Jewish? Prussian? Or what?

Who should and could be Jewish in Prussia? What self-images and external images are associated with this? What did this mean for the legal status in the Prussian state? And what self-definitions are being developed? Could the answer to the questions “Jewish? Prussian?” even be “Both!”? What does “Jewish” mean? The religion, the social origin, the cultural affiliation? And what was it like at the same time in the provinces of Schleswig and Holstein, which only came to Prussia in 1867? 

The exhibition of the LWL-Prussia Museum in Minden looks back on the history of entanglement of Jews with Prussian society. In the topics of the exhibition, Praying, Arguing, Fighting, or also Learning, it raises questions about belonging and non-belonging, origin and diversity, which are still relevant today and lead into the current socio-political discourse.

The title is deliberately formulated openly, because the exhibition wants to ask questions rather than prove seemingly clear answers. The declared aim is to also establish references to the present and to enable an active process of rapprochement and engagement with the exhibition topics. Exciting biographies and exhibits provide an insight into the time from the 18th century onwards.

The exhibition at the Jewish Museum in Rendsburg is complemented by a Schleswig-Holstein track, which traces the developments in the north with a special focus on the entanglements with Denmark.