The collected material is the first of such a comprehensive presentation of the never-before-examined subject of Upper Silesian synagogues. The history of the synagogues is linked to the documents presented in the multimedia browser regarding their construction, opening, rules of conduct in the synagogue, etc., as well as the few preserved original exhibits, such as candlesticks, parochets, Torah ornaments, prayer clock, books, etc. Additionally, it presents the figure of the prominent Upper Silesia rabbis.
The XIX century was also a period of heightened activities by Jewish communities and religious institutions, such as schools, mikvahs, ritual slaughterhouses, as well as the establishment of Jewish cemeteries (a multimedia browser shows the history of more than fifty Upper Silesian cemeteries and their former iconography). The exposition also presents the unique role played by the Association of Synagogue Communities of the Opole Region, established in 1888, with seat in Gliwice, which contributed to the construction of a Jewish orphans' house in Rybnik and a children's clinic in Jastrzębie. Moreover, the Jewish community was intensively involved in the activities of various scientific, cultural, sports and charity associations. Numerous organisations existed, such as married women’s associations, unmarried women’s associations, care for the sick, care for orphans, help for midwives, help for lonely people, craft associations, as well as the Masonic Lodge B’nai B’rith (Sons of the Covenant). A unique event was the world's first conference of the Zion Lovers Movement – Hovevei Zion, which took place in Katowice in 1884. In 1912, the international organisation Agudat Israel (Union of Israel) was established.
Family life and religious rites are depicted through the memories of the XIX and XX centuries (audio stands to listen to) and related original exhibits, such as a tefilin, a Hanukkah lamp, etrog utensils, kiddush cups, mementoes from Israel, wedding photos and documents, etc.
The next part of the exhibition shows the involvement of Jews in the Upper Silesia industry and culture in the XIX and early XX centuries. It also presents the history of Jewish entrepreneurs and families, such as Friedländer, Caro, Huldschinsky, Haase, Fränkel, Pinkus, Troplowitz and others. Representatives of the intellectual elite were also presented, among them were prominent scientists, including Nobel Prize winners, inventors, teachers, lawyers, doctors and people of culture, such as Konrad Bloch, Otto Stern, Emin Pascha, Arthur Silbergleit, Max Tau, Franz Waxman.
The assimilation, which began in the XIX century, led to the lifestyle of Upper Silesian Jews being similar to the rest of the region's inhabitants. This process is reflected in numerous family photographs from the second half of the XIX century and the beginning of the XX century, presented at the exhibition, which confirms the thesis that Upper Silesian Jews “were Jews only at home, but Europeans on the street”. They considered themselves not as Jews born in Germany, but as Germans of the Mosaic faith. Not only did they feel as fully-fledged citizens that differed only by religion from others, but, unlike most Jews in Eastern Europe, they were largely secularised. This rootedness in German culture was reflected, among others, during World War I and the Upper Silesian uprisings and an opinion poll in 1921, when local Jews were in favour of belonging to the German state. The exhibition presents documents and iconography related to these issues.
As a result of the division of Upper Silesia in 1922, the history of Jews, both on the German side and Polish side of the border developed differently. This part of the exposition shows the ensuing migrations, as well as the differences and mutual interactions between German and Polish Jews. It also presents the rise of anti-Semitism and Nazism, as well as the extraordinary role and significance of the so-called Bernheim petition, which led to the granting of an exceptional status to Upper Silesian Jews in Nazi Germany until July 1937.
The next part of the exhibition was devoted to the tragic times of Nazism and the Holocaust, starting with “Polish Action” (expulsion of Polish Jews) and the so-called Crystal Night in 1938, through emigration, stigmatisation of Jews, numerous orders and prohibitions up to ghettoisation, forced labour camps, deportations to extermination camps and "death marches" in January 1945. Essential elements of this part of the exhibition are memoirs depicting individual fates, as well as lists of emigrants and deportees, including an expressive, spatial installation presenting synagogues destroyed during this period. stygmatyzujące Żydów, liczne nakazy i zakazy, aż po gettoizację, obozy pracy przymusowej, deportacje do ośrodków zagłady oraz „marsze śmierci” w styczniu 1945 r.