An exhibition with a big impact

Jewish life and, above all, the expulsion and extermination of millions of Jews from Germany and occupied Europe were subjects rarely addressed by the post-1945 German public. The immediate impetus for the Monumenta Judaica exhibition came from anti-Semitic graffiti smeared on the façade of the recently reopened Cologne synagogue on 24 December 1959. By that time, a public debate on the fate of Jews in the Rhineland was long overdue.

Curated by Konrad Schilling, the exhibition aimed to familiarise visitors with Jewish history and culture and to highlight its common heritage with Christianity. At the same time, it sought to address the history of the expulsion and extermination of Jews by the Nazi regime.

  • I was most shocked when someone recognised his father on one of the photos of the concentration camp.
    Hans Heinrich Hasselmeier, museum employee
  • Several times, a young man reading the Yellow Star said excitedly to his father: Look at this! And you all say you knew nothing about it!
    From an employee’s notebook
  • It is about the freedom of every human being, respect for every human being and respect for his or her traditions [...]. The Monumenta Judaica exhibition is a great opportunity to make an impact here.
    Dr Herbert Lewin, Chairman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany
  • The exhibition seeks neither to accuse nor to make amends: it simply wants to reveal the truth.
    The World, 19 October 1963
  • The City of Cologne has [with this exhibition] made a great contribution to humanity and culture. This may be the act of an uneasy conscience, and perhaps the many thousands who visit the exhibition will in some way share this feeling of guilt.
    The Synagogue Review, 1964