Kosher – What is it? | Jewish Museum Berlin (2024)

Information on the Jewish dietary laws

Kosher has a lot to do with food. The Torah says: life is sacred. It tells us not only to look after people, but also treat animals and plants with great care. And this is why the Torah contains rules that help us to do this.

Do you know what you are eating? Did the animal that you are eating have a good life? Was it truly healthy when it was slaughtered? And how exactly was it slaughtered? Things which according to the Torah rules can be eaten are called kosher, and things which should not be eaten are called treyf.

The Torah explains which animals are kosher and which are not. Kosher animals are ruminants, in other words they chew cud, and they have split hooves, such as sheep or cows. Pigs are not ruminants, so they are not kosher. Animals that live in water can only be eaten if they have fins and scales. This means that shrimps, prawns and squid are not fish in the true sense, and so they are just as non-kosher as the eel which has lost its fins through evolution.

Kosher – What is it?

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Another rule applies to the way milk and meat are prepared and eaten. The Torah says: do not cook a kid-goat in its mother's milk. The elders spent a lot of time discussing what this could mean. They finally agreed that milk and meat should be prepared and eaten seperately. That's why you won't find veal ragout in cream sauce or cheeseburgers on the table of a religious family. Foods which are neither milky nor meaty are considered neutral, or parve. They include fruit and vegetables, for instance.

Kosher – What is it? | Jewish Museum Berlin (2)

Jewish Museum Berlin, Illustration: Amihai Green.

When religious people observe these rules, it means that they bless each day, and live each day with great awareness.

Today many people think that these ancient rules were developed especially for hygienic or health reasons. They also point out the dangers of various animal diseases or the lack of refrigerators. But no explanations of this kind can in fact be found for the old rules governing food. When religious people observe these rules, it means that they bless each day, and live each day with great awareness.

Is there kosher food at the museum?

The museum café does not offer kosher cuisine.

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Kosher – What is it? | Jewish Museum Berlin (2024)

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What is the concept of the Jewish Museum in Berlin? ›

Daniel Libeskind's design, which was created a year before the Berlin Wall came down, was based on three insights: it is impossible to understand the history of Berlin without understanding the enormous contributions made by its Jewish citizens; the meaning of the Holocaust must be integrated into the consciousness and ...

How long do I need in the Jewish Museum Berlin? ›

Tours generally last 90 minutes. Workshops are often longer. To find out how much each program would cost for different groups, please see our price list.

Do you have to pay for the Jewish Museum Berlin? ›

Admission to the core exhibition is free of charge for everyone. Except for certain temporary exhibitions, all other presentations in the Libeskind Building as well as admission to ANOHA: The Children's World of the Jewish Museum Berlin are also free.

What is the Shechita method? ›

Shechita is the Jewish religious and humane method of slaughtering permitted animals and poultry for food. It is the only method of producing kosher meat and poultry allowed by Jewish law. It is a most humane method as explained below. There is no ritual involved in shechita.

What is the Jewish Museum about? ›

Welcome! Welcome to the Jewish Museum London, a museum that tells the story of the history and heritage of Jews in Britain through universal themes of migration, family, faith and culture. We exist for all people from all backgrounds and celebrate diversity in all its forms.

What does the Jewish museum symbolize? ›

In Berlin, the three axes symbolize three paths of Jewish life in Germany – continuity in German history, emigration from Germany, and the Holocaust. The second axis connects the Museum proper to the Garden of Exile, whose foundation is tilted.

Is Berlin museum Pass worth it? ›

Even if you only wish to visit a few of the city's most renowned museums, the Museum Pass Card is normally worthwhile. A 3-day Museum Pass Berlin is less expensive than visiting the Pergamon Museum and the Neues Museum separately.

How much are tickets to the Jewish museum Berlin? ›

How many people visit the Jewish museum in Berlin? ›

Around 700,000 people per year – or roughly 2,000 a day – have visited the Jewish Museum Berlin since its opening in 2001.

What is the tower in the Jewish Museum Berlin? ›

The Axis of the Holocaust ends in the “Voided Void,” or Holocaust Tower, an isolated building splinter whose sole connection to the Libeskind building is underground. Daylight penetrates the tower only through a narrow slit in the unheated concrete silo and any exterior sounds are heavily muffled by the walls.

Which Sunday are museums free in Berlin? ›

By the way: Admission to Berlin museums is generally free for everyone on the first Sunday of every month. And the Neue Nationalgalerie offers free admission to all exhibitions and the sculpture garden every Thursday between 4pm and 8pm.

What is the largest Jewish cemetery in Berlin? ›

The Jewish Cemetery in Weißensee is the largest of its kind in Europe. It is a fascinating place full of history and stories as well as a quiet place for reflection and remembrance. The Jewish Cemetery in Berlin's Weißensee district was established in 1880.

What do Jews say before slaughtering an animal? ›

However, this is not the case. The ritual slaughter of animals for food purposes is governed by Jewish law, which requires that the animal be killed swiftly and with as little pain as possible. While there are prayers that are recited prior to eating meat, they do not pertain to the slaughter of the animal.

Can Muslims eat kosher meat? ›

Summing up, Muslim buyers can consume kosher products. Jewish buyers cannot do likewise with halal. For many Muslim buyers, non-alcoholic kosher food products are considered halal. This can be a convenient thing in areas with smaller Muslim populations.

Is shechita ethical? ›

Kosher slaughter, or shechita as it is called in biblical Hebrew, is so humane that when performed as intended by Jewish law, the animals don't even feel the cut before dying.

What is the meaning of the Jewish Memorial in Berlin? ›

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in the middle of Berlin is Germany's central Holocaust memorial, a place of remembrance and commemoration for the up to six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. It was officially opened on 10 May 2005.

What is the mission statement of the Jewish Museum Berlin? ›

The museum is dedicated to the preservation and transmission of German-Jewish cultural heritage and to the remembrance of the Shoah. It keeps memory alive from generation to generation; it opposes antisemitism and all forms of discrimination.

What is the meaning of the fallen leaves Jewish museum? ›

Kadishman's installation is “primarily associated with the Shoah (the Holocaust) [but] it holds a universal message against violence and human suffering. Kadishman himself notes that the work can relate to different tragedies such as World War I and Hiroshima.

What are the faces in the Jewish Museum? ›

More than 10,000 faces with open mouths, cut from heavy round iron plates, cover the floor of the ground floor void. The installation is a gift from Dieter and Si Rosenkranz. Menashe Kadishman's sculptures stir painful memories of the victims of war.

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