„100 Jahre Neues Frankfurt“

On Tuesday, May 20, the Jewish Museum will open its pop-up presentations on
"100 Years of New Frankfurt". They include a large-format collage on the forecourt, changing presentations in the publicly accessible library, a themed trail through the temporary exhibition "In the Face of Death" and the permanent exhibition in the Rothschild Palace as well as guided tours and digital offers.
Rothschild-Palais as well as guided tours and digital offers.
As part of the city-wide anniversary activities on the fundamental modernization of urban infrastructure, social housing, media, art and design, the pop-up presentations at the Jewish Museum Frankfurt focus on a key, but not necessarily well-known aspect of the New Frankfurt: all key political decision-makers were Jewish. Mayor Ludwig Landmann as well as City Planning Councillor Ernst May, City Treasurer Bruno Asch and Head of Cultural Affairs Max Michel. The influential female personalities also came from Jewish families - such as the artist Erna Pinner or the photographers Ilse Bing and Jeanne Mandello. Others - such as Ferdinand Kramer - were married to a Jewish woman or - like the radio pioneer Hans Flesch - grew up in families that had turned their backs on Judaism in previous generations.
For most of these central figures of the New Frankfurt, their Jewish origins had no central significance for their self-image. For others, however - such as the architect Fritz Nathan or the silversmith Ludwig Wolpert - it was the starting point and point of reference for their work. When the National Socialists came to power, they were all equally disenfranchised and forced to emigrate, although their history of persecution is not the only thing that connects the Jewish protagonists. They all grew up more or less close to the Jewish tradition of cultivating a sense of community. To what extent did this sense also shape the decidedly social understanding of modernization that was evident in the New Frankfurt? The Jewish Museum Frankfurt is exploring this question for a whole year in its pop-up presentations, guided tours and digital offerings.