ISSN: 1559-4866 The Newsletter of the American Friends Volume 9, Issue 1 of the Jewish Museum Hohenems, Inc. January 2008 I N TOUCH W ITH OUR AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE JEWISH MUSEUM OF HOHENEMS A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT C LAUDE ROLLIN, ESQ. First, the reunion will pro- gogue (now a music hall/ Stephan Rollin vide you with an opportu- community center), the Founder nity to learn more about former Jewish school, our common ancestors, many houses where our Claude Rollin, Esq. and actually visit some of ancestors lived (including President the places where they lived the former Rosenthal Mark Brunner and worked. The history of house where the Museum Vice President Dear Friends, the Jews in Hohenems is located) and the Jewish dates back to 1617 (long cemetery. So there are lots Uri Taenzer, Esq. Next summer we will have before our own U.S. his- of different places to ex- Secretary-Treasurer a chance to meet in tory), with the settlement plore. Even if you have Hohenems for the second by the first Jews invited by already been to Hohenems Trustees major reunion of the de- the local Count’s family. on several occasions (as I Dr. Robert Amler scendants of the Jewish Their history ended in have), there are always Ronald Bernell families of Hohenems. 1942 with the deportation new things to discover. Doris Billes Plans for the big event that of the last Jews from Nadia Follman is scheduled to be held Hohenems to the There- If you haven’t seen the July 31 to August 3, 2008, sienstadt concentration new permanent exhibition James Hirschfeld are described in greater camp. at the Museum (which Francesca Brunner Kennedy detail elsewhere in this opened in April of 2007), Hon. Susan Shimer Newsletter, so I won’t re- Even though there haven’t then that is perhaps the Harry Weil, Jr. peat them here. But let been many Jews to speak best reason to visit me tell you why I think of in Hohenems since Hohenems with your family Monica Wollner those of you who are de- World War II, there are still next summer. The new scendants should make many traces of Jewish his- permanent exhibition is every effort to participate if tory visible in the town really impressive, both in In Touch Editor: you can. such as the former syna- (Continued on page 3) Susan Shimer Please send your In Touch articles to our editor N EWS FROM THE MUSEUM Susan Shimer D R . HANNO LOEWY 16 Pond Lane Armonk, NY 10504 LOOKING FORWARD: experience and we are Together with the descen- [email protected] NEXT SUMMER IN pleased to be able to dants’ committee, we are or HOHENEMS host so many descen- preparing a thrilling pro- Uri Taenzer, Esq. dants again in gram. If you are a 123 N. Church St., We are all excited about Hohenems. The last day Hohenems descendant Moorestown, NJ 08057 the incoming confirma- for confirmations to be and have not yet received Phone: 856-235-1172 tions for the reunion sent to the Museum is the invitation and pro- Fax: 856-235-1911 Hohenems 2008. This February 28. gram, please contact the [email protected] will truly be a remarkable (Continued on page 2) Page 2 Volume 9, Issue 1 NEWS FROM THE MUSEUM (Continued from page 1) great job in encouraging ter, has, in the course of will publish its new per- all kinds of discourse be- one hundred years, devel- manent exhibition cata- Museum as soon as possi- tween populations rather oped into a global player logue. It will include es- ble in order to receive the distant from each other, in metal plating, and is says by Felix and Luisa reunion material. but which find mutual in- one of the leading enter- Jaffé as well as scholars terests in the Villa prises in Europe in the and writers from Austria, Heimann-Rosenthal. finishing of metal prod- Germany and Switzer- FEEDBACK ON THE NEW ucts. Collini never forgot land. The catalogue, to be EXHIBITION his origins and the signifi- printed in German and SPONSORS AND HONORS cance of migration and English, will present a Since May 2007, the Mu- education. For years, comprehensive, narrative seum has been working Renewing the Jewish Mu- there has been a fruitful history of the Hohenems successfully with its new seum required many cooperation between the Jews and their Diaspora permanent exhibition. Visi- sponsors. The Museum’s Jewish Museum and the from the beginning to the tors’ reactions are ex- staff is particularly grate- training department of present, with a visual tour tremely favorable and ful to the members of the Collini, working together through the Museum and many of the Museum’s American Friends of the with young trainees, the Jewish quarter of guests spend hours, con- Jewish Museum most of them migrants Hohenems, and include centrating while watching, Hohenems and the Asso- from Turkey or the former documents and sources listening