Jewish Object: Material Culture Collection
The museum’s collection includes a diverse range of three-dimensional objects, from simple everyday objects and mass-produced commodities to unique items that showcase sophisticated artistic design. In the context of a Jewish museum, these objects become “Jewish objects” be it through the self-definition of their previous owners or curatorial perspectives.
Thematic Focus
Our collection includes objects and textiles used for non-religious purposes. Particular importance is given to everyday articles and personal memorabilia, whose primary significance is the personal memory they hold for their previous owners. Most are parts of larger mixed family collections.
Objects tell stories and history
They provide insights into biographical, socio-historical, and material aspects, and many of them express the complexity and diversity of German-Jewish belonging and experiences.
Keys to the Sommerfeld family’s luggage; Jewish Museum Berlin, Gift of George and Peter Summerfield, photo: Jens Ziehe
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Keys to the Sommerfeld family’s luggage; Jewish Museum Berlin, Gift of George and Peter Summerfield, photo: Jens Ziehe
Some of the everyday objects reflect the middle-class lifestyle of their owners. Company products, advertising objects and practice signs document innovative work, financial success and the social ascent of companies, businessmen and women, doctors and lawyers. Club trophies reflect sports history. Military awards are prominently represented, especially ones from the First World War, and are evidence of patriotism and belonging.
Many objects relate to emigration and the life of emigrants in the countries to which they fled after 1933. Others are directly related to persecution and deportation, such as the yellow Star of David badge, or objects entrusted to neighbors or relatives, which they kept to preserve the memory of their murdered owners.
We are also continuing to expand the collection with objects from the post-1945 era to the present, including those related to Jewish life in the GDR and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pianist Tessa Uys donated this Blüthner-Flügel piano to us in 2004. Her mother, pianist Helga Bassel, bought it in Berlin in 1930. Only in 2003, after emigrating to South Africa in 1936 and after her mother's suicide in 1969, did Tessa learn that her mother was Jewish; Jewish Museum Berlin, gift of Tessa Uys, Photo: Jens Ziehe. More about this object in our online collections (in German)
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Pianist Tessa Uys donated this Blüthner-Flügel piano to us in 2004. Her mother, pianist Helga Bassel, bought it in Berlin in 1930. Only in 2003, after emigrating to South Africa in 1936 and after her mother's suicide in 1969, did Tessa learn that her mother was Jewish; Jewish Museum Berlin, gift of Tessa Uys, Photo: Jens Ziehe. More about this object in our online collections (in German)
Contact
Leonore Maier
Curator of Material Culture
T +49 (0)30 259 93 455
F +49 (0)30 259 93 409
l.maier@jmberlin.de
- Address
Jewish Museum Berlin
Lindenstraße 9–14
10969 Berlin
How can I conduct research using the museum’s archive, collections, and library?
Our Reading Room is open to the public. You can also research using our library’s holdings and some of our collection’s holdings online. To view additional holdings, please contact the responsible curators.
I would like to depict or borrow an object from your collections. Who should I contact?
Your contacts for photo permissions are Valeska Wolfgram and Birgit Maurer-Porat (T +49 (0)30 259 93 433, email: fotodoku@jmberlin.de). Please consider that it may take between four to six weeks Please note that the processing time for requests can take between 4 and 6 weeks. We will be happy to provide you with further information on fees and reproduction conditions on request.
How can I donate objects, photographs, and documents to the museum?
Do you own materials related to Jewish culture and history in Germany that could be of interest to us? We would be delighted to hear from you!
Our Collection
- An overview
- The objects we collect: information & FAQ
- Search our Collection: a growing part of our collection is digitally accessible and searchable (in German)
- Details
- Archive: documenting Jewish life
- Audiovisual Media: historic sound recordings, family films and video art
- Library: books about Jewish art, culture, and history
- Fine Arts: Jewish history from the perspective of visual culture
- Photography: art photography, historical press images and family photos
- Current page: Jewish Object: Material Culture: objects and textiles for nonreligious purposes
- Jewish Object: Applied Arts: objects produced by German-Jewish craftspeople and companies
- Jewish Object: Judaica: ritual and everyday items of religious purpose
- Digital Content
- Online Showcase: digital presentation of our archive holdings, video projects, and more
- Object in Showcase: stories from our collection
- See also
- The History of Our Collection: learn about the initial inspiration and transition to today's museum
- Our Collection Management: responsibilities and contact information
- Sources of Collection Holdings: in publications of the Berlin museum (1978 to 1995)
- Provenance Research: unveiling the origins of our objects
- Conservation: how to presperve our objects for future generations
