The team of the Jewish Museum Frankfurt

TEAM AND CONTACT PERSONS

MUSEUM MANAGEMENT

Porträt von Mirjam Wenzel
DirectorProf. Dr. Mirjam Wenzel +49 (0) 69 212 38805 A vibrant, open and globally networked museum, where visitors can experience the diversity of Jewish culture and its history is how Prof. Dr. Mirjam Wenzel sees the museum. Her objective, moreover, is to inspire her team and the public to embrace this vision with her. Since 2016, she has been at the helm and shaping the future of the oldest Jewish Museum in the Federal Republic of Germany.
Mirjam Wenzel obtained a PhD in general and comparative literature, political science and theater studies after studying in Berlin and Tel Aviv; she also worked as a research associate at the University of Munich. From 2007 to 2015, she was in charge of provision of information on Jewish history and culture in digital and print media at the Jewish Museum Berlin.
Porträt von Eva Atlan
Deputy DirectorDr. Eva Sabrina Atlan +49 (0) 69 212 33329 Dr. Eva Atlan studied art history, Romance languages and literature, and classical archaeology at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt and wrote her dissertation on the artist Samuel Bak. From 2005 to 2021 she was curator and head of collections at the Jewish Museum Frankfurt and curated and realized numerous exhibitions. As deputy director, she is responsible for collections, exhibitions, library and archive and is the contact person for our historical Judaica. Publications and Exhibitions
Head of Administration and OperationsMatthias Rau +49 (0) 69 212 38546 Matthias Rau has been responsible for the administration and operations management of the museum since spring 2023.
The physics engineer and MBA worked in industry for 25 years. There he worked in project, quality and risk management before heading the risk management and cross-cutting issues units in an archdiocese. He earned a part-time Diploma Teologia at the Lateran University in Rome.
Porträt von Julia Zinser-Hoffmann
Main office and visitor servicesJulia Zinser-Hofmann +49 (0) 69 212 38805 Julia Zinser-Hofmann has managed the museum’s main office since June 2018. She is responsible for planning and organizing events and for ensuring that all visitor services run smoothly. She has a degree in English studies and Romance languages from the Julius Maximilians University in Würzburg, in addition to which she also holds professional qualification in hospitality management.
Office ManagmentDr. Norman Voigt +49 (0) 69 212 75294 Dr. Norman Voigt is an administrative assistant responsible for office and personnel management and is the contact person for information requests.

He studied Modern and Contemporary History and Sports Science (B.A./M.A.) at the University of Kalsruhe and subsequently completed his PhD at KIT with a work biographical approach on the publicist Joachim Fest.

COMMUNICATION

Head of ComunicationsRivka Kibel +49 (0) 69 212 39220 Rivka Kibel has headed the museum's communications since June 1, 2022. Among other things, she is responsible for PR and public relations - both online and offline - and is the contact for all media inquiries.
A graduate in German studies, she is a trained daily newspaper editor and, after working as a chief of staff at a tourism trade magazine, was a staff member of the newspaper "Jüdische Allgemeine" for many years. Most recently, she was an editor and project manager in the corporate media department.
Porträt von Korbinian Böck
Online Editorial OfficeKorbinian Böck +49 (0) 69 212 70751 Korbinian Böck coordinates and shapes the museum’s digital communication. He is a key contributor to social media, has realized the website relaunch and is responsible for the museum’s online presence on other platforms.
Korbinian holds a degree in history and Islamic studies from the University of Freiburg i.B. and has worked at the regional history institute of the Westphalia-Lippe’s regional association ( LWL-Institut für westfälische Regionalgeschichte). He joined the Jewish Museum in 2016.
ONLINE EDITORSara Nasraty +49 (0) 69 212 70751 Sara Nasraty has been supporting the museum's digital communication since January 2021. After studying General and Comparative Literature and German Studies, she completed a Master's degree in German Literature at Goethe University Frankfurt. From 2019 to 2023, she worked as a social media manager at the Historisches Museum Frankfurt.
Marketing and event managementJanine Petry +49 (0) 69 212 38804 Janine Petry has been working in marketing and event management for the museum since March 2024. After completing her Master of Arts degree in "Moving Cultures - Transcultural Encounters" at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, since 2017 she has worked as a cultural manager for the Japanese film festival Nippon Connection, the Staatstheater Darmstadt and as an editor for the communications agency Atelier Markgraph, among others.

