In 1895, a group of members of the Viennese Jewish Community founded the world’s first Jewish Museum in Vienna. 42 years later, it was shut down by the Nazis and its collection was transferred to other museums. Parts of it were returned to the Jewish Community between 1950 and 1990, but more than half of the collection did not find its way back. The new Jewish Museum in Vienna was founded in 1988 and has been located in the Palais Eskeles at Dorotheergasse 11 since 1993.
The museum’s exhibitions contain pieces of Max Bergers’ Judaica collection.Its mission is to raise awareness for the Jewish culture, its history and its religion as well as to create a meeting place where people of all cultures and generations can engage in dialogue and get to know Jewish history in general, and in particular the history of Jews in Vienna.