Behind a glass wall lies a stack of oversized books. — Judith Raum’s work Rustling Papers, 2024; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Yves Sucksdorff

Rustling Papers

An Installation by Judith Raum

Visitors to W. Michael Blumenthal Academy of the Jewish Museum Berlin are immediately greeted by an artwork in the display cases on either side of the entrance: Rustling Papers by Judith Raum. The cases are filled with models of yellowed books and documents that are larger than any adult visitor. The models are accompanied by audio installation tied to the Academy’s activities: readings from documents preserved in the Library and Archive, such as letters, diary entries, recipes, and other testimonies from the lives of Jews in Germany.

Map with all buildings that belong to the Jewish Museum Berlin. The W. M. Blumenthal Academy is marked in green

Where

W. M. Blumenthal Academy
Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin
Postal address: Lindenstraße 9-14, 10969 Berlin

“The materials and forms of Rustling Papers reference both the architecture and the substance of the Academy, which is explicitly dedicated to encounters and deeper conversations.“ —Hetty Berg, Director of the JMB

The following audio pieces associated with the artwork are available on this page:

Autobiography of Edith Rosenthal née Davidsohn (1906–1985)
Books on photography from the library of the Jewish Museum Berlin
Local History: Doris Herrmann. 7th Grade
Correspondence of the Jüdischer Kulturverein Berlin e.V. (Jewish Cultural Association Berlin), 1991–1994
Cook books in the library of the Jewish Museum Berlin
Books on Judaism and Jewish Religion from the library of the Jewish Museum Berlin

Autobiography of Edith Rosenthal née Davidsohn (1906–1985)

Close-up of the installation with wooden book sculptures in yellow. — Accounts from hiding in Berlin, 1938–1943

Books on photography from the library of the Jewish Museum Berlin

Local History
Doris Herrmann. 7th Grade

Correspondence of the Jüdischer Kulturverein Berlin e.V. (Jewish Cultural Association Berlin), 1991–1994

Cook books in the library of the Jewish Museum Berlin

Books on Judaism and Jewish Religion from the library of the Jewish Museum Berlin

“It all gives off a pale yellow light, which is disconcerting and arouses curiosity.” —Judith Raum, artist

The work by the Berlin-based artist Judith Raum (born in 1977 in Werneck, Germany) was chosen as the winning entry to an art-in-architecture competition in May 2023. The artwork serves to alert passersby to the Academy’s events and also to draw attention to the museum’s archive and library, which are both housed in the building designed by Daniel Libeskind. The Academy is located at Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, across the street from the main JMB building.