COLLECTION AND EXHIBITIONS

Porträt von Erik Riedel
Head of Exhibitions & Collection CuratorErik Riedel +49 (0) 69 212 40746 Erik Riedel ist our head of exhibitons and is curator of our art collection. Among its many holdings, the museum maintains artistic legacies of numerous artists in exile, including Ludwig Meidner and his wife. Erik has curated many exhibitions on 19th- and 20th-century art, for instance on Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, Ludwig and Else Meidner, Charlotte Salomon, and Arie Goral.
He studied art history, history, and philosophy in Heidelberg and Frankfurt and originally joined the museum in 1991 as a freelancer.
Porträtfoto von Sonja Thäder
Head of Collections and CuratorSonja Thäder +49 (0) 69 212 38806 Sonja Thäder is head of the collection and curator for the Rothschild family and 19th century fine arts. She also oversees the online collection, the museum documentation and is part of the METAhub team.
Thäder obtained her degree in Jewish Studies and Art History in Heidelberg. From 2009 to 2013, she worked as an art historian at the Oldenburg city museum and for the Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel regional complex of museums.
Curatorial assistanceMaischa Gelhard +49 (0) 69 212 74580 Maischa Gelhard is the parental leave replacement for the Head of Collections and is in charge of the museum's online collection. She is also responsible for the loan contracts. She completed studies in sociology, philosophy, cultural studies, and education in Marburg, Tel Aviv, and Frankfurt. She already worked in the METAhub project of the Jewish Museum Frankfurt in 2021 and 2022 and also works at the Institute for Social Research and the Adorno Archive.
Porträt Sara Soussan
Curator of Contemporary Jewish CulturesSara Soussan +49 (0) 69 212 70333 Sara Soussan is our curator for the museum’s outreach to contemporary Jewish cultures. She is establishing a new collection area on the basis of this work and is also responsible for the Hebraica collection, contemporary art, and modern Judaica.
The Judaist and educator worked in the Jewish religious education field until 2013 and was then involved in a variety of projects on a freelance basis.
Porträt von Franziska Krah
Head of the Frank Family CenterDr. Franziska Krah +49 (0) 69 212 39219 Franziska Krah is head of the Frank Family Center and curator of family collections. For the reopening of the Jewish Museum in 2020, she was responsible for the redesign of the museum library and built up the museum archive. She studied history, gender studies, and European ethnology, earned her doctorate on the history of anti-Semitism research, and worked at the Selma Stern Center Berlin-Brandenburg, at the Institute for European History Mainz, and for the Federal Archives.
Curator Museum JudengasseKatja Janitschek +49 (0) 69 212 47997 Katja Janitschek is curator of the Museum Judengasse since September 2022 and in charge of the collection of Hebrew manuscripts and prints.
She studied Jewish Studies and History at the Goethe University Frankfurt, Hebrew University Jerusalem and Free University Berlin. Until recently she worked as a freelancer in the cultural sector including as a guide at the Jewish museums in Berlin and Frankfurt.
Curatorial Project ManagerAnnika Friedman +49 (0) 69 212 45695 Annika Friedman has been part of the museum team since 2021, first as an academic trainee and since 2022 as the curatorial project manager for our permanent exhibition.
She received her Master in Holocaust Studies at the University of Haifa in Israel and her Bachelor at University of British Columbia in Canada. During her studies she was the assistant curator of the art exhibition "Arrivals, Departures - The Oscar Ghez Collection," and a project coordinator in the archives of the Hecht Museum (Haifa).
Custodian for ArchaeologyDr. Liane Giemsch +49 (0) 69 212 30584 Dr. Liane Giemsch has been working as a custodian for archaeology at the Jewish Museum since September 2024, in particular in the Immersive Jewish Frankfurt project. She previously worked for nine years as a curator for prehistory at the Archaeological Museum in Frankfurt and from 2006 to 2015, first as a trainee and then as a project manager and curator at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn. She studied prehistory and early history, geology and palaeoanthropology at the University of Tübingen, where she completed her doctorate with a thesis on Palaeolithic sites in Tanzania.
Academic Assistant CuratorTalitha Breidenstein +49 (0) 69 212 41588 Talitha Breidenstein joined our team as academic assistant curator in 2023. She studied Art History and Jewish Studies in Frankfurt, London and Tel Aviv. In the past she worked for the Jewish Studies faculty at Goethe University as well as conducting an independent research project profiling the street art scene of Tel Aviv. As curatorial assistant and art educator she worked at art institutions in Frankfurt and London.
FreelancerDennis EilerDennis Eiler supports the collections department as a freelancer and has assisted with various exhibition projects since 2019, most recently as co-curator of the exhibition "Back into the Light: Four Women Artists - Their Works. Their Paths."
In addition to art history, he completed the integrated study program Culture / Theater / Film with a focus on cultural anthropology and subsequently added a degree in Jewish Studies.

