The Danish Jewish Museum
The Danish Jewish Museum is located in the idyllic Royal Library Garden in the heart of Copenhagen. The permanent exhibition “Space and Spaciousness” is recounting 400 years of Jewish history in Denmark. The strongest illustration of the spaciousness in Danish society is the rescue of the Danish Jews in 1943. The museum’s goals are to preserve the Jewish cultural heritage of Denmark and shed light on the diversity within this cultural heritage, including the issues of identity, integration and the relationship between the Danish Jewish minority and the society which surrounds it.
The Danish Jewish Museum collects and preserves material that illustrates the history, art and culture of Danish Jewry. Many items have generously been donated by private people and the largest Jewish congregation in Denmark, Det Jødiske Samfund i Danmark, has also contributed with very significant donations. All types of objects can be important for understanding the history of the Danish Jews – from the simplest everyday implement to precious art. The collection reflects many different conceptions about what it means to be Jewish – and what it means to be Danish – and thereby provides empirical basis for studies in processes of identity, integration and assimilation.