona Museum, Inv. No. 1928-43

In the center of the synagogue display is a reading platform, next to which are prayer benches. Behind it is a Torah shrine with a closed curtain. The large silver Hanukkah menorah is still part of the museum’s collection today.

Object Presentation in the “Jewish Worship Room”

Franz Rompel, photograph, c. 1930, SHMH-Altona Museum, Inv. No. 1931-19,1

Around 1930, small exhibitions of special objects were regularly presented in the worship room. The photo shows three thematically organized tables with objects from the Altona Museum’s own collection, mixed with loans. One of the knives may come from the collection of the Society for Jewish Folklore.

Etrog Box

Silver, stamp: Lazarus Posen, 1849, SHMH-Altona Museum, Inv. No. 1913-19

In March 1913, the Altona Museum purchased a silver box from Jewish art dealer Julius Hirsch. The invoice describes the object as an “etrog box.” Nothing is known about its history. The black wooden base was added later for exhibition purposes.

Replica of an Etrog Fruit

Painted plaster cast, c. 1913, SHMH-Altona Museum, Inv. No. AB13070

The etrog is a type of lemon used in the Sukkoth festival. Since the fruit must be completely intact, it is often stored in tins for protection. The plaster replica was made as an exhibit for the Altona Museum and displayed there together with the etrog box.

Washbasin and Jug

Pewter, eighteenth century, SHMH-Altona Museum, Inv. No. 1945-13, 1945-14

According to the inventory register, the tableware was donated to the Altona Museum in 1945 by “the Jewish Congregation of Hamburg.” In 2025, a provenance researcher discovered the inventory numbers of the Society for Jewish Folklore on the underside. The previous information on the acquisition is obviously incorrect.

Pointed Glass Goblet with Dedication Inscription

Engraved glass, 1800–1850, Collection of the Society for Jewish Folklore, MARKK 29.1:174

Samuel Leibowitz, one of the board members, donated the glass goblet to the Society for Jewish Folklore in 1903. Based on its inscription, a provenance researcher identified it in 2023 in the inventory of the Museum am Rothenbaum as part of the collection of the Society for Jewish Folklore.

Box with inventory cards

Inventory card for recording of a Pointed Glass Goblet, reproduction, Museum am Rothenbaum – Cultures and Arts of the World

The collection of the Society for Jewish Folklore had been on loan to the Museum am Rothenbaum since 1913. The museum documented the inventory on inventory cards. Inventory numbers were assigned starting in 1929. Today, the information from the card index and the inventory numbers on the objects allow for clear identification of the objects.

“Formerly at Home in Hamburg. Jewish Life in the Grindel,”, Museum of Hamburg History, 1986/87

Exhibition catalogue, Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte,
Ulrich Bauche (ed.), 1986

The initiative for the exhibition came from former Jewish Hamburg residents who were now living in Israel. They provided material and helped to review Judaica from Hamburg museums that were to be displayed. The former Talmud Torah School on Grindel was one of the venues where the exhibition was shown.

“400 Years of Jews in Hamburg”, Museum of Hamburg History, 1991/1992

Exhibition catalogue, Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte,
Ulrich Bauche (ed.), 1991

The special exhibition presented the results of the work, which had already been displayed in a smaller context in 1986/1987, on a large scale. The base of the Hanukkah menorah that adorned the posters and catalog was discovered in the Altona Museum’s depot in 1989 and returned to the Jewish Congregation after the exhibition.

“Jews in Hamburg,” Museum of Hamburg History, 1997–2023

Exhibition booklet, Museum of Hamburg History, Ortwin Pelc/Jörgen Bracker (eds.), 1987

A separate section was set up as a continuation of the special exhibition of 1991/1992. However, most of the objects shown at that time were no longer available. Initially, the exhibition ended with the Shoah, but after a few years it was expanded to include the period after 1945.

“Shadows. Jewish Culture in Altona and Hamburg,” 1998

Exhibition catalogue, Altonaer Museum with a contribution by Miriam Gillis-Carlebach, collaboration with Torkild Hinrichsen, Jens Huckeriede, Karin Walter, among others. Gerhard Kaufmann (ed.), 1998

The special exhibition at the Altona Museum presented “Jewish places” in Altona and Judaica from its own collection. The focus was on the “Salzberg Collection,” which has been at the museum since 1993. It consists of the furnishings of the Jewish-Christian couple Frida and Max Salzberg.

“Looted Art? Provenance Research on the Collections of the MK&G”, Museum für Kunst & Gewerbe Hamburg, 2014–2021

Exhibition catalogue, Museum für Kunst & Gewerbe, Sabine Schulze and Silke Reuther (eds.), 2014

The exhibition provided insight into a project that had dealt with the origin of objects in the MK&G arts and crafts museum, presenting some 100 objects acquired during or after the Nazi era. Inventory books and auction catalogs furnished information about the methods used in provenance research.

“Jewish Children’s Worlds – The History of the Israelite Girls’ School”, new permanent exhibition since 2025

Leaflet, Memorial and Educational Centre for the Jewish Girls’ School (publisher), 2025

The Israelite Girls’ School Memorial and Educational Center was founded in 1989. It is located on the upper floor of the former school building in the Karolinenviertel district. In 2025, a new permanent exhibition was opened, providing information about the history of the school and the lives of its students.

Online exhibitions of the “Hamburg Key Documents on German-Jewish History”

https://schluesseldokumente.net/

The online source edition by the Institute for the History of German Jews (IGdJ) presents various aspects of Hamburg-Jewish history through selected documents. In addition, there are online exhibitions such as “Jewish Life since 1945” and “Object (Hi)stories). A Collection on Jewish Folklore.”

Gender-neutral language

Gender-neutral language has been used in the exhibition texts shown. In cases where the content requires it, only the masculine form has been deliberately chosen.

Judaica

Judaica is a collective term for Jewish religious and handcrafted objects and writings, but also literature dealing with Jewish themes.

Lodge

The term ‘lodges’ refers to associations of people who work on a common project or share common ideals of coexistence.