Annual Report
Association of European Jewish Museums Annual Report 2016 Table of Contents Colophon 3 5 13 Preface Activities Grants Content Association of European Jewish Museums Editing Anita Christensen and Eva Koppen 18 21 22 23 Cooperation Committees Communicaion & Website Board & Staff Association of European Jewish Museums c/o Eva Koppen Jewish Historical Museum P.O. Box 16737 1001 RE Amsterdam The Netherlands 23 Supporters aejm@aejm.org www.aejm.org
Association of European Jewish Museums Preface Preface The Association of European Jewish Museums meets new challenges. The development of Europe is threatened by all kinds of disturbing forces, from both within and without. A critical and at the same time empathetic European perspective, as it is vividly expressed by the activities of our member, seems to be more valuable than ever. The British decision for Brexit is not only an indication of a looming crisis, but also had very practical financial consequences, which makes us all the more grateful for the financial support we receive from the Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe in London and other partners. Part of our collaboration with the Rothschild Foundation was the museum survey, organized by the Foundation last year. Annual Conference Copenhagen The Danish Jewish Museum Joint projects and traveling exhibitions are encouraged by the AEJM and supported by the Foundation and contribute to the growing collaboration between our member. Our website is helping our members communicate with each other and offers a platform to communicate with the public, advertising exhibitions and informing about programs and important events. We are also proud of the support from other partners, such as The David Berg Foundation in New York, that helped us to develop our Museum Educators Seminar even further. In collaboration with the Jewish Museum Berlin and with the generous support of the German Federal Foreign Office, the AEJM could again offer two Advanced Curatorial Education Programmes, turning our program into a serious qualification for museum curators working in Jewish or with Jewish collections. Our Annual Conference 2016 in Copenhagen, was again a highlight of the year, focusing of the question of relevance of our for their audiences and museum communities. Apart from key note lectures, discussions and guided tours, we invested interest in workshops and round tables discussing future priorities of the Association, such as provenance and quovadience research, digitization and indexing, European funding and communication with audiences. And as always 2016 was the year of preparing 2017: a Sephardic year to come, with events in Toledo, Izmir, Venice, London and Amsterdam. Annual Report 2016 3
Association of European Jewish Museums Preface The latter will be host to a special network meeting offering exchange and professional input for our staff members involved in communication and marketing. This seminar represents a new element in the range of professional development activities we offer our members. My thanks go to our devoted members, who are making AEJM a real community and a hub of ideas, creativity and social responsibility of culture for our societies. I would like to express my gratitude to the Board that is pushing AEJM forward and is always a great team: it was a pleasure again to work with Erika Perahia-Zemour (Thessaloniki), who at the end of 2016 was succeeded by Christina Meri (Athens), Łucja Koch (Warsaw), Bernhard Purin (Munich) and Joanne Rosenthal (London). My thanks in particular goes to the professional team in charge of organizing AEJM s activities: our Senior Project Manager Eva Koppen in Amsterdam, who is the major force in the progress our professional development, our Community Manager Anita Christensen in Oslo, Nikki Boot in Amsterdam who in 2016 started to work on our first Jewish Museums Today project, and Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek and Michaela Feurstein-Prasser in Vienna, who are organizing our Advanced Curatorial Education Programme. MES Vilnius Marjetka Bedrac Hanno Loewy President of the Association of European Jewish Museums Annual Report 2016 4
