Preliminary Program – Paris 2025

Jewish Museums and Democracy

Please note that this is a preliminary program. Updates will follow, and additional speakers and details will be added in the coming weeks.
.

Day I
Sunday, July 6

10:30 Conference registration
Free visits and guided tours to the permanent and temporary exhibitions at the musée d’art et d’histoire du Judaïsme (mahJ).

12:30 – Lunch 

13:30 – Opening Ceremony
Welcome keynote by Mirjam Wenzel, AEJM Chair of the Board and Director of the Jewish Museum Frankfurt & Introduction to the mahJ, Paul Salmona, director.

14:00 – Plenary Session I
Transformation Processes of Jewish Museums amid Changing Cities
Most Jewish museums in Europe are located in cities, a lot of them underwent a profound transformation in recent years. The opening panel of the conference is dedicated to the relationship between transformations in museums and the city. Are Jewish museums embedded in the urban cultural landscape? How do they define their relation to the city in its historical and contemporary form? Which changes in urban society have an impact on Jewish museums? And what changes would they like to initiate with their own transformation?

15:00 – Short break

15:15 – Plenary Session II
Jewish Museums and the Values of Democracy
The French Revolution and the Code Civil were based on the idea of equal rights and social justice and inspired revolutionary upheavals throughout Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries. In many countries, Jews played a pivotal role in these upheavals, and the guarantee of equal rights had an immense effect on Jewish life and culture. Today, right-wing populism is on the rise, and liberal democracies are increasingly turning into authoritarian regimes. What is the impact of this development on Jewish museums? Which position do they hold in the democratic fabric? In what ways can they function as democratizing institutions? How do they refer to the history of democracy? What narratives of emancipation and human rights do they represent?

16:15 – Coffee Break

17:00 – Professional Session I
Towards the Future: The Impact and Participation of Young Professionals in Jewish Museums
Today’s early-career professionals will shape the future of Jewish museums. What is important for them? What are their main concerns? How can a museum profit from transgenerational collaborations?

18:30 – End of the program

Day II
Monday, July 7

9:30 – Arrival & Coffee

10:00 – Plenary Session III
Artistic and Curatorial Perspectives: Contemporary Art in Jewish Museums
What role should contemporary art play in Jewish museums? Should these institutions be spaces for artistic experimentation and change-inspiring dialogue, or should they focus primarily on preserving heritage? In an era of rising antisemitism, global polarization, and conflict, can contemporary art offer meaningful responses? This panel brings together curators, museum directors, and an artist to explore how contemporary artistic expression engages with Jewish heritage, historical narratives, and pressing social and political issues. We will discuss the challenges of exhibiting works that might be considered “politically sensitive,” strategies for reaching new audiences, and the future of contemporary art in Jewish museums as a space for innovation, dialogue, and cultural continuity.

11:00 – Short break

11:15 – Professional Session II
Workshops on Strategies in Collecting and Exhibiting Art, and involving Artists
Interactive workshops addressing photography, artist residencies, artistic interventions, and collecting strategies for contemporary art in Jewish museums.

12:15 – Lunch

14:00 – Keynote Speech

14:45 – Plenary Session IV
The Impact of Polarization within Society
Western societies are increasingly polarized, particularly concerning discourse on migration and diversity, Islamism and other religious fundamentalism, the invasion of Ukraine, the war in Israel and Gaza, and the status of cultural institutions. How can Jewish museums cope with the pressure resulting from this polarization? How shall they act or monitor activities on social media? Should Jewish Museums be places for discourse on controversial subjects or places of comfort and self-assurance?

15:45 – Coffee Break

16:30 – Plenary Session V
Beyond the Shoah
Is the history of the Shoah an unavoidable framework for European Jewish museums? Does this focus on risk overshadow the diverse forms of Jewish life that existed before the destruction? Can we envision museums that are not centered solely on discrimination, persecution, and the destruction of European Jewry?

17:15 – Presentation

17:30 – End of the Program

Day III
Tuesday, July 8

9:30 – Arrival & Coffee

10:00 – Plenary Session VI
Pecha Kucha
Presentation of projects and new museum developments.

10:45 – Presentation of CAJM activities

11:00 – Plenary Session VII
Goals and Challenges of Cultural Programming
Cultural programming is playing an increasingly significant role in the activities of Jewish museums. What objectives does it aim to achieve? What resources does it require? What results can be expected from it?

12:00 – End of the Conference

12:30 – Annual General Meeting

13:30 – Lunch

14:30 – Excursions
Optional tours of the Jewish Marais, mahJ exhibitions, and nearby institutions.