Jews 45/90

From Far Far Away – Immigrants from the former Soviet Union

Blick in die Ausstellung »Juden 45/90. Von ganz weit weg - Einwanderer aus der ehemaligen Sowjetunion« © Franz Kimmel

Jews 45/90

From Far Far Away – Immigrants from the former Soviet Union

Jews 45/90
From Far Far Away – Immigrants from the former Soviet Union

The exhibition series “Jews 45/90” highlights personal histories that began in eastern Europe and found their continuation in Munich. The second part is devoted to stories associated with the migration of Jews from the Soviet Union and its successor states. On January 9, 1991, the first Conference of Ministers-President after the Reunification of Germany resolved to admit Russian-speaking Jews as so-called “quota refugees” on the basis of the “resolution on measures for refugees admitted as part of humanitarian aid programs.” Politicians and the media welcomed the influx…

Jews 45/90
From Far Far Away – Immigrants from the former Soviet Union

The exhibition series “Jews 45/90” highlights personal histories that began in eastern Europe and found their continuation in Munich. The second part is devoted to stories associated with the migration of Jews from the Soviet Union and its successor states. On January 9, 1991, the first Conference of Ministers-President after the Reunification of Germany resolved to admit Russian-speaking Jews as so-called “quota refugees” on the basis of the “resolution on measures for refugees admitted as part of humanitarian aid programs.” Politicians and the media welcomed the influx of newcomers to Germany from the Soviet Union and its successor states initially in euphoric terms. Since then, more than 200,000 Russian-speaking immigrants have arrived in Germany. After Berlin and Düsseldorf, Munich is the city with the greatest increase in numbers. Almost 28,000 people have come to Bavaria, of whom more than 10,000 alone live in Munich.

The exhibition explores the different memories these immigrants have brought with them from their countries of origin. For this purpose, one level in the Jewish Museum Munich has been transformed into an “eastern European” Jewish museum. Immigrants from the Soviet Union and its successor states have heeded our appeal to share the memories they have as Jews from East Europe with the citizens of Munich and to present these to the general public. Most of the 23 objects brought by people now living in Munich from their former homeland have very personal associations. On top of this, all those who have lent objects told us about their migration from the east to the west based on a series of questions on emigration, Judaism, identity and heimat.

The objects and memories from places such as Riga and Tashkent are supplemented by fragments from the collection of Julius Gens (1887–1857) from Tartu, one of leading art and book collectors in pre-war Estonia. In 1991, his granddaughter, Julia Gens, together with her husband, travelled to Berlin and later to Munich on a tourist visa. She managed to salvage a few fragments from her grandfather’s art library and collection that were destroyed by the Nazis, and bring them with her to Germany.

On the second level, the routes undertaken by emigrants to their new homeland are traced in a number of different stations in the exhibition. The migration path to Munich from the Soviet Union and its successor states is accompanied by an autobiographical text by the author Lena Gorelik from St. Petersburg, who has been living in Germany since 1992.

Duration of exhibition

July 11, 2012 - January 27, 2013

Curator

Jutta Fleckenstein
Piritta Kleiner

Assistance

Lena Gorelik

Architecture

chezweitz & partner, Berlin

Installation View „Jews 45/90 From Far Far Away – Immigrants from the former Soviet Union“ Photo: Franz Kimmel
Blick in die Ausstellung »Juden 45/90. Von ganz weit weg - Einwanderer aus der ehemaligen Sowjetunion« © Franz Kimmel
Installation View „Jews 45/90 From Far Far Away – Immigrants from the former Soviet Union“ Photo: Franz Kimmel
Blick in die Ausstellung »Juden 45/90. Von ganz weit weg - Einwanderer aus der ehemaligen Sowjetunion« © Franz Kimmel
Installation View „Jews 45/90 From Far Far Away – Immigrants from the former Soviet Union“ Photo: Franz Kimmel
Blick in die Ausstellung »Juden 45/90. Von ganz weit weg - Einwanderer aus der ehemaligen Sowjetunion« © Franz Kimmel

PUBLIKATION

Der Katalog zur Ausstellung

Der reich bebilderte Katalog zur Ausstellung beleuchtet aus verschiedenen Blickwinkeln die Einwanderung. Neben einem Essay der Schriftstellerin Lena Gorelik, in dem sie ihre eigene Geschichte der Einwanderung erzählt, kommen noch 23 weitere Personen zu Wort, die anhand mitgebrachter Objekte aus ihrer einstigen Heimat über ihre Auswanderung und ihr Leben in Deutschland erzählen. Der Katalog widmet dabei der aus Estland mitgebrachten Kunstsammlung des Bibliophilen Julius Gens besondere Aufmerksamkeit, wovon Fragmente mit seiner Enkeltochter von Tallinn nach München gelangten.

Mit einem Essay von Lena Gorelik.

ISBN 978-3-942271-71-4

Eine kluge Schau über etwas, das eigentlich noch gar nicht museal ist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jüdische Allgemeine, 12. Juli 2012

Die Ausstellung [füllt] nicht nur eine wissenschaftliche Lücke, sondern auch eine stadtgeschichtliche.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Münchner Feuilleton, August/September 2012

Eine Teetasse, ein großväterlicher Gebetsschal oder das Nichts: Eine Ausstellung im Jüdischen Museum München beschäftigt sich mit Emigranten aus der Sowjetunion und deren Erinnerungsstücken. Zu sehen sind Requisiten bewegter Vergangenheit.

 

 

 

 

Süddeutsche.de, 13. Juli 2012
Ein Museum der Landeshauptstadt München