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE

Photo collection, liberary & archiveDr. Friedrich Tietjen +49 69 21234899 Dr. Friedrich Tietjen heads the photographic collection, library and archive since June 2023. Previously, he has worked for exhibition houses mainly in Germany and Austria, taught at art colleges and universities, and organized a number of conferences. A selection of publications on photography, contemporary history, media, fashion, film, art and other topics can be found via the link below. Publications
Valentino Massoglio
Library and ArchiveValentino Massoglio +49 (69) 212 34856 Valentino Massoglio works in the library and archive. He studied history, sociology and political science in Frankfurt and Bologna. He wrote his thesis about Paul Arnsberg, the historian of Jewish Frankfurt. He then completed a postgraduate course in librarianship in Vienna and worked in the scientific book trade.
Archive and Library StaffUwe Bergmann-Deppisch +49 (0) 69 212 36573 Uwe Bergmann-Deppisch works for our library and archive since November 2022.
He studied modern and medieval history, ethnology and ancient history in Mainz. After his studies, he worked at museums, memorial sites and archives, most recently at the Hessian Main State Archive in Wiesbaden and the City Archive in Mainz.
Porträt von Heike Drummer
Curator Contemporary HistoryHeike Drummer +49 (0) 69 212 38207 Heike Drummer has worked at the Jewish Museum since 1988. She began as a freelance exhibition curator, author, and editor, then joined the museum team staff as a research associate in 2014.
After completing a degree in archiving, Heike studied medieval and modern history, theater, film, and television studies, well as French literatures, language, and culture.
Porträt von Michael Lenarz
FreelancerMichael LenarzMichael Lenarz was a research assistant at the Jewish Museum Frankfurt from 1985 to 2012 and Deputy Director from 2012 to 2022. Since his retirement, he has worked as a freelancer for the museum. He has been involved in numerous exhibition and research projects and publications at the Jewish Museum, including the permanent exhibition from 1988, the documentation of Frankfurt's Jewish cemeteries and the exhibition on Jewish ritual baths in Germany. He is a member of the board of the Commission for the History of the Jews in Hesse and the advisory board of the Central Archive for Research into the History of the Jews in Germany as well as 2nd chairman of the Max Dienemann / Salomon Formstecher Society Offenbach e. V.
VolunteerKarola NickKarola Nick supports the museum by recording and transcribing the hand-written documents in the holdings of the museum’s archives. She was awarded the Medallion of the City of Frankfurt in 2017 for her many years of volunteer work.

