In an article in the Museums Journal, the director of the Jewish Museum of London, Rickie Burman, reflects on the role and function of Jewish museums in Europe. The London museum late last year hosted the annual meeting of the Association of European Jewish Museums, which brought together 100 Jewish museum professionals from 53 institutions around the world.
At a fundamental level, Jewish museums have a vital function in preserving Jewish heritage. In the case of Jewish museums in Europe, this may mean preserving the memory of a community destroyed in the Holocaust.
Here in the UK, the Jewish Museum’s collections primarily reflect the diverse roots and history of a living community.
In contrast to the US, the majority of visitors to Jewish museums in Europe are often not Jewish. London’s Jewish Museum has a multifaceted role, and our aim is to engage visitors from varied backgrounds with layered displays that create connections through an emphasis on personal narrative.
The AEJM conference keynote speech was given by Prof. Barbara Kirshenblatt Gimblett on the role of Jewish museums in Europe. There is a link to a recording of that speech in the “In Focus” section of this web site.