ISSN: 1559-4866 The Newsletter of the American Friends Volume 10, Issue 1 of the Jewish Museum Hohenems, Inc. June 2009 I N T OUCH J UNEJ UNE 2009 2009 NEWS FROM THE MUSEUM D R . HANNO LOEWY "DID YOU SEE MY ALPS? A In cooperation with the Aus- JEWISH LOVE STORY" trian Alpine Club. This exhibi- “I feel eternally alone here tion is supported in part by between the radiant land- Stephan Rollin An exhibition project of the the AFJMH. scape and the icy hearts.” Founder Jewish Museum Hohenems Stefan Zweig and the Jewish Museum Jewish Museum Hohenems, Claude Rollin, Esq. Vienna “Once you’ve heard the noise April 28 - October 4, 2009 President that a groundhog makes, you Jewish Museum Vienna, will not easily forget it.” December 15, 2009 - March Uri Taenzer, Esq. Theodor W. Adorno 14, 2010 Secretary-Treasurer Alpine Museum Munich, “Jews and nature are two April 2010 - February 2011 distinct things and always TRUSTEES have been,” “When I come before God, the Dr. Robert Amler Paul Celan Eternal One will ask me: ‘Did Ronald Bernell you see my Alps’?” Doris Billes Samson Raphael Hirsch “Not a mountain person and Nadia Follman yet or possibly for that very “Anyone who hasn’t climbed a reason, you find the Alps James Hirschfeld mountain has not lived.” beautiful.” Francesca Brunner Kennedy Vilem Flusser Erica Pedretti Hon. Susan Shimer “When I look at the moun- “Of course the mountains, Harry Weil, Jr. tains I wonder what all the where else?” Monica Wollner rest of culture is for.” Franz Kafka Walter Benjamin (Continued on page 6) In Touch Editor: Susan Shimer Design: Nicole Angiel M EET THE HOHENEMS DIASPORA - THE REUNION Please send your In Touch articles to our editor A Film by Markus Barnay – in from Hohenems into the collaboration with the Jewish In the summer 2008 more world. Hosted by the Jewish Susan Shimer Museum Hohenems and than 120 descendants from all Museum, they celebrated the Austrian Television over the world: from California vitality of the Hohenems 16 Pond Lane to Australia, New York to Armonk, NY 10504 Diaspora, a living community "One of Europe’s most Jerusalem, from Italy and transcending all kinds of [email protected] innovative Jewish Switzerland, Great Britain and borders today, not just or museums“ (Forward, New Germany, Belgium and France, borders of nations, but also of Canada, Austria and even Uri Taenzer, Esq. York). The Museum tells about experience and faith. a community at the borders Liechtenstein, met in 123 N. Church St., between Austria, Switzerland, Hohenems again, where their Diaspora and migration, Moorestown, N.J. 08057 and Germany. People in the ancestral Jewish community tradition and modernity, dwelled for more than 300 Phone: 856-235-1172 center of Europe and their transnational networks and personal story: the European- years. It was the second local roots, persecution and Fax: 856-235-1911 Jewish experience in a reunion of many of those Heimat: the Museum and the families who made their way [email protected] nutshell. (Continued on page 2) Page 2 Volume 10, Issue 1 M EET THE HOHENEMS DIASPORA - THE REUNION (Continued from page 1) The film comes together with available through the AFJMH. descendants work together to the children’s movie of the Please send your request to make this world a place of Reunion: “Kids on Camera“, Uri Taenzer, e mail, more tolerance, acceptance produced during the Reunion [email protected], or by and a thoughtful memory of by young members of several snail mail, AFJMH, 123 N. history. families. Church Street, Moorestown, N.J. 08057, together with a Together with filmmaker We suggest that you order check payable to the AFJMH, Markus Barnay the Jewish your copy of the newly or your credit card Museum has prepared a lively released DVD of the Jewish information, in the amount of 20 minute documentary Museum Hohenems: A living $20 to cover the cost of the illustrating those memorable memory of the Reunion disc ($17) plus the cost of days in July and August 2008. 2008. Copies of the film are mailing. A USTRIAN CULTURAL FORUM EVENT F EBRUARY 2, 2009 On February 2, 2009, the cial exhibitions presented by well as Dr. Norman Kleeblatt, which endured for over 300 Austrian Cultural Forum in the Museum. Among them, curator of the Jewish Mu- years. New York City sponsored a “Kantormania, the mixture of seum New York. program, At Home: Diaspora, religious and secular music,” She knew nothing about the The Jewish Museum “So easy was it,” the stories Sue Shimer described her Museum until she attended Hohenems. Among those of Jewish survivors after the initial contact with the Mu- the 1998 reunion to which attending the oversubscribed war who briefly settled in the seum and why she continues she was attracted primarily in program were a number of three countries surrounding to participate in its affairs. order to meet descendants of descendants, members of the the