EDUCATION

Head of EducationDr. Ana Karaminova +49 69 (0) 21247747 Based on the conviction that education and communication can be the key to any problem, since September 2024 Dr. Ana Karaminova heads the “Education” department. At the interface between museum education, guides and visitors, she and her team develop concepts that convey the diversity of Jewish (contemporary) history and culture. Dr. Karaminova studied art history and history at the Humboldt University in Berlin, received her doctorate from the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena and completed her training as a curator at the University of the Arts in Berlin. She has worked as an art historian, guide, teacher, university lecturer and curator in the secretariat of the Art Advisory Council of the German Bundestag, for the Academy of Visual Arts and for the Jewish Museum Frankfurt.
Porträt Sophie Schmidt
Historical-political educationSophie Schmidt +49 (0) 69 212 74238 Sophie Schmidt is responsible for historical-political education on the topics of National Socialism and the Holocaust. She develops the primary school program and the educational offers of the museum's library, which connects literature and museum.
As a teacher of political science and English at secondary school levels I and II she was appointed to the Education Center in 2015 and to the Jewish Museum in 2019.
EducationVera Bronn +49 (0) 69 212 49562 Vera Bronn is a teacher for history and German literature and has been working at the museum since 2024. She is responsible for historical projects within the museum`s department for education, particularly for projects concerning the Museum Judengasse.
Vera Bronn has a degree in history, German literature and philosophy. Before becoming a teacher in Frankfurt she was a researcher within the field of Jewish history.
EducationDuygu Rana Heinz +49 (0) 69 212 49458 Duygu Rana Heinz is a teacher from the Louise-von-Rothschild School in Frankfurt. Within the educational work at the Jewish Museum, she focuses on multi-perspective educational programs critical of anti-Semitism and racism.
Porträtfoto von Arwin Mahdavi Naraghi
Project CoordinationArwin Mahdavi Naraghi +49 (0) 69 212 74237 Arwin Mahdavi Naraghi is coordinating our intercultural shadow theatre project and the educational program "AntiAnti - Museum Goes School".
He studied sociology, philosophy, and educational science at the Goethe University Frankfurt. His main areas of study were anti-Semitism research, NS history, and gender studies.
PEDAGOGICAL ASSISTANTLena Horst +49 (0) 69 212 41648 Lena Horst is part of the educator team in the outreach program "AntiAnti - Museum Goes School." She also conceptualizes and oversees the project "Peereducation" in which students are trained as peer guides.
She studied sociology and political science at Goethe University Frankfurt, focusing on gender studies, anti-Semitism research, and racism-critical educational work. Lena is currently continuing her studies at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences in the Bachelor's degree program in Social Work.
EDUCATION & AUDIENCE MANAGEMENTSchima MemarpuriShima Memarpuri joined the Education and Outreach Department in 2022. She is responsible for visitor management, coordination of guided tours, and outreach project management.
Previously, she worked at the reception desk of the Jewish Museum and in the open children's and youth work of the multi-generation house in Frankfurt.
Porträt Dr. phil. Türkân Kanbıçak
FreelancerDr. Türkân KanbıçakDr. Türkân Kanbıçak has been seconded to the Education Centre as a teacher since 2013 and has developed educational formats on Islam and Judaism as well as strategies for educational work that is critical of racism and the prevention of anti-Semitism. She co-developed the out-reach education program of the Jewish Museum Frankfurt and manages the cultural education program "AntiAnti -Museum Goes School" for the prevention of extremism at vocational schools. She studied education, psychology and sociology and was a vocational school teacher. Since her retirement, she has been working as a freelancer for the museum.
CULTURAL AND POLITICAL EDUCATIONRifka Ajnwojner (on parental leave) +49 (0) 69 212 49458 Rifka Ajnwojner has been appointed to the Jewish Museum as a teacher (German, political science and theatre) since 2021. She is responsible for cultural, political education on the topics of Judaism, current Jewish life, forms of anti-Semitism and Holocaust remembrance. Furthermore, she oversees the educational offerings in the library.
Previous experience includes engagements in various cultural facilities, for example at Vision Kino, Berlin and at the Goethe Institut, Tel Aviv. She was the personal aide to the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Dr. Josef Schuster, before beginning her teacher training.
Manfred Levy
Educational FreelancerManfred LevyManfred Levy’s main areas of expertise are contemporary Jewish life, the religious foundations of Judaism, comparative religion, and forms of anti-Semitism, as well as commemoration and remembrance of the Holocaust.
He studied English and political science, was a teacher and principal at various schools. Since 2010 he has been working as an educator for the Jewish Museum. He develops new educational programs and methods with museum educators from Jewish museums in Europe.

