Jewish Object: Judaica Collection
Chanukah candelabra by Erna Weill, USA, according to signature 1936; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Roman März. Further information about the object can be found in our online collections (in German).
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.
Range and Spectrum
With our collection of religious objects, we document Jewish history and culture through ritual and everyday items. Biographical, socio-historical and material aspects play a key role in these objects and their interpretation. Many of them express the complexity and diversity of German-Jewish belonging and experiences.
The core of the collection is the private collection of Münster cantor Zwi Sofer, which the Berlin Museum acquired in 1981. Recent scholarly findings on this were published as part of a provenance research project from 2017 to 2019.
Who is Zvi Sofer?
Zvi Sofer (1911–1980), cantor, and collector, born in Podolia, 1929 Aliyah, academic studies in Vienna, in 1938 re-emigrated to Palestine, from 1959 dedication to the revival of Jewish communities in Germany
Chronological and Geographical Framework
German-Jewish ceremonial objects from the eighteenth century onward reflect Jewish religious practice and cultural exchanges with their surrounding environments. The spectrum of handcrafted pieces extends from artistic silverwork from the eighteenth century to objects created by amateurs in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The collection also includes comparative pieces from other countries as well as a growing number of contemporary ceremonial objects, mostly from Israel and the United States.
Window of a prayer room with the Star of David of the Israelitische Vereinigung von Lichtenberg und Umgegend e. V. in the Frankfurter Allee, 1905; Jewish Museum Berlin, donation, mediated by the Verein für Berliner Stadtmission (Association for Berlin City Mission)
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Window of a prayer room with the Star of David of the Israelitische Vereinigung von Lichtenberg und Umgegend e. V. in the Frankfurter Allee, 1905; Jewish Museum Berlin, donation, mediated by the Verein für Berliner Stadtmission (Association for Berlin City Mission)
In this film, made as part of our exhibition on the First World War in Jewish Memory, Michal Friedlander, curator of Judaica and Applied Arts, presents two Torah pointers donated to a British and an Algerian synagogue.
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.
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!
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.
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
- Jewish Object: Material Culture: objects and textiles for nonreligious purposes
- Jewish Object: Applied Arts: objects produced by German-Jewish craftspeople and companies
- Current page: 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
