Reflections on the conference on Jewish philanthropy from the Liebermann Villa

Viktoria Krieger, exhibitions and collections manager at the Liebermann Villa am Wannsee, took part in the Jewish Country Houses' project conference in June 2024: ‘Jewish Philanthropy: Solidarity, Antisemitism and Cultural Heritage’. Her thoughts on the conference were published in the Villa's blog series. With her permission, we are pleased to publish a translation here: Viktoria's original blog post can be seen at Zu einer Konferenz nach Oxford: Nach Upton House und Waddesdon Manor auf den Spuren jüdischer Bauherren und Kunstsammelnder – Liebermann-Villa.

It was a great pleasure to get to know the Jewish Country Houses Project team at the University of Oxford (Prof. Abigail Green- Brasenose College Oxford, Dr. Jaclyn Granick- Cardiff University, Dr. Tom Stammers- University Durham) as part of the conference ‘Jewish Philanthropy: Solidarity, Antisemitism and Cultural Heritage’ (2425 June 2024). The conference brought together institutional partners, museum curators, and scholars from across Europe and the United States for two days to discuss the many facets of Jewish philanthropy.

This was a nice start for our joint exhibition project of Helene Binet's architectural photographs of Jewish country houses in Europe (exhibition in Strawberry Hill: Sept.-Dec. 2024; in Waddesdon Manor: March-June 2025; in the Liebermann-Villa, Berlin: Sept.-Jan. 2026 and in Brno: from Jan. 2026). The first day began in the Amersi Room of Brasenose College in Oxford with a session on National Paradigms of Philanthropy; the second session was dedicated to Cultural Philanthropy and its Legacies. This was followed by lunch together in the dining hall of the college.

Rebecca Abrams opened the afternoon with her research on the collection of the Ashmolean Museum. In a paper entitled "Hidden in Plain Sight: Uncovering the Ashmolean Museum's concealed Jewish collection", she examined the appearance of Jewish stories and collectors within the university collection. Afterwards, in a curatorial workshop with colleagues from the Victoria & Albert Museum, we discussed what needs to be considered when Jewish stories are conveyed in exhibitions and areas of particular sensitivity. The crowning glory of the first day of the conference was a guided tour of Upton House, the country estate of Lord and Lady Bearsted near Banbury, Warwickshire. The Bearsteds had the country estate with a spectacularly landscaped garden terrace converted to meet their needs in the 1930s. There was a lot to discover in Upton House! The numerous volunteers working on site showed us a range of mementos, archival documents and the diverse treasures of the art collection, including old masters and British artists, as well as works by Bosch, El Greco and Canaletto.

Tuesday began early in the morning with a 1.5-hour bus ride to Waddesdon Manor, a stately home in Buckinghamshire. Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild had the Manor built between 1874 and 1889 in the style of a French Renaissance chateau and set up his art collection in it, which he gradually expanded. The estate is now managed by the Rothschild Foundation and National Trust, which preserves it for posterity and makes it accessible to the public.

In the Powerhouse, which was equipped with electricity and charging facilities at an early stage, we started our second day of the conference and delved further into a session on philanthropic activism. Laura Leibman from Princeton University gave a keynote on Jewish Country Houses and the Fabric of Philanthropy. Afterwards we explored the Manor with its numerous magnificently furnished rooms and the world-class art collection, including numerous portraits by Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough.

Back in the Powerhouse, a workshop entitled “Telling Stories about Jews: questions, inhibitions, perceptions” followed, which addressed how to confront common prejudices. The last session was intended to transfer what was discussed into daily practice. Tobias Brinkmann from Pennsylvania State University made concluding remarks. This marked the end of the official conference programme and many said goodbye. Some of the invitees stayed to come together for a first network meeting. The establishment of a European Network for Jewish Country Houses & Heritage is a possible next step, and we discussed together what such an association could achieve, what it should prioritise, and how we could collaborate together within this framework. Now we are looking forward to our joint exhibition of Helene Binet photographs in Berlin (in autumn 2026) and the appearance of the Jewish Country Houses book, which will be published in November 2024.

Viktoria Kreiger, 2024