The Jewish Museum of Switzerland reopened in 2025 in a new building on Vesalgasse 5. In the Middle Ages, the cemetery of the Jewish community was located at this site. An open-air installation of preserved gravestones makes the history of the location visible.
A reproduction of the artwork 'Jeziory' by the American artist Frank Stella serves as the frontispiece of the new building. 'Jeziory' is the name of a small town in present-day Belarus, whose magnificent wooden synagogue was destroyed during World War I.
Since the early 1970s, Frank Stella has been preoccupied with the synagogues of Eastern Europe. With more than one hundred works, he created the series Polish Village. The special exhibition in Basel, Frank Stella and the Destroyed Wooden Synagogues (2025–2026), juxtaposes his abstract sculptures with models of the respective buildings.
The new permanent exhibition Ritual, Culture, Art. Jewish Experiences presents Judaism in all its diversity: as a religion, as history, and as a space for debate.
A reproduction of the artwork 'Jeziory' by the American artist Frank Stella serves as the frontispiece of the new building. 'Jeziory' is the name of a small town in present-day Belarus, whose magnificent wooden synagogue was destroyed during World War I.
Since the early 1970s, Frank Stella has been preoccupied with the synagogues of Eastern Europe. With more than one hundred works, he created the series Polish Village. The special exhibition in Basel, Frank Stella and the Destroyed Wooden Synagogues (2025–2026), juxtaposes his abstract sculptures with models of the respective buildings.
The new permanent exhibition Ritual, Culture, Art. Jewish Experiences presents Judaism in all its diversity: as a religion, as history, and as a space for debate.