and enjoying the ciation for the Promotion Yugoslavia. from the past, in a read- experience of a journey of the Jewish Museum of able and informative through time and space. Hohenems. Their contri- Also important for the fi- manner. More than 9,000 visitors bution provided encour- nancial balance of the have visited the Museum aging support for us on Museum has been the in the eight months since the political front, and growing attention it re- NEW FIELDS OF EDUCA- the reopening, and we also constituted an im- ceives in Switzerland and TION: MIGRATION, DIAS- look forward to greeting portant part of the overall in the Swiss Jewish com- PORA AND INTEGRATION new audiences and target 460.000€ we raised from munities. groups in the coming year. sponsors, donors, and New educational pro- foundations from all over Yet, the great step the grams and materials, with Some minor corrections the world, beyond public Museum took into the new methods using art still have to be made in funds contributed by future clearly showed that and theatrical ap- some galleries, but the Hohenems and Vorarl- there is still a lot to do in proaches, have been de- overall impression is that berg. order to secure its eco- veloped that will improve the Museum has suc- nomic balance, particu- the performance of the ceeded in taking a major Our most substantial larly with respect to regu- educational activities of step into the future. sponsor, the Collini enter- lar maintenance and the Museum. They in- prises from Hohenems, staff. The municipality of clude the traditional With a diverse audience, were honored, on Novem- Hohenems and the state guided tours through the from local middle school ber 27, 2007, in the of Vorarlberg have recog- Museum and the Jewish children to tourists from fabulous Hotel Imperial in nized this shortage and quarter of Hohenems, but Australia and the US, from Vienna, with the Maece- are now increasing their also new workshop activi- Jewish communities in nas Prize for the most contribution to the ties with schools and Switzerland to Christian courageous sponsorship budget, thus covering at adult group education adult programs in the re- of the year in Austria. least part of what is programs. gion, from the young to Collini, whose founder needed. the old, and from English- started his business in With the new children’s speaking guests to mi- the year 1900 as an Ital- exhibition and special grant workers’ children, ian immigrant in NEW CATALOGUE educational programs re- raised with Turkish more Hohenems, by grinding lated to it, the Museum is than German, the Mu- knives in a building he This spring, in time for seum’s new facilities do a rented in the Jewish quar- the reunion, the Museum (Continued on page 4) In Touch Page 3 A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT (Continued from page 1) around the globe, with land and Austria better Of course, if you are not a the scope and nature of whom I share a common than almost anywhere in descendant or simply can- the materials presented as ancestry. I am looking for- the world. Wiener Schnit- not arrange to be in well as the artful manner ward to meeting even zel, Weisswurst, Sauerbrat- Hohenems for the Reunion, in which they are dis- more interesting people ten, not to mention the please remember, the Mu- played. Dr. Hanno Loewy next summer. outstanding wine and beer seum is always happy to and his team did an out- that is available, are my welcome our members. standing job re-telling the Another reason to make weaknesses and more rea- There are numerous events amazing story of the Jews the trek is because sons to make the trek to during the year and you of Hohenems in a way that Hohenems itself is just an Hohenems on a regular might be able to coincide everyone- young and old, amazing little town. Nes- basis. your visit with some of Jew and non-Jew - can eas- tled at the foot of the Alps, those. ily understand. And many right on the border be- So I hope I have whetted of us proudly contributed tween Switzerland and your appetite for participat- Thanks for your continuing to the new permanent ex- Austria, Hohenems is an ing in the Reunion next support of the American hibition. incredibly beautiful town. I summer. Don’t wait too Friends and the Jewish Mu- remember the first time I long to sign up for the Re- seum in Hohenems. I hope The reunion will also pro- visited, looking out the ho- union, however, because it you and your family had a vide you with an opportu- tel window, seeing cows is my understanding that wonderful holiday season nity to meet, and share grazing in a big grassy field they have a limited capac- and that you have had an stories with, an incredibly with the mountains in the ity (only about 200 people opportunity to reflect on the diverse group of descen- background.