Digital Museum

Porträtfoto Sven Eigler
Head of Dgital MuseumSven Eigler +49 (0) 69 212 77444 Sven Eigler joined the museum in 2021 and focuses on the development and implementation of digital projects in his role as Head of the Digital Museum. He studied history, Japanese studies, East Asian art history and graphic design in Frankfurt am Main, Heidelberg and Karlsruhe. During his studies, he was particularly interested in the commercial art of the Japanese Americans interned in U.S. camps during World War II and in photography. Initially as a student assistant and later as a permanent employee, he managed the IT departments of various university institutions in Heidelberg with a connection to Asia.
IT-AdministratorKai Schmidt +49 (0) 69 212 39341 Kai Schmidt has been the IT administrator responsible for technology support and system administration since January 2023 and is involved in other projects within the Digital Museum.
During his studies of Japanese Studies at the University of Heidelberg, he worked as an assistant in the IT department of the Center for East Asian Studies and in the same function in a research unit of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences.
Porträt Tanja Neumann
Project managementTanja Neumann +49 (0) 61 838180308 Tanja Neumann is responsible for the project management of the Immersive Jewish Frankfurt project. She previously managed the METAhub Frankfurt project. She studied theater, film and media studies and Romance studies in Frankfurt. As Managing Director of Smart Lynx, she advises and supports museums and cultural institutions with digital projects.

Friends and Patrons

Theresa Gehring
FRIENDS AND PATRONS MANAGEMENTTheresa Gehring +49 (0) 69 212 77007 Theresa Gehring is Managing Director of the Society of Friends and Patrons of the Jewish Museum. She studied cultural management at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Weimar and worked as a project manager in marketing and events at the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Since 2014, she has managed many cultural projects in Frankfurt as an independent cultural manager and has worked for the Jewish Museum since 2018.

ADMINISTRATION

Head of AdministrationChristine Hahn +49 (0) 69 212 36231 Christine Hahn has been responsible for administration since the beginning of 2022. After studying Medieval and Modern History, Art History, English and Economics at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, she first worked as a research assistant at an institute for banking history. Most recently, she managed the office of an association from the finance and banking sector for many years.
AdministrationSuncica Berti-Miklja +49 (0) 69 212 47456 Suncica Berti-Miklja has been working in the museum's administration since March 2024.
Project Management & Third Party FundingMarion Rossi +49 (0) 69 212 77447 After studying applied linguistics in France, Marion Rossi began working in the cultural sector in 2002. She came to Frankfurt in 2004 and has since worked as a project manager for the Forsythe Company, the Fliegende Volksbühne Frankfurt and the Tanzlabor / Mousonturm, among others. She joined the team at the Jewish Museum in 2020. Together with Tanja Neumann, she manages the follow-up project to METAhub Frankfurt, Immersive Jewish Frankfurt, and administers the third-party funds for all funded projects.

FACILITY MANAGEMENT

Facility ManagementPiotr Dwornik +49 (0) 69 212 77450 Piotr Dwornik has been Head of Facility Management since 2022. He is responsible for building security, building services, depot and storage management, and technical cooperation with the police.
He previously worked as a team leader for a security company in several Frankfurt museums. He graduated as a ship's mechanic in Kolberg and also completed master training as a specialist for personal and property protection in Hirschberg.