Activities A-CEP Southern Germany // Vorarlberg 2016 For the first time the programme was not just based in one city, but it rather took the form of a curatorial expedition, spanning the German regions of Bavaria and Swabia and the Austrian region Vorarlberg. Each night, the group stayed in a new town, and each day was filled with and other sites of Jewish interest. The April seminar was attended by 15 participants, representing 12 AEJM member institutions as well as 3 new museum projects. The Advanced Curatorial Education Programme (A-CEP) is a joint programme initiative of the AEJM and the Jewish Museum Berlin. The programme offers structural learning in the field of Judaica and curatorial practice to curators working at Jewish or with Jewish collections across Europe. Since 2014 a grant from the German Federal Foreign Office enables the AEJM to organize two intensive 5-day curatorial training sessions per year that offer both theoretical and practical learning through lectures, hands-on workshops and field trips. The programme is led by programme director Dr Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek, assisted by Dr Michaela Feurstein-Prasser and the AEJM. A-CEP Germany Tomasz Strug A major theme of the seminar was Jewish built heritage on location. The group was able to see numerous examples of Jewish built heritage in the south German country side, including synagogues in Memmelsdorf, Binswangen, Kriegshaber, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Ulm, and Baisingen, as well as the branches of Jewish Museum of Franconia in Schwabach and Schnaittach, located in a former Annual Report 2016 5
Activities A-CEP A-CEP Germany Tomasz Strug The wealth of ideas and solutions that I have gathered from all these locations is immense. I have collected numerous notes and photographs that will later help me and my team recreate some of the solutions that caught my eye along the way. Anda Reuben Project Manager of the Mediaș Synagogue and Archives (RU) Jewish home and synagogue, respectively. Each building had been preserved, restored and presented in a different way, which prompted many interesting discussions about how to communicate historical narratives through buildings with a Jewish history. In each location, the group was warmly welcomed by guides and museum professionals, who gave fascinating insights into the history of each building, as well as the tough processes and discussions involved in their restoration. In addition, the participants got to visit the Jewish of the southern German country side, the Jewish Museum of Franconia in Fürth and the Jewish Culture Museum Augsburg-Schwabia, where they were given curatorial tours of the by the directors. The second theme of the seminar was temporary exhibits, and workshops were given at three different temporary exhibits in different. Starting in Munich, the group worked in the exhibition Beer is the Wine of this Land: Jewish Brewery Tales in the Jewish Museum Munich. The Ulm Museum showed Questions of Faith. Chatrooms at the Dawn of the Modern Era, dealing with interfaith relations through the ages. The last temporary exhibit visited was Odd, in which the Jewish Museum Hohenems reflects on its 25-year long history through objects from its collection. Annual Report 2016 6
Activities A-CEP Saint Petersburg 2016 A group of 17 curators from 12 different countries were represented when the A-CEP for the first time took place in Russia. During the 5-day programme in September the group explored a wide variety of collections and exhibitions across the former imperial city of Saint Petersburg. Local guides, curators and directors welcomed the group warmly, and generously shared their time and expertise. For me the highlight of the Jewish city tour was the Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery where the guide pointed out the problem how to keep up traditions. Besides this point it was impressing to meet the famous names of those who are buried there. A sensible counterpart to the historic tour was the visit at the TOK curatorial collective as a link to contemporary art and curatorial concepts in the nowadays vivid and creative St. Petersburg. A-CEP Saint Petersburg Anita Christensen Sonja Thäder Curator at the Jewish Museum Frankfurt The programme opened with a tour of Jewish Saint Petersburg, introducing the participants to the city s Jewish history and significant sights. Highlights included the Choral synagogue and the vast Jewish cemetery. The Russian Museum of Ethnography hosted the curators for a full day, which included curatorial tours of the Jewish exhibition, A-CEP Saint Petersburg Anita Christensen Annual Report 2016 7
