In the modern world, Jewish museums have become an indispensable component of the cultural landscape in most countries. In Europe, the emergence and development of Jewish museums are largely intertwined with the sense of historical guilt regarding the tragedy of the Second World War experienced by the governments of the host nations. In Israel and the United States, the central theme of Jewish museums is the triumph of a people who overcame the Holocaust, whereas in the post-Soviet space, the primary focus shifts to the revival of Jewish life within traditional community centers. The two largest Jewish museums in the post-Soviet region are the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center and the Museum of the History of Jews in Russia (MIYEVR).

In the contemporary world, Jewish museums have become an essential element of cultural life in many nations. These institutions perform a vital function in preserving the historical memory and cultural heritage of European Jewry, which was decimated during the Second World War. In recent decades, Jewish museums in Eastern Europe have experienced a profound renaissance, as they provide an opportunity to re-examine national histories in ways that were impossible under communist regimes.

Museums receive support from both state authorities and the Jewish communities that have been revitalized in the former Eastern Bloc. Additionally, several private Jewish museums, established by collectors and enthusiasts, have emerged across the former Soviet Union.

In Europe, the origin and evolution of Jewish museums are closely linked to a sense of historical accountability for the tragedy of the Second World War felt by the governments of those countries. For instance, the new Jewish Museum Berlin, designed by the renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, utilizes its very architecture to embody the concept of void as a symbol of the loss of Jewish heritage.

While in Israel and the United States the defining narrative of Jewish museums is one of resilience and triumph over the Holocaust, in the post-Soviet space, the focus is predominantly on the restoration of Jewish life within traditional community centers. The fundamental challenge facing most Jewish museums globally is identifying their target audience. For whom is the museum designed, and to whom is its narrative addressed? A Jewish or non-Jewish public? The local population? Tourists? The chosen audience directly dictates the narrative. If a European museum is oriented toward Jewish visitors, it often functions as a memorial—a monument to a destroyed culture, aimed at preserving fragments of historical memory, heirlooms, and archival photographs. The core mission of such institutions is the preservation of a heritage disappearing within a foreign environment, mourning the deceased, and combating antisemitism. This model characterizes most museums in Eastern Europe.

Another type of Jewish museum is oriented toward the present rather than the past. Its primary objective is to engage a broader audience and address contemporary issues, thereby integrating Jewish life into the 21st century and encouraging visitors to reflect on minority coexistence, migration, human rights, and identity in a multicultural world. This approach is characteristic of Jewish museums in Germany and several other Western European countries.

A unique position among Eastern European institutions is held by POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, which opened in 2013 on the site of the former ghetto. Rather than focusing solely on the Holocaust and the destruction of East European Jewry, it chronicles a thousand years of Jewish life in Poland. The museum presents the history of Jews in the region as an integral part of Polish national culture. According to Professor Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, the chief curator of the core exhibition, POLIN is "not a museum of the history of Jews in Poland, but a museum of the history of Polish Jews, who were unquestionably a part of the Polish nation."

In the post-Soviet space, state and private Jewish museums have emerged and continue to be established in all countries where a significant Jewish population resided prior to the war and the dissolution of the USSR.

Several museums or dedicated Jewish exhibition halls within state historical museums are being revived in cities where they existed prior to Soviet rule or during its early period (the 1920s–1930s), such as Odessa, Lviv, St. Petersburg, Vilnius, Samarkand, and Tbilisi. In these instances, the primary task of curators is to preserve and restore what was lost, reassembling scattered historical collections. Among the first to open, in 1989, was the State Jewish Museum of Lithuania in Vilnius, once known as the "Jerusalem of Lithuania." The museum sought to reconstruct its pre-war collection by retrieving artifacts dispersed during the Soviet era. Today, it is known as the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum and comprises five branches. Its objective was articulated by Director Rachel Kostanian: "to rescue from oblivion the history and culture of Lithuanian Jews, and to reveal the tragedy of the Jewish people during the Second World War. It is of paramount importance to perpetuate the memory of the victims and the saviors. The restoration of the museum stems from a desire to expose suppressed historical facts, challenge deep-seated stereotypes, and foster tolerance within society." This dual effort to preserve cultural heritage, confront the tragic realities of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe, and honor those who rescued Jews is universal to all Jewish museums across the former Soviet Union.

