Odds and Ends - Day 11 reformatted. (Jewish History, Museums, and beyond)

Please excuse the odd placement of this entry at the end of the diary - as the original experienced some technical difficulties, I have reformatted it to make it more readable.

Day 11.

A quiet Sunday allowed for a journey to the Judenplatz and the Vienna Jewish Museum. The silence of the Ringstrasse on Sundays is refreshing - the crowds of tourists gone from the streets, stores closed.

How quiet Vienna can be on a Sunday - silent streets and cloudy skies.

I wandered north of the area, hopping a few trains and exploring, before getting off near the Judenplatz. Still acclimating to the city, I got turned around a few times, but managed to find my way to the monument that stands in the square.

The Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial is an interesting commemorative piece. Designed by Rachel Whiteread, the stone structure was purposefully erected as a piece that is out of place with the rest of the baroque art and architecture of the surrounding area - a cold, unwelcome slab of stone, with the names of concentration camps etched at the base. While many have critiqued it as being ugly, an eyesore, etc., the artist notes that the discomfort one feels when looking at it is quite intentional. It represents the unmistakable disruption that resulted from the deaths of millions, a world where normality ceased and atrocity reigned. It is also reminiscent of books on a library shelf, acknowledging the concept of Jews as "people of the book."

Behind the memorial, the Judenplatz Museum sits. Both the Judenplatz Museum and the Judsiches Museum Wien are the only museums I visited in Austria where policemen are stationed outside the front. (Interestingly, there were not policemen or security stationed outside of the Mauthausen memorial...perhaps the high volume of tourists in the Ringstrasse dictates more security?)

A policeman patrolling the front.

The Judenplatz Museum is quite small, but houses interesting cultural artifacts from the medieval period. As we will see throughout the trip, flourishing Jewish communities were continuously destroyed throughout Austria's history. Sections of Vienna where Jewish families were expelled were mostly destroyed, only artifacts remain. 

Model which details where Vienna's medieval Jewish community once stood (the grey area,) today the site of the Am Hof. 

The remains of the Judenplatz synagogue.

There is a long hallway which leads to the ancient ruins of the Judenplatz synagogue - it almost reminded me of a prison or hospital, the corridor was empty except for bright overhead lights. When I ascended the stairs to where the archeological remains lay, I was overcome with the strangest sensation of deja vu. I have no idea why this occurred, as I have never been present in this museum before. But I found it a noteworthy feeling, and something I would like to further unpack at a later date.

 The Judsiches Museum Wien is about a 5 minute walk from the Judenplatz, and I decided to visit both in the same day (your ticket is good for 4 days between the two however, which is nice.) In contrast to the medieval-era commemoration of the Judenplatz, the Judisches Museum is a very ultra-modern site. There are multiple stories with ample exhibits, media displays, artworks, cultural artifacts, and more. I ended up spending most of the afternoon at this museum, and still could not possibly absorb all of it. While the middle floors contained very interesting exhibits, I will be concentrating on both the entry level floor and the top level floor.

Upon entry, the exhibit "Our City! Jewish Vienna - Then and Now," is the first thing you see. I found the placement of this installation intriguing, for reasons I will cover in a moment. There were many artifacts and items in enclosed glass boxes, many which had been packed by Jewish residents into suitcases and taken with them when transported to the camps.

Suitcase of Frieda Jacobwitz, who was deported from Berlin to Theresienstadt, and killed in Auschwitz in 1944. A survivor named Arthur Stoehr claimed the suitcase and brought it back to Vienna. 

On the rightmost wall, a collection of perhaps 30 statements by Viennese survivors was exhibited. I encourage readers to enlarge the photos and see the comments. What struck me was the honesty of these statements, portraits of the city by those who had survived some of the most horrific events imaginable. "Our City" was a collection of deeply ambivalent statements by a group of people who had not truly ever settled comfortably back into their homeland (understandably.) After the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Austria, a return to one's hometown was not a celebration, it was a more of a funeral march. The placement of these stunning comments as the first exhibit that you walk through struck me as a VERY different trajectory than an American Holocaust exhibit would take - in U.S. museums where Allied victories are highlighted, the statements of those who never settled back into normality would most likely be omitted.

The very top floor of the exhibit contained many historical relics, items of religious significance, and a large collection of something I found to be deeply uncomfortable: nineteenth century antiques portraying Jewish allegorical figures. It was noted that many (though not all) of these items were designed by artist Anton Sohn, who was a satirist. His intent, it is noted by the museum, was not to be antisemitic or aggressive. However, after the events of the Holocaust, his work has been reinterpreted to read as such. I don't know if I love this explanation. I absolutely believe that relics are products of their time, and to reinterpret them under a modern lens can be very dangerous. But, it was very difficult to see some of these and shrug them off as mere caricatures of Jewish jobs and professions of the era. I am conflicted.

However, I say this as a researcher, and as a budding academic - I believe that the objects should absolutely be shown, and those who visit the museum will gain valuable insights by looking at them. This collection contained hundreds of porcelain statuettes, various examples of Jews and "Jewish professions" such as bankers, etc. 

One of Sohn's works. Of note, though hard to see - many of the objects were purposely displayed backwards, facing the mirror behind the glass. This intent was not explained in the exhibit.

Some items in the collection were deliberately fashioned to be antisemitic, including a large grouping of Viennese walking sticks. These sticks were carried by supports of Karl Ritter von Schonerer, as a showing of anti-Jewish solidarity. 

One such walking stick, seen with the cliche of the "Jewish nose." 

I sat for a long time, examining these items, because they disturbed and fascinated me. I thought of the popular "mammy" artifacts from US history, where caricatures of blacks would be sold as novelty items. Even now, popular brands like Gucci continue the trend of promoting racist imagery in their products. 

After lingering for many hours, I returned home via streetcar, which has become my favorite way to travel within the city. A huge plus: many of them have air conditioning, a rarity in this town!