Skip to main content

Stolen Judaica
Provenance Research in Israel and Germany

Specialist Symposium (video and audio recordings available, in German and English)

The Jewish Museum Berlin and the New Synagogue Berlin – Centrum Judaicum Foundation held a two-day international symposium on Stolen Judaica – Provenance Research in Israel and Germany. In specialist lectures, workshops, and an evening event, research exploring the origins of Jewish ceremonial objects (Judaica), exclusively in Israel and Germany, took center stage for the first time.

recordings available

Map with all buildings that belong to the Jewish Museum Berlin

Where


Jewish Museum Berlin, Lindenstraße 9-14, 10969 Berlin and New Synagogue Berlin– Centrum Judaicum Foundation, Oranienburger Str. 28-30, 10117 Berlin

The symposium aimed to provide an overview of methodological approaches and experiences in provenance research in the area of Judaica, thereby creating a basis from which to further develop this branch of research. Speakers from Israel and Germany gave practical reports on their handling of Judaica finds.

Especially small regional museums and collections containing suspicious objects were encouraged to participate in the symposium in order to learn more about recognizing Judaica objects and how to approach their provenance.

Damaged Hanukkah candlestick.

Damaged Hanukkah lamp with missing parts, Germany, Late 19th – early 20th century; photo (c) The Israel Museum, Jerusalem by Yair Hovav

Conference Program

Monday 18 June 2018
Specialist Symposium at the Jewish Museum Berlin

10.30 am

Registration and Coffee

11.30 am

Words of Welcome

Léontine Meijer-van Mensch (Program Director, Jewish Museum Berlin)

11.40 am

The Judaica Blind Spot – Nazi-Era Provenance Research in Germany and the “Problem” of Jewish Ceremonial Objects

Michal S. Friedlander (Curator of Judaica and Applied Arts, Jewish Museum Berlin)

12.15 am - 1.15 pm

Judaica Provenance Research in Germany

Judaica Provenance Research Using the Example of the Zvi Sofer Collection – Opportunities and Challenges in Practice

Dr. Anna-Carolin Augustin (Provenance Researcher, Jewish Museum Berlin)

“But alas! Foxes entered G-d's temple on the 16th of (Mar)cheshvan 5699 [9 -10 November, 1938]”

Dr. Jutta Dick (Director, Foundation Moses Mendelssohn Academy) and Uri Faber (Provenance Researcher, Foundation Moses Mendelssohn Academy)

1.15 - 2.45 pm

Lunch Break

2.45 - 3.45 pm

Judaica Provenance Research in Israel

Taking Another Look: Rethinking Provenance Research at the Israel Museum

Sharon Weiser-Ferguson (Curator, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem)

Ceremonial Objects from the Jewish Home: Case Studies from Yad Vashem's Artifacts Collection

Sara Shor (Collection Manager, Artifacts Collection, Yad Vashem Museum)

3.45 - 4 pm

Coffee Break

4 - 5.30 pm

“First Check”: The Search for Judaica in German State and Regional Museums

Jump-Starting Provenance Research: the “First Check” Project in Brandenburg

Alexander Sachse (Academic Consultant, Association of Brandenburg Museums)

“Origin Uncertain, Origin Known”: Judaica in Non-State Museums in Bavaria

Christine Bach M.A. (Provenance Researcher, Office for Non-State Museums in Bavaria)

Judaica as Accidental Spoils of the Confiscation of Jewish Archive Material

Dr. Carolin Lange (Provenance Researcher, Office for Non-State Museums in Bavaria)

Download the Conference Program

Download (PDF / 1.41 MB / not accessible)

Public Evening Event at the New Synagogue Berlin – Centrum Judaicum Foundation

6.30 pm

Admission

7.30 pm

Words of Welcome

Moderation: Dr. Anja Siegemund (Director, New Synagogue Berlin – Centrum Judaicum Foundation)
Staatsministerin Prof. Monika Grütters MdB (Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the German Lost Art Foundation)
S.E. Jeremy Issacharoff (Ambassador of the State of Israel)

7.45 pm

The Current Debate on Provenance and Commemoration in Germany and Israel

Prof. Dr. Yfaat Weiss (Director, Leibniz Institute for Jewish History and Culture – Simon Dubnow; Professor at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem)
PD Dr. Christian Fuhrmeister (Research Fellow, Central Institute for Art History, Munich)

8.10 pm

Musical Interlude

8.30 pm

Round-Table: Judaica Provenance Research – Looking Ahead

Dr. Günter Winands (Ministerial Director and Head of Office at the Federal Government Commission for Culture and the Media)
Prof. Dr. Gilbert Lupfer (Honorary Board Member, German Lost Art Foundation)
Dr. Chana Schütz (Deputy Director and Head of the Research Department, New Synagogue Berlin – Centrum Judaicum Foundation)
Moderation: Léontine Meijer-van Mensch (Program Director, Jewish Museum Berlin)

9.30 pm

Reception with Buffet

New Synagogue Berlin– Centrum Judaicum Foundation

To the website

German Lost Art Foundation

To the website

Tuesday 19 June 2018
Specialist Workshops at the Jewish Museum Berlin

10 am

Welcome Coffee in the W. Michael Blumenthal Academy of the Jewish Museum Berlin

10.30 am - 12 noon

Object Workshop: Jewish Ceremonial Objects for Newcomers (Auditorium, Old Building)

Michal S. Friedlander (Curator of Judaica and Applied Arts, Jewish Museum Berlin)

Practical Workshop: An Introduction to Provenance Research Practices (Archive Seminar Room, Academy)

Dr. Carolin Lange und Christine Bach M.A. (Provenance Researchers, Office for Non-State Museums in Bavaria)

Alternatively: Guided Tour of the Exhibition Welcome to Jerusalem
12 noon - 1 pm

Lunch Break

1.30 - 3 pm

Object Workshop: Jewish Ceremonial Objects for Newcomers (Repetition) (Auditorium, Old Building)

Michal S. Friedlander (Curator of Judaica and Applied Arts, Jewish Museum Berlin)

Archive Workshop: Judaica Provenance Research at the Jewish Museum Berlin Archive (Archive Seminar Room, Academy)

Aubrey Pomerance (Head of Archives, Jewish Museum Berlin)

Alternatively: Guided Tour of the Jewish Museum Berlin Library
Several Judaica objects in a shelf

Judaica recovered by the Jewish Cultural Reconstruction, Inc. (JCR) in storage at The Jewish Museum NY. The organization was established in 1947 to collect »heirless Jewish property« in the American occupied zone of Germany. The JCR was based in Offenbach and later in Wiesbaden. These »orphaned objects« were distributed to Jewish institutions worldwide; more than 3000 Judaica objects were sent to Israel. Photo: bpk/The Jewish Museum of New York/Art Resource N.Y.

Sponsored by:

Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (Logo)

With the support of:

Logo: Deutsches Zentrum Kulturverluste.

Where, when, what?

  • When 18 + 19 Jun 2018
  • Where

    Jewish Museum Berlin, Lindenstraße 9-14, 10969 Berlin
    and New Synagogue Berlin– Centrum Judaicum Foundation, Oranienburger Str. 28-30, 10117 Berlin

    See location on map

Audio Recordings: Listen to Past Museum Events (64)

Video Recordings: Watch Past Museum Events (70)

Share, Newsletter, Feedback