Director Peter Schäfer’s contract is extended by one year

Director Peter Schäfer replied: “I would like to thank the Board for its trust and look forward to completing these two major projects begun during my term of office together with the museum team. My work was and is guided by the desire not only to consolidate the Jewish Museum Berlin as a place of collection and preservation, but also to develop it further as a forum for open and lively exchange on current social issues.” The new permanent exhibition and the Children’s Museum will be opened at the same time in May 2020.

A selection committee headed by State Minister for Cultural Affairs Monika Grütters will support the Board of Trustees in finding a suitable successor. “Our common goal is to hand over the Foundation’s management in an orderly manner to a successor who can continue Professor Schäfer and the foundation team’s successful work of on a full-time basis,” said Grütters.

The Jewish Museum Berlin is one of Europe’s largest Jewish museums. Around 650,000 people from Germany and abroad visit it every year, making it one of the Berlin’s most frequented museums. Peter Schäfer has been director of the museum since September 2014. The Jewish Museum Berlin was established in 2001 as a foundation under public law, and is funded with around 15 million € each year from the budget of the State Minister for Cultural Affairs, who chairs the Board of Trustees.

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