Activities A-CEP Images on this page: A-CEP Saint Petersburg Anita Christensen the storages and the treasury. To add useful and interesting context for the collections, there were lectures on topics such as the architect Jacov Gevirts, the expeditions and collections of An-sky, and the phenomenon of Jewish wedding rings. Other popular sessions were the hands-on workshops with objects from the collections of the State Museum of the History of Religion and Center Petersburg Judaica with Alexander Ivanov and Alla Sokolova. The participants also gave presentations on objects with Russian origins or connections from their own collections. The expertise of the curators shed new light on several of the objects and led to lively discussions. The group also got curatorial tours of the Kunstkamera and the Folk Art Department of The State Russian Museum, as well as a private viewing of Hebrew manuscripts and prints at the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences by Shimon Iakerson. In addition to the official programme, the group was treated to special visits to innovative sites of contemporary culture in the city, such as the creative hub Taiga and Novaya Gollandia, the new public cultural space on the artificial island that used to serve as Peter the Great s shipyard. Annual Report 2016 8
Activities MES Vilnius 2016 For the 2016 edition of the MES, the participants travelled in July to one of the most significant historic centers of Eastern European Jewish culture Vilnius. A group of 18 educators from 15 different countries got to explore the capital of Lithuania and its surroundings, generously hosted by the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum. The Museum Education Seminar (MES) is an intensive 5-day seminar that serves as an important platform for educators from Jewish in Europe. The MES aims to enhance and support professionalism in museum education at European Jewish. By offering training, networking and exchange possibilities for educators, the AEJM also aims to foster innovation and new cooperation in the field of museum education projects, policies and strategies. The MES is kindly supported by the David Berg Foundation (NY). My first impression and certainly a very important one was about my colleagues from other : it was absolutely great to see how beautifully enthusiastic and educated professionals work at. The opportunity to get acquainted, share ideas and experience with the colleagues from Jewish is really priceless. ( ) It was a perfect example of how a great event can allow not only for expanding business contacts, but also for receiving a mass of new ideas for museum work. I can say that a few of my educational projects have undergone a number of changes after this most enriching seminar. Alena Fomenko Educator at the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow The theme of this MES was Politics of Memory, with several programme items dedicated to the topic. These sessions aimed at exploring the different Annual Report 2016 9
Activities MES dimensions of how politics of memory have shaped our and influenced our educational activities, and how they continue to do so. Through these sessions participants also learned about Jewish history and the Holocaust in Lithuania, as well as how this past was commemorated in the Lithuanian SSR as part of the Soviet Union and in post-soviet Lithuania. Milda Jakulyte -Vasil took the participants on a Jewish city walk of Vilnius, and the group also went on excursions to the Memorial Museum in Paneriai, the former prison Ninth Fort Museum in Kaunas and Shapsal Karaims Ethnographic Museum of Karaite culture. A separate session focused on exploring the educational dimensions of politics of memory. The workshops addressed analytical and creative skills, and included examples of best practice. Museum education consultant Tali Krikler (UK) led the workshops The Inclusive Museum. How accessible are our educational activities? and How could museum educators interact with communities and active synagogues? Organizational psychologist Irith Koster (NL) discussed the topic Navigating museum politics, Shlomit Tulgan from the Jewish Museum Berlin introduced her artistic learning methods in the workshop Creative Museum Education, and pedagogical advisor Vidar Alne Paulsen (NO) and Irina Pociene talked about Using Religious Objects as Educational Resources. MES Vilnius Shlomit Tulgan MES Vilnius Shlomit Tulgan Annual Report 2016 10
Activities Annual Conference Copenhagen 2016 The AEJM Conference 2016 was hosted by the Danish Jewish Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 19-22 November, 2016. More than 100 delegates from 25 countries gathered in Copenhagen to connect and discuss this year s conference topic Staying Relevant Future Audiences of Jewish Museums in a Changing Europe. The Danish Jewish Museum is located by Copenhagen s waterfront in a 17 th century building with an interior designed by Daniel Libeskind. The Museum opened in 2004, and covers the history of the Danish Jews through 400 years. The museum took the conference delegates on tours of their The AEJM Annual Conference is one of the key events of the AEJM. It offers important opportunities for exchanging information