About us

Since its foundation in 1989, the Association of European Jewish Museums (AEJM) has become a major force in the preservation of Jewish heritage in Europe. AEJM actively promotes professional standards and educational activities that help our members to fulfill their task: to preserve the material and intangible Jewish heritage and to create a productive and meaningful discourse about Jewish culture, tradition, and history.

Our members seek to create bridges between past and present in fields where particularly sensitive matters are at stake. Deeply rooted in European Jewish history, AEJM is an organization for museums that are committed to fighting against antisemitism and discrimination in any form, supporting democratic values, and opposing the political abuse of history.

AEJM encourages the exchange of information and ideas among European Jewish museums. It provides opportunities for professional development and promotes mutual support and cooperation in a wide range of areas.

Aims

  • Promote, support and enable networking, communication and cooperation between Jewish museums in Europe with the intention of exchanging knowledge, providing mutual support, fostering collaboration and mutual understanding of common issues and goals
  • Monitor European Jewish material and intangible heritage in Europe
  • Provide assistance in its preservation, to share this information and make it accessible to the wider public
  • Promote information and understanding by means of publications and other forms of communication on matters concerning Jewish culture and history in Europe
  • Assist our members in reaching a high quality of professional performance in serving the wider public

Team

Jonathan Günther
© Photo: Wilhelm Schultze
Project Manager

Jonathan Günther

Holds a degree in political science and cultural anthropology from Goethe-University Frankfurt. Previously, Jonathan worked for the educational department of the central council of Jews in Germany. He also is a freelance project manager and political educator. In this role, he frequently works for the Jewish Museum Frankfurt.

Emile Schrijver
Ⓒ Photo: Jeroen Oerlemans
Chair

Emile Schrijver

Director of the Jewish Cultural Quarter in Amsterdam since 2015 and Professor of Jewish Heritage at the University of Amsterdam. Emile Schrijver is curator of the private Braginsky collection and 1986-2015 curator of the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana.

Mats Tangestuen
Ⓒ Photo: Ragnhild Elnæs
Treasurer

Mats Tangestuen

Academic Director at Oslo Jewish Museum and Historian. Mats Tangestuen has contributed to a number of exhibitions and has headed the museums cooperation with international partners.

Nisya Isman Allovi Board

Nisya Isman Allovi

Nisya Isman Allovi is the director and curator of The Quincentennial Foundation Museum Of Turkish Jews. She holds a degree in International Relations and Cultural Heritage and Tourism. She organizes education programs for school groups and guides, contributed to various publications on Turkish Jewish life, and writes to Şalom newspaper about Museum collections on a weekly base.

Joana Fikus
Ⓒ Photo: Museum POLIN
Board

Joana Fikus

Head of Exhibitions Department at POLIN Museum in Warsaw and Cultural anthropologist. Joanna Fikus is a Member of the Board of the Jewish Historical Institute Association in Poland and of the Founders Council of the Jewish Community Center Warsaw.

Mirjam Wenzel
Ⓒ Jüdisches Museum Frankfurt
Board

Mirjam Wenzel

Director of the Jewish Museum Frankfurt, Professor at Goethe-University Frankfurt. She is the author and co-editor of various books and catalogues on German-Jewish art and cultural history. She also works as a curator and has developed several international exhibitions.

Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek Program Manager CEP

Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek

Studied Jewish Studies and Art History in Vienna and Tel Aviv. From 1993 until 2011, she was the chief curator of the Jewish Museum in Vienna. Since 2011 freelance curator, researcher, university lecturer and museum consultant, since 2012 in collaboration with Michaela Feurstein-Prasser (xhibit.at).

Michaela Feurstein-Prasser Program Manager CEP

Michaela Feurstein-Prasser

Holds a diploma in French Studies and History and a PHD in History. From 1993 until 2011 working in the Jewish Museum Vienna as head of the education department, then as curator. Since 2011 freelance curator and cultural mediator in Vienna, since 2012 in collaboration with Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek (xhibit.at).

Join us

AEJM offers a large professional network of Jewish museums and collections in Europe. By joining AEJM, you will acquire opportunities to network with representatives from other European Jewish museums and museum professionals working with Jewish material culture. You will also benefit from opportunities for professional training and development of your staff through our seminars and conferences.

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Benefits:

  • Professional development programmes
  • Promotion of member institutions through the AEJM website, newsletter and social media
  • Annual Conference for up to 3 staff members
  • Peer networking
  • Annual General Meeting
  • Voting privileges for Full Members at the Annual General Meeting
  • Access to AEJM website, which includes professional online discussion forums, opportunities to advertise travelling exhibitions and other cooperative museum projects

Interested in joining AEJM? Read the membership requirements, categories and the application procedure.