Eli Stern assembled an extensive collection of everyday objects from Israel, which the City of Vienna purchased for the Jewish Museum in 1994. Most items date from the time before the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. Often, they are classic souvenirs and Zionistica or simple things from everyday life such as letters or personal documents. The extremely large inventory of postcards from the years 1900–1950 allows a comparison of the most diverse ideas and conceptions about the Holy Land. Moreover, the collection includes objects that have a Viennese origin and thus testify to the history of migration and flight in the 20th century. It is the simplicity of many objects that recalls the modest life of their, now often anonymous, previous owners.
