Director´s Greeting

Dear friends of the Jewish Museum Vienna!

On July 1, 2022, I assumed my position as scientific director of the Jewish Museum Vienna. I am pleased to take on this wonderful and honorable task and to be able to shape a chapter in the history of the world’s oldest Jewish museum, with which I have long been associated as a scholar, curator and exhibition visitor.

My predecessor Danielle Spera opened the house to a broad public – now it is essential to continue on this path and to guide the museum further into the twenty-first century. Today, Jewish museums are places where current social issues are addressed from a Jewish perspective. They are places where questions are asked about the conditions under which the majority society and minorities live together, and where they work against antisemitism, racism and all forms of discrimination.

Museum work has changed significantly in the last decade due to digital development, the increasing influence of social media and expectations regarding inclusion and diversity, sustainability, participation and democratization, as well as critical self-reflection. Together with the entire team at the Jewish Museum Vienna, I will develop strategies over the next few years that will also implement this change at the Jewish Museum Vienna.

The Jewish Museum Vienna possesses one of the most important Judaica-collections in the world. Our aim in the coming years will be to make this accessible to the public online and to develop stories from the collection that not only touch people, but also encourage questions, research or telling others. In addition, decentralized education and outreach programs are to bring the Jewish Museum Vienna into the public realm and to the people.

I am looking forward to the years ahead and to your visit!

Barbara Staudinger
Director