Schauplatz Brunngasse brings to life Zurich’s Jewish history from the Middle Ages, showing its relevance for the present and future. As an inclusive space for remembrance, education and dialogue, it promotes an understanding of Jewish culture and raises awareness of topics such as identity, tolerance and discrimination. Schauplatz Brunngasse invites people of all backgrounds to engage with social issues, both historical and current.
About us
Thomas Gamma
Museumsleitung
Laura Falletta
Kuratorin (Elternzeit bis Mitte September)
Salome Bender
Vermittlung
In order to rent the apartment and develop it as a museum, the Brunngasse 8 Association was set up in spring 2019 (since 2021: Schauplatz Brunngasse Association) on the initiative of Zurich’s then city archeologist and the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG). The museum has been included in the City of Zurich’s Cultural Mission for 2020–23 and 2024–27.
Dr. Ron Epstein-Mil, Präsident
Architekt und Synagogenforscher
Dr. Dölf Wild
Historiker, pensionierter Leiter der Stadtarchäologie
Dr. Jonathan Kreutner, Kassier
Generalsekretär Schweizerischer Israelitischer Gemeindebund SIG
Valérie Arato Salzer
Leiterin Kultur Schweizerischer Israelitischer Gemeindebund SIG
Prof. em. Dr. Ehud Landau
Vertreter der Jüdischen Liberalen Gemeinde JLG
Dr. Stephan Wyss
Leiter der Stadtarchäologie/Vertreter Stadt Zürich
Elli Cohn
Vertreterin der Israelitischen Cultusgemeinde Zürich ICZ
Noemi Bearth
Historikerin und Direktorin Historisches Museum Thurgau
Martha Keil, PD Dr., St. Pölten.
A historian and Jewish studies scholar, Martha Keil is Scientific Director of the Institute for Jewish History in Austria (www.injoest.ac.at). From 2016 to 2022, she was Senior Scientist at the Institute for Austrian Historical Research at the University of Vienna. Her research and exhibitions focus on Jewish everyday and cultural history, the lives of Jewish women in pre-modern times, and Jewish history and memorial culture in Austria.
René Bloch, Prof. Dr., Bern.
Since 2008, René Bloch has been a professor of Jewish studies, with a focus on antiquity and the Middle Ages, at the Institute of Jewish Studies and the Institute of Classical Philology at the University of Bern, and a full professor since 2015. He has authored numerous publications on ancient Judaism and its reception, including “Antike Vorstellungen vom Judentum” (Ancient Conceptions of Judaism, 2002), “Moses und der Mythos” (Moses and the Myth, 2010), “Jüdische Drehbühnen” (Jewish Revolving Stages, 2013) and Ancient Jewish Diaspora (2022).
Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek, Dr., Wien.
Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek studied Jewish studies and art history. She has been working in the field of exhibitions since 1984. From 1993 to 2011, she was Chief Curator at the Jewish Museum of the City of Vienna. Since then, she has been a freelance curator and Director of the Curatorial Education Program for the Association of European Jewish Museums. She has been involved in numerous exhibitions and publications on the Jewish culture of remembrance, Jewish cultural history, provenance research on Judaica, and contemporary historical topics.
Denise Tonella, Lic. phil., Zürich.
Denise Tonella studied history and cultural studies, then underwent further training in film directing and production. From 2014 to 2021, she worked as a curator and project manager for numerous exhibitions at the Swiss National Museum. At the same time, she taught at various universities and served as an expert on numerous committees. She has been Director of the Swiss National Museum since 2021.
Raphael Gross, Prof. Dr., Berlin.
Born in Zurich, Raphael Gross is a historian and museum director. He served as Director of the Leo Baeck Institute in London from 2001 to 2015, Director of the Jewish Museum in Frankfurt from 2006 to 2015, and Director of the Fritz Bauer Institute in Frankfurt from 2007 to 2015. From 2015 to 2017, he was Director of the Simon Dubnow Institute in Leipzig and held the chair for Jewish history and culture at the University of Leipzig. Since 2017, he has been President of the Foundation Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin.
Your donation will help preserve this important cultural and historical testimony to Jewish life in medieval Zurich and convey its significance. Every contribution supports research into and preservation of this unique cultural heritage.