and discussion of common challenges. The Conference thus provides a framework for international networking, collaboration and communication amongst Jewish in Europe. Through this the AEJM aims to foster collaborative projects and a productive exchange of ideas and expertise, as well as to assist each individual member in achieving a high quality of performance in serving the wider public. Annual Conference The Danish Jewish Museum permanent exhibition; of their temporary exhibit Home, dealing with the return of the Danish Jews after their WWII exile in Sweden; and of the historic surroundings of the museum. An excursion to the Great Synagogue of Copenhagen (1833) and the Jewish cemetery (1694) gave the conference delegates a deeper Annual Report 2016 11
Activities Annual Conference Annual Conference The Danish Jewish Museum understanding of the history of Danish Jews and the context of the Danish Jewish Museum s work. Those who participated in the optional excursion after the end of the official conference programme also learnt about the rescue of the Danish Jews in 1943, and visited places where Jews had been in hiding before fleeing to Sweden. In addition to learning about history, delegates took part in more hands-on group sessions, After any participation, I return more and more full of creative energy, enthusiasm, new ideas and have more food for future inspiration in my own work. The Conference was very and interesting and well organized; there were different fruitful activities and important presentations in Denmark. It was the greatest pleasure to participate in this Conference and enjoy not only professional relationships, but also hospitality, warmest atmosphere and personality of interesting people and professionals. Lela Tsitsuashvili Head of the Temporary Exhibitions Department of the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi choosing from eight different workshops, ranging from curatorial workshops on wimples, post-war collecting, and on Hebrew manuscripts from the collection of the Royal Library to best practice sessions on social media by National Museum of Denmark and on EU funding by the Creative Europe Desk Denmark, and even an animation workshop by museum education specialist Tali Krikler (UK) and a museum visit to the RAGNAROCK Museum for pop, rock and youth culture in Roskilde. The conference was a good opportunity to learn what other are working on, and five institutions gave presentations on major changes and innovations at their institutions. Furthermore, the CAJM gave an update on their work, the Rothschild Foundation presented its survey of Jewish, and the participants were introduced by Julie-Marthe Cohen (NL) to a project that will result in an online manual for provenance and quovadience research for Judaica. Delegates had ample opportunities to discuss the conference topic in various fora. The keynote speech by Dr Perla Innocenti (IT), Senior Lecturer in Information Science at ischool of the University of Northumbria, dealt with cultural networks, inter-cultural dialogue and Jewish in a changing Europe, and further presentations and discussions on the topic took place throughout the conference, including the final session Staying Relevant Looking Back and Ahead. Annual Report 2016 12
Grants Advisory Visits Grant Programme advisory visits grant programme Through the Advisory Visits Grant Programme (AVGP) the AEJM offers custom-made consultancy visits by museum experts to member institutions in need of expert advice and training. The Advisory Visits Grant Programme offers AEJM members professional support, expert advice and in-house training. They focus especially on issues that are unique or particularly relevant for Jewish. Improving professionalization of Jewish in Europe and connecting sources of knowledge between these are the guiding principles for this grant programme. The AVGP is supported by the Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe. The AVGP is open for applications in three categories: Permanent Displays focus on the development of exhibition concepts for permanent displays Collection Management focus on the identification, preservation, conservation and interpretation of Judaica or other items relating to Jewish life and history, as well as measures that make museum collections more accessible, such as inventories, cataloguing, and digitisation programmes that aim at longterm sustainability Museum Education focus on the development of educational programmes and displays for young audiences Grants in 2016 Manchester Jewish Museum UK The Quincentennial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews, Istanbul TR Museum Jews in Latvia, Riga LV Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum, Vilnius LT Annual Report 2016 13