Museum. On a lighter She feels a connection with the Brunner family of Trieste American Friends Jewish Mu- note, the exhibition of the town and the people who who had aided her family seum Hohenems and direc- “Jewish Kitsch,” included an live there now because they when they left Vienna in tors of Jewish Museums from oversized challah cover to created the Museum when 1940. She explained that, in Europe and America. encase a computer screen. there were no longer any attending, she had to over- Jewish people living in come her reluctance to visit The program began with a A panel discussion followed, Hohenems. They also seem because of the circum- twenty-minute video prepared moderated by Andreas to genuinely care about the stances under which she left by Marcus Bernay of scenes Stadler, Director of the Aus- town’s descendants. She was Austria. and events at last summer’s trian Cultural Forum in New gratified that the local citi- Descendants Reunion. The York. It was succeeded by zens did not create a mu- Her next shock was finding video was funded in part by questions from the audience. seum of a “departed race” as that the Museum was in the the American Friends and a Participating in the panel the Nazis had envisioned, but home of Clara Heimann DVD is available for Rosenthal who had been purchase, as de- deported to Vienna in scribed elsewhere in 1940 and subsequently this newsletter. to Theriestadt, never to return. The Museum’s After the presenta- collection included some tion of the film, Dr. of Clara’s furniture, just Hanno Loewy briefly as she left it. Sue noted described the Mu- that the local community seum’s new perma- she met in Hohenems nent exhibition. He was welcoming and genu- explained that the inely interested in the Exhibition tries to tell descendants and their the story of the family stories. Further- Hohenems Jews more, one of the Mu- through numerous seum’s early exhibitions displays of original was an exhibition and historic materials dramatization of the post- placed throughout the Mu- discussion were Dr. Hanno rather a living museum en- cards that Clara Heimann seum. He also described Loewy, and Sue Shimer, the compassing a vibrant relig- Rosenthal sent, before her some of the more recent spe- editor of this newsletter as iously diverse community (Continued on page 3) In Touch Page 3 NA USTRIANEWS FROM C ULTURALTHE MUSEUM FORUM EVENT (Continued from page 2) promoted major recent projects visitors from a three-country nity into the vastly divergent deportation, to her grand- such as maintaining and secur- area: Germany, Switzerland local society. daughter living in Brussels. ing the renovation of the old and Austria (not just the re- These postings were pre- Jewish quarter, notwithstand- gion of Vorarlberg). The sented as a live performance ing that there are no Jews cur- majority of visitors are non attended by many local resi- rently living in Hohenems. -Jews. He pointed out that dents who were deeply many of the exhibitions moved by the experience Dr. Norman Kleeblatt, curator which might be considered despite the adverse implica- of the Jewish Museum New controversial are, never- tions of Clara’s deportation. York pointed out that all Muse- theless, organized by the ums tend to display artifacts Museum. Typical examples Thus, Sue became actively that demonstrate what life was would be the “Jewish anti- involved with the Museum. like in the past. However, visi- Semitism” and the “Jewish She described the feeling of tors need to have a connection Kitsch” exhibitions. Dr. community that the Museum to the artifacts in order to fully Loewy emphasized that has created among the de- appreciate them. In this re- such exhibitions must be scendants. The Museum has spect, when the JMH displays carefully crafted with the become the fulcrum of the various historical artifacts, it cooperation and under- Diaspora as descendants has a ready built audience of standing of the local com- relate to each other and to appreciative descendants. munity. the town through various Some controversial exhibits exhibitions and projects. This and programs first presented Another delicate exhibition AFJMH newsletter, In Touch, by the JMH were also shown in requiring diplomacy in its not only serves to keep de- New York. Others were not presentation was one re- scendants informed of events appropriate for an American lating to Turkish migration. at the JMH, but it also com- Jewish Museum, particularly in Approximately 15 percent memorates the lives of our these dire economic times of the residents of ancestors and their descen- when museums are con- Hohenems are Turks. He The well-received program dants, families connected by strained by financial issues and observed that the relationship was followed by a wine and a common ancestry to are so dependant on donors for with the Turkish minority is a cheese reception.