Newly established Jewish museums in the post-Soviet space are frequently co-located with surviving or reconstructed synagogues, as well as Jewish community centers. This arrangement often forms a distinct tourist quarter, reflecting a notable trend in preserving Jewish culture in cities where Jewish populations are now small and centered around religious or charitable institutions. This structure is evident in the recently established Jewish museums in Riga (opened in 1989 in the Riga Jewish Community building, https://jewishmuseum.lv), Tallinn (opened in 2008 on a dedicated floor of the community building), the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow (opened in 2013 in the Maryina Roshcha district within a community-owned complex), and the "Memory of the Jewish People and the Holocaust in Ukraine" Museum in Dnipro (opened in 2012 within the Menorah Center), among others.

Numerous Jewish museums in various cities of the former USSR, established by local enthusiasts, consist of only a few rooms with exhibitions featuring dozens of items donated by local residents and their descendants. While many such museums emerged in the 2010s, unfortunately, several have since closed. Despite several attempts to establish prominent museums in Kyiv, Minsk, Vitebsk, Odessa, and Chernivtsi, major projects in these locations remain in development.

In contrast, the highly sophisticated Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow stands out, positioning itself as the largest of its kind globally and the largest indoor exhibition space in Europe. It is one of the most technologically advanced museums in Russia, utilizing interactive information stands, audiovisual effects, 4D historical films, and other multimedia elements. Notably, the curators made a deliberate decision to de-emphasize physical artifacts in the permanent exhibition. While international specialists in Russian and Soviet Jewish history played a significant role in developing the museum's concept, one of its most debated aspects is the prominence of Jewish heroism in the "Great Patriotic War," a narrative that differs from the dominant Western Holocaust discourse [Olga Gershenson 2015]. Over its years of operation, the institution has successfully realized its founders' vision, serving not only as a museum but also as a cultural and educational center that includes historical exhibits, temporary exhibitions, lecture spaces, a library, and specialized centers for tolerance, research, the avant-garde, and children.

In conclusion, I would like to highlight another Jewish museum in Moscow where I have had the privilege of working for nine years: the Museum of the History of Jews in Russia (MIYEVR), a private institution opened in 2011. Founded and directed by the writer, businessman, and public figure Sergey Ustinov, the museum distinguishes itself by focusing its exhibition on genuine, authentic artifacts. The current display represents the segment of East European Jewry that came under the rule of the Russian Empire in the late 18th century following the partitions of Poland. Additionally, the museum is actively building collections dedicated to other Jewish sub-ethnic groups, including Georgian, Mountain, and Bukharian Jews, as well as Karaites, who became subjects of the Russian Empire during its expansion.

The museum presents a comprehensive historical perspective encompassing both the political and cultural history of Russian Jewry across various eras, including modernization processes. This approach has allowed the museum to address subjects previously omitted from public exhibitions, such as the history of Jewish education and the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment), traditional occupations, agricultural colonies, relations with state authorities, political movements, secular Jewish culture, Yiddish and Hebrew music and literature, and Jewish participation in the military campaigns of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union over the last two centuries. Consequently, the thematic scope of MIYEVR and its collection are considerably broader than those of many other Jewish museums.

A key method for expanding the collection is through field expeditions conducted by MIYEVR staff across Russia, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. The acquisition of artifacts from surviving communities (as in Romania and Ukraine) or from families who have preserved these objects for generations is invariably paired with the collection and study of ethnographic data. At a time when the physical remnants of Jewish cultural heritage are rapidly disappearing, each expedition represents a critical contribution to its preservation. The Museum of the History of Jews in Russia considers this one of its most essential missions.

In conclusion, post-Soviet Jewish museums address critical issues of collective memory and national identity within multicultural societies. They navigate narratives of tolerance and xenophobia, reflect the interplay between local specificities and universal traits of Jewish culture, preserve a vanishing past, and strive to remain relevant to both contemporary and future audiences.