Grants Advisory Visits Grant Programme Manchester Jewish Museum The Quincentennial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews The Manchester Jewish Museum (MJM) was granted an expert visit in the category Permanent Displays to advise on the development of a new core exhibition. The MJM has received funding for a major museum renewal and is developing plans for a newly commissioned extension to the existing building. In February 2016 Cilly Kugelmann, Programme Director of the Jewish Museum Berlin, undertook a 2-day advisory visit to Manchester. This visit aimed to provide feedback on the museum s plans for the new museum galleries, give insight into current trends in exhibition methods, as well as at advise on the interpretation of MJM s collection and how to make it relevant to its target audiences. The MJM team took from the visit that they need to be confident in the decisions made during the development project. With a clear vision and rationale behind our decision making we can defend ourselves against any criticism or disagreements. Alexandra Cropper Curator at the Manchester Jewish Museum The Museum of Turkish Jews received an advisory visit by Mirjam Knotter, Curator at the Jewish Cultural Quarter in Amsterdam, to advise on the relocation to a different building and the development of a new permanent display in 2014. After the reopening of the new museum on the premises of the Neve Shalom congregation in 2016, the Museum of Turkish Jews was granted a second advisory visit by Mirjam Knotter. This 2.5-day visit had a strong focus on collection management, in particular on registration and preservation issues, such as storing of objects and climate control. We asked for assistance from AEJM on collection management: topics of identification, cataloguing, interpretation, preservation and conservation for both Judaica items as well as documents and photographs. Together with Mirjam we set up a plan for a proper collection management system and policy in collecting, preserving, interpreting, cataloguing and exhibiting this material. This plan would both consist of formulating and setting our goals, as a practical plan in how we execute this plan in the years to come. Nisya Isman Allovi Director of The Quincentennial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews Annual Report 2016 14
Grants Advisory Visits Grant Programme Museum Jews in Latvia Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum The Museum Jews in Latvia in Riga was granted an advisory visit in the category Permanent Displays to advise on amending the museum s existing core exhibition that was created in the early 2000s. Bernhard Purin, Director of the Jewish Museum Munich, undertook a 2.5-day visit to Riga. This visit aimed at consulting the small museum staff on adapting the existing displays, as well as on the planning of a new exhibition in a historic building in Riga Old Town that was granted to the museum for future use. The general advice is to make the exhibition livelier, bringing emotions to the visitors by pointing out particular and eye-catching stories through objects, and using the exhibition space wisely. Overall, we can note that Bernhard Purin s visit was extremely useful and insightful for the museum and the staff of the Jewish Community, showing some of the possible vectors of short-term and long-term development of the museum. Ilya Lensky, Director, and Marina Gehta, Deputy Director of the Museum Jews in Latvia The advisory visit surpassed all expectations we had. It was not a light and easy visit, but the one which helped us to see and acknowledge more issues and problems than what we were able to see with our own eyes and efforts. Its scope exceeded consultancy on creation of a new museum branch, but contributed to overall strategy and mission of the VGSJM. For that we are extremely grateful to both Joanna Fikus and Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek, and to the AEJM for granting us such amazing opportunity. Dr. Kamilė Rupeikaitė - Deputy Director of the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum The Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum (VGSJM) in Vilnius, Lithuania received an expert visit to consult on a large-scale museum project that should open in 2019 as the Litvak Culture Museum. This new branch of the VGSJM will be located in an historical building in downtown Vilnius and should be dedicated to the different cultural achievements of Lithuanian Jews. Dr Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek, Curator and Judaica specialist, and Joanna Fikus, Head of the Exhibitions Dept. of POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, undertook a 2.5-day visit to Vilnius. This visit aimed at reviewing the concept for the new museum branch, but had a much broader scope and impact on the museum. Not only questions related to the concept of the Litvak Culture Museum were discussed, but also broader issues on overall strategic planning of the VGSJM. The expert meeting stimulated the museum to rethink its mission, vision and strategic goals. Annual Report 2016 15
