Vienna exhibition tells Jewish exile stories through personal objects
Monday 28th September 2026 on 23:30 in
Austria
A new exhibition at the Jewish Museum Vienna uses objects carried from the city by Jewish residents fleeing persecution to tell stories of exile, ORF reports. “Homeless. Viennese Jews in Exile” runs from 30 September 2026 to 4 April 2027.
The exhibition focuses on the loss of home, a facet of exile that museum director Barbara Staudinger said has received less attention than stories of professional success. Curator Caitlin Gura said she wanted to bring individuals back into the spotlight through the few belongings they managed to take with them.
Among the objects are lederhosen and a dirndl taken by the Klarwill family, and drawings by Reinhold Eckfeld documenting his journey to Australia, where he eventually fulfilled his ambition of becoming an architect. A cookbook containing a Sachertorte recipe belonged to the family of composer Arnold Schönberg.
Two illustrated books made by the grandfather of Ron Halbright for his young mother depict Grinzing, the Vienna neighborhood where she grew up, and the Cobenzl, where the family went for walks. Halbright said they reflect his family’s love for Vienna.
A photograph shows composer Erich Zeisl with his mother-in-law, wife and a friend on the eve of their departure. The exhibition also traces the bureaucracy surrounding emigration, including asset declarations, confiscations and official documents. One item is an eviction notice for the Biegler couple’s municipal apartment. They had believed they were safe because Elisabeth Biegler was classified as “Aryan”; the couple reunited after her husband returned from exile in Shanghai.
Furniture from the Glück family’s living room is among the objects held by the museum. Other items were lent by descendants, including a notebook belonging to writer Stefan Zweig, on loan from the Salzburg Literature Archive.
A companion book published by Czernin Verlag explores further objects. The exhibition is also accompanied by the Cuseum app, which offers an introduction and details about exile stories connected to Vienna’s cityscape.