Palais Eskeles

Jewish Life and Religion
From bride’s belt to Torah mantle

The Max Berger Collection is one of the most important collections of Judaica in the world. The items originate largely from the former Habsburg monarchy and range from ornately wrought Torah crowns to popular Esther scrolls. Each work is not only interesting as a work of art but also serves a religious function. The exhibition explains the ritual objects in the context of the Jewish life cycle and calendar of festivals.

Curator: Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek

Remembrance/Renewal
From matzoth bakery to Gustav Mahler 

The New York artist Nancy Spero has graphically reworked a number of images and texts from Viennese Jewish history - a medieval matzoth bakery, Gustav Mahler at the conductor’s rostrum, a synagogue destroyed by the Nazis - and stamped these images on the walls of the Museum. These fresco-like fragments of memory interact with the ritual objects in the Judaica collection.

Curator: Werner Hanak-Lettner