Grants Travel Grants A-CEP Travel Grants In 2016 Participants of the AEJM Advanced Curatorial Education Programmes in Southern Germany // Vorarlberg and in Saint Petersburg could apply to the AEJM for an A-CEP Travel Grant to partly cover expenses for travel and accommodation. The AEJM prioritised member institutions that did not have sufficient financial means to send one delegate. Only member institutions that have paid their membership fees are eligible to apply. The 2016 A-CEP Travel Grants were funded by the Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe and the German Federal Foreign Office. Auschwitz Jewish Center PL Southern Germany Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute PL Southern Germany Galicia Jewish Museum PL Southern Germany Hungarian Jewish Museum & Archives HU Southern Germany Jewish Community Museum Bratislava SK Saint Petersburg Jewish Culture Museum Augsburg-Swabia DE Southern Germany Jewish Historical Museum Amsterdam NL Saint Petersburg Jewish Museum Berlin DE Saint Petersburg Jewish Museum Frankfurt DE Saint Petersburg Jewish Museum Hohenems AT Southern Germany Jewish Museum London UK Southern Germany Jewish Museum of Greece GR Saint Petersburg Jewish Museum Rome IT Saint Petersburg Museum Jews in Latvia LV Southern Germany Museum of Jewish History in Russia RU Saint Petersburg Oslo Jewish Museum NO Southern Germany The Israel Museum IL Saint Petersburg POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews PL Southern Germany Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum LT Southern Germany, Saint Petersburg Annual Report 2016 16
Grants Travel Grants MES Travel Grants Conference Travel Grants Participants of the AEJM Museum Education Seminar could apply to the AEJM for a MES Travel Grant to partly cover expenses for travel and accommodation. The AEJM prioritised member institutions that did not have sufficient financial means to send one delegate. Only member institutions that have paid their membership fees are eligible to apply. The 2016 MES Travel Grants were supported by the David Berg Foundation, NY. Grantees Center of Jewish Cultural Heritage Synagogue Maribor SI Danish Jewish Museum DK Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute PL Hungarian Jewish Museum & Archives HU Jewish Community Museum Bratislava SK Jewish Historical Museum NL Jewish Museum Berlin DE Jewish Museum Hohenems AT Jewish Museum London UK Jewish Museum of Rome IT Jewish Museum of Switzerland CH Jewish Museum Prague CZ Jewish Museum Trondheim NO POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews PL Participants of the AEJM Annual Conference could apply to the AEJM for a Conference Travel Grant to partly cover expenses for travel and accommodation. The AEJM prioritises member institutions that do not have sufficient financial means to participate in the Conference. Only member institutions that have paid their membership fees are considered eligible to apply. Non-member institutions - Jewish or non-jewish with a significant Jewish collection with limited financial means that intend to apply for AEJM membership within one year are also eligible for Conference Travel Grants. The 2016 Conference Travel Grants were funded by the Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe. Grantees Jewish Community Museum Bratislava SK Annual Conference Eva Koppen Annual Report 2016 17
Cooperation Cooperation Advanced Curatorial Education Programme Jewish Museum Munich DE Workshop in the Beer is the Wine of This Land exhibition with curators Bernhard Purin and Lilian Harlander Jewish Museum of Franconia DE Curatorial tours of the permanent exhibitions at the main venue in Fürth and at the branches in Schwabach and Schnaittach, by director Daniela Eisenstein Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg RU Workshop on Hebrew manuscripts and prints, with Dr Shimon Iakerson, leading researcher IOM RAS and Head of the Dept. of Semitic and Hebrew Studies of Saint Petersburg State University Jewish Culture Museum Augsburg-Swabia DE Curatorial tours of the permanent exhibitions at the main venue in Augsburg and at the Kriegshaber branch, by director Dr Benigna Schönhagen and curator Souzana Hazan Jewish