In the Face of Death

Death has many faces. And it will come for all of us, as Jim Morrison (1943–1971), lead singer of the band “The Doors,” knew all too well. How can we make peace with death—our own and that of others? How do we deal with our fear? And in what ways does death challenge us in the midst of life?

In response to these and other questions, Jewish tradition offers numerous answers that guide viewers through the first cultural-historical exhibition to address practices of confronting death, dying, and grief. “In the Face of Death” looks at the distinction between life and death at the heart of Jewish tradition, examining the rites of passage that accompany this transition and posing ethical and psychological questions concerning life’s final passage. The show provides a glimpse into the “houses of life,” Frankfurt’s Jewish cemeteries, and in the end, it inquires into the nature of the world to come.

Jewish ideas and practices around death, dying, and mourning are part of a multi-layered view of life and its end. The exhibition presents them from multiple perspectives and allows viewers to experience Jewish rituals of death, burial, mourning, and commemoration.

Following a Jewish funeral, as they leave the cemetery, mourners say “Oyf Simches,” which means something like “May we meet again at a joyful celebration.”

The exhibition adheres to this point of view, which the writer Sholem Aleichem (1859–1916) elaborated on as follows: “No matter how bad things get, you’ve got to go on living, even if it kills you”—thereby emphasizing that the focus is on life itself, which the Jewish tradition stands for.

“In the Face of Death” sheds light on the rites of passage at life’s end. At the beginning of the tour, the exhibition addresses the rituals that accompany dying and the process of bidding farewell. It also addresses the ethical questions involved in distinguishing between life and death: when does death occur from a medical point of view? Is it justifiable to induce it earlier, to provide euthanasia? And is organ donation compatible with religious law?

In Hebrew, a cemetery is called a “house of life and the living.” In connection with the show “In the Face of Death,” we’ve explored the two historic cemeteries on Batonstrasse and Rat-Beil-Strasse in detail. The results can be seen in the interview film “The Good Place,” shown for the first time in this exhibition. The film provides insight into the uniqueness of these two cemeteries and explores the effect they exert in the present day.

In addition to the two cemeteries, the exhibition continues its tour by addressing the diverse burial practices since biblical times that form the basis of today’s ritual ceremonies. During the Corona pandemic, it became clear how essential these are for relatives of the deceased. The pandemic’s restrictions only allowed limited access to traditional funerals and mourning customs. A filmed discussion brings visitors closer to this exceptional situation.

When we grieve, the separation between life and death and the need to bid farewell to the deceased become painfully apparent. The exhibition has a separate space for reflecting on this experience, and invites viewers to a participatory encounter with their own personal grief. In the further course of the tour, it addresses the Jewish practice of remembrance that memorializes the names of the deceased. A special room is dedicated to a joint commemoration of the pogroms of the Middle Ages, the victims of the Shoah, and the massacre of October 7, 2023 in Israel.

In the last room, the exhibition turns to Jewish concepts and source texts concerning “Olam Haba” (Hebrew: the coming world), none of which provide universal answers. A concluding video installation leaves visitors with a range of questions and associations—not least with regard to the similarities between traditional Jewish and Christian ideas about the world to come.

An exhibition sculpture of clay and light makes palpable the difference between life’s materiality and the immaterial sphere of the world to come (Hebrew: Olam Haba). In an effort to present a diversity of approaches to the ritual objects, works of art, and media contained in this sculpture, various groups were invited to reflect in writing their personal view of the different displays. Throughout the exhibition, an extensive supporting program offers a range of approaches to the topic. In addition to events, tours, and workshops, this program includes a separate tour with the museum’s media guide and its focused, in-depth thematic track. To expand upon the subject, a podcast combining the voices of various individuals accompanies the exhibition, as does a playlist of songs in which death plays a main role. Cemetery tours widen the scope of discussion beyond the museum’s walls. An exhibition catalogue in English and German will be published by Hentrich & Hentrich.

Every second Sunday of the month we offer a guided tour of the exhibition in English. Participation is included in the museum admission fee. All dates and information on registration can be found in our online calendar.

We would like to thank the Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne and the Cultural Foundation of the German Federal States for their generous support.