The forgotten story of the Jews in Nakskov
New traveling exhibition is coming to Nakskov and will be supplemented with tours of the Jewish burial ground.
Traveling exhibition about the history of the Jews in Denmark is coming to Nakskov
From Tuesday 9 May until Tuesday 20 June, the Nakskov Local History Archive is showing an exhibition about the Jews in Denmark and Nakskov on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Christian IV inviting Jews to Denmark. It is a traveling exhibition, to which a Nakskov chapter has also been added in collaboration between the Danish Jewish Museum, the Jewish Community in Denmark, Museum Lolland-Falster and the Nakskov local history archive.
At the traveling exhibition, Jews in Denmark from all centuries are brought to life and we learn about their living and working conditions. The exhibition contains several interactive and playful elements that tell about immigration to Denmark, quizzes about where different Danes actually get their identity from and ask the audience about which products and objects Denmark might not have seen at all, had it not been for the Jewish immigration. And of course there is a special focus on the Jews in Nakskov's history.
In addition to the more traditional 400-year timeline, the exhibition also draws a 400-year tolerance versus intolerance timeline, where the audience can read the highs and lows of tolerance towards Jews in Denmark. In four interviews with young Danish Jews, the exhibition also puts the question of anti-Semitism in today's Denmark up for open debate.
"It has been incredibly exciting to delve into the history of the Jews in Nakskov. They are part of Nakskov's past, which is largely forgotten today. We hope that the visitors to the exhibition will have an interesting and exciting experience in this innovative exhibition. The exhibition premises elements have been created in a close collaboration between the archive and the museum, and it has been a good process, which hopefully opens up other collaborations in the future", says archivist Heidi Pfeffer from the Nakskov local history archive.
The exhibition is mentioned in Lolland-Falster's Folketidende - read the entire article here
Where: Nakskov local history archive, Jernbanegade 8, 4900 Nakskov
Price: free access
When: 9 May to 20 June 2023, Monday-Saturday at 10-14, Thursdays at 10-17
The exhibition will be officially opened on Tuesday 9 May at 14 p.m.
Also visit the Jewish burial ground
In addition to the new exhibition, the Nakskov local history archive and Museum Lolland-Falster are inviting you on a walk at the Jewish burial ground in Nakskov.
Two walks have been arranged at the Jewish burial ground in Nakskov, where you have the opportunity to hear about the Jewish families who have lived in Nakskov over time and who are buried in the square.
Here, e.g. the story of furrier Moses Cohn, who became a prominent man in Nakskov and who took part in the war in 1864, where he got frostbite in his foot. It plagued him for the rest of his life, and he tried hard to cure the disorder, on his daily walks with some of Nakskov's influential men in the Morning Club, also called "The Little City Council".
"The history of the Jewish congregation in Nakskov is a bit of a forgotten story, and therefore it will be super exciting with the walks on the Jewish cemetery, where stories about this population group unfold and come alive" says Alexandra Damgaard, museum inspector at Museum Lolland-Falster.
The walks are carried out by Heidi Pfeffer from the Nakskov Local History Archive, Ole Munksgaard, Master of Arts in Danish and History and volunteer employee at the Nakskov Local History Archive and Alexandra Damgaard from Museum Lolland-Falster.
The visit is organized by Nakskov Local History Archive and Museum Lolland-Falster.
When: 11 May 2023 at 14-15 and 1 June 2023 at 19-20
Where: The Jewish cemetery, Jødevej 54, 4900 Nakskov
Price: The trip is free and does not require registration