Museum Hohenems AT Workshop in the exhibition Odd with curators Dr Hanno Loewy and Dr Anika Reichwald, curatorial tour of the permanent exhibition, and tours of the Jewish cemetery and mikvah Ulm Museum DE Workshop in the exhibition Questions of Faith. Chatrooms at the dawn of the Modern Era, with curator Dr Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek and director Gabriele Holthuis Dr-Ing. Simon Paulus DE Lecture on the archaeological findings in Schwäbisch Gmünd (on location) Russian Museum of Ethnography, Saint Petersburg RU Curatorial tours and workshop on the museum s Judaica collection, with deputy director and chief curator Natalia Prokopyeva A-CEP Saint Petersburg Anita Christensen State Museum of the History of Religion, Saint Petersburg RU Curatorial tours and workshop on the museum s Judaica collection, with curator Dr Alla Sokolova Center Petersburg Judaica RU Lecture and workshop on the collection of the Center, with Dr Alla Sokolova and Dr Alexander Ivanov The State Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg RU Curatorial tour of the permanent exhibition of folk art by Dr Olga Alexeeva, Leading Researcher of the Folk Art department Annual Report 2016 18
Cooperation Kunstkamera Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Saint Petersburg RU Tour of the historical exhibitions New Holland Cultural Space, Saint Petersburg RU Curatorial introduction by Alexey Roussanov, Manager Art Programmes Maria Veits RU IL Curatorial talk on contemporary culture in Saint Petersburg Goethe Institute Saint Petersburg RU Hosting venue for the Collection Focus sessions The Netherlands Institute in Saint Petersburg RU Hosting venue for the Collection Focus sessions and organizational support Museum Education Seminar Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum, Vilnius LT Hosting venue and main collaborative partner, as well as various workshops, by Dr Kamile Rupeikaite, Irina Pociene and the team of the Education Department and the Paneriai Memorial Jewish Community Vilnius LT Visit to the Choral Synagogue and meeting with Natalja Heifec Church Heritage Museum, Vilnius LT Curatorial tour by Violeta Indriuniene, Head of the Education Department, and Birute Valečkaite, educator S. Shapsal Karaims Ethnographic Museum, Trakai LT Curatorial tour Lithuanian Karaim Religious Community, Trakai LT Meeting with Community Leader Jurij Špakovski Ninth Fort Museum, Kaunas LT Meeting with Rita Dabulskyte and the team of the Educational and Visitors Services Department Irith Koster, TACT Advisors NL Workshop Navigating Museum Politics Shlomit Tulgan, Jewish Museum Berlin DE Workshop Creative Museum Education Tali Krikler UK Workshops Highlighting the Museum, The Inclusive Museum, Interacting with Communities & Synagogues MES Vilnius Eva Koppen Vidar Alne Paulsen NO Workshop Using Religious Objects as Educational Resources Annual Report 2016 19
Cooperation Annual Conference Danish Jewish Museum, Copenhagen DK Hosting venue, various tours, workshops and facilities as coordinated by Director Janne Laursen and Curator Sara Fredfeldt The Royal Library, Copenhagen DK Workshop Hebrew Manuscripts and Early Printed Books, by Dr Eva-Maria Jansson National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen DK Workshop Museums & Social Media, by Jonas Heide Smith, Head of Digital RAGNOROCK Museum, Roskilde DK Curatorial visit with Frank Birkebæk, Director ROMU Council of American Jewish Museums The AEJM and the CAJM aim at informing their respective members about recent developments at Jewish at their conferences. Chairman Hanno Loewy and Project Manager Eva Koppen attended the CAJM 2016 conference Next Narratives: The Stories We Tell in New York and presented AEJM activities at the town hall meeting. At the AEJM Annual Conference in Copenhagen the CAJM was represented by Karen Franklin to report on recent CAJM activities and developments in the field of Jewish in the United States and Canada. Creative Europe Desk Denmark, Copenhagen DK Workshop EU Cultural Support, by Bradley Allen Tali Krikler UK Workshop The Animated Museum Dr Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek DE Workshop Wimpel from the Collection of the Danish Jewish Museum Prof Hanne Trautner-Kromann SE Workshop Wimpel from the Collection of the Danish Jewish Museum Annual Conference The Danish Jewish Museum Dr Perla Innocenti IT Keynote Lecture Shall We Connect? Cultural Networks, Intercultural Dialogue and Jewish Museums in a Changing Europe Reesa Greenberg CA Talk Curatorial Perspectives Martin Krasnik DK Moderation opening evening Annual Report 2016 20
