Exhibition in the Jewish Museum: Focus on skin color, identity and prejudice!

Exhibition in the Jewish Museum: Focus on skin color, identity and prejudice!

The autumn exhibition “Black Jews, White Jews? About Skin Colors and Prejudices” opened at the Jewish Museum Vienna on October 22, 2025, and will be on view until April 26, 2026. This exciting show deals with complex questions of Jewish identity and its perception in the context of racism and anti-Semitism. Particularly in light of the events since October 7, 2023, when Israel was portrayed as an aggressor, the exhibition sheds light on the increasing perception of Jews as “white colonizers.” The curators show how social debates about skin color and identity have been initiated in recent years and what challenges are associated with them.

The exhibition makes you think: What does it mean to be Jewish? What makes Jews white or black? Various exhibits and anecdotes show that social advancement in assimilated Judaism was often associated with a “lightening” of the complexion. A photo album from 1928 shows Baron Alphonse Rothschild and his wife on a colonial expedition in Africa. This depiction highlights the worrying connection between Jewish identity and colonial behavior, which is often overlooked in current discussions. On kurier.at it is pointed out that the exhibition also addresses dark-skinned Jews in the 19th century.

Identity and racism

A central aspect of the exhibition is the reflection on racism, which is defined as the evaluation and devaluation of people based on physical characteristics. Historical and contemporary examples of perception of others and self are analyzed. It becomes clear that issues of skin color cannot be viewed in isolation; The exhibition also highlights how intersectional perspectives draw on identity and discrimination. This problem is becoming more and more important, as bpb.de highlights.

The curators also address how 19th century racial theories and Nazi ideologies shaped the view of Jewish identity. This discussion is particularly relevant in the current situation in which Jews are often perceived as “privileged white colonizers” in public discourse. Therefore, there is a clear reference in the exhibition to current political reality and debates about identity politics.

Interactive approaches

In addition to the exhibition elements, a varied accompanying program is also offered. This includes workshops, film screenings and readings that provide deeper insights into the topic. Artworks by renowned artists such as Jason Bard Yarmosky, Philip Guston and Sheri Avraham are presented and linked to current social debates. An Instagram video by Ben Younger shows how these questions are discussed today and gives the exhibition a modern touch.

With the aim of creating a better understanding of the complexity of questions of identity, the Jewish Museum Vienna positions itself as a place for reflection and debate. References to anti-Semitism research and the influence of colonialism on the perception of Jews illustrate the need for intersectional analysis to identify and address various forms of discrimination.

For anyone interested, the Jewish Museum Vienna offers a wealth of information on its website about the exhibition organization as well as planned events and other program items that strongly support the discussion about Jewish identity.