Committees Committees Museum Education Task Force The Museum Education Task Force (METF) is an advisory committee for AEJM s activities in the field of museum education, such as the Museum Education Seminar (MES) and the Advisory Visits Grant Programme (AVGP). In 2016 the Museum Education Task Force consisted of: Łucja Koch POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Warsaw PL Vidar Alne Paulsen Oslo Jewish Museum NO Elisabeth Schulte Jewish Museum Munich DE Tali Krikler Jewish Museum London UK Advisory Committee Jewish Museums Today For the pilot of Jewish Museums Today: Public & Space, a new network meeting on museum communication, the AEJM works with an Advisory Committee that advises on programme content. Its members will also contribute to the programme that will take place in 2017. Moncef Beekhof Jewish Cultural Quarter, Amsterdam NL Hanno Loewy Jewish Museum Hohenems AT Hannah Talbot Jewish Museum London UK Mirjam Wenzel Jewish Museum Frankfurt DE Jakub Wozniak POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Warsaw PL Financial Audit Committee The Financial Audit Committee (FAC) is responsible for auditing the Financial Report of the AEJM. The FAC gathered during the Annual Conference in Copenhagen (Nov 19-22, 2016). In 2015 the Financial Audit Committee consisted of: Dr Otto Lohr Bavarian Museum Service Edwin Alkin Irish Jewish Museum, Dublin IE stepped down Nov 22, 2016 Janne Laursen Danish Jewish Museum, Copenhagen DK elected Nov 22, 2016 Tomasz Kuncewicz Auschwitz Jewish Centre, Oswiecim PL Annual Report 2016 21
Communication & Website Communication & Website Newsletter Website The AEJM Newsletter is a bulletin that contains announcements and reports on AEJM activities, relevant information on member institutions, grant programmes, and publications. Five editions of the newsletter were issued in 2015, distributed electronically to subscribers on the mailing list and posted on the AEJM website. The Newsletter currently has over 400 subscribers, and the mailing list is also used to distribute seminar and conference announcements and other important information. The AEJM Website The website has been consistently used and updated throughout the year, both by the Community Manager and by AEJM members. AEJM member institutions contribute news and announcements directly to the website, and have published information about new exhibitions, innovative projects, building renewals, or other significant events. 39 news items have been posted in 2016, in addition to a number of entries to the Exhibition Calendar and the Project Marketplace. This gives AEJM members and others an opportunity to quickly learn about current activities in Jewish Museums across Europe. The news items submitted by members also provide content for the newsletter. In addition to posting public news items, members can take part in the two closed discussion forums. Open to educators and curators, respectively, these forums have been used actively throughout 2016. Members share relevant information with colleagues, e.g. job openings and interesting articles, discuss issues such as best practice in education projects and ask curatorial questions about recently acquired artefacts. The forums provide a space for discussion and information before and after AEJM s seminars for museum professionals. Annual Report 2016 22
Board & Staff Board President Hanno Loewy Director of the Jewish Museum Hohenems Austria Vice-President Erika Perahia-Zemour Executive Secretary of the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki Greece stepped down November 22 Treasurer Bernhard Purin Director of the Jewish Museum Munich Germany & Secretary Joanne Rosenthal Exhibitions and Projects Curator at the Jewish Museum London England Board Members Łucja Koch Manager of the Education Department at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw Poland Staff Senior Project Manager Eva Koppen Amsterdam the Netherlands Community Manager Anita Christensen Oslo Norway Project Coordinator Jewish Museums Today Nikki Boot Amsterdam the Netherlands Volunteer Annual Conference Johanne Sparre Rickers Copenhagen Denmark A-CEP Programme Director Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek Vienna Austria A-CEP Programme Assistant Michaela Feurstein-Prasser Vienna Austria Christina Meri Curator of the Jewish Museum of Greece Athens elected November 22 Supporters The Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe supported the AEJM and the AEJM Advisory Visits Grant Programme. The David Berg Foundation, New York, supported the AEJM Museum Education Seminar 2016 in Vilnius. The German Federal Foreign Office supported the AEJM Advanced Curatorial Education Programmes 2016 in Southern Germany/Vorarlberg and in Saint Petersburg. Annual Report 2016 23