The exhibition in the wing tells the personal stories of Central European Jews, known as Yekkes, who arrived in Mandatory Palestine in successive waves of immigration, primarily during the Fifth Aliyah (1931–1939), both as refugees fleeing persecution in Europe and for ideological reasons.

Their contribution to the development of the country was substantial and decisive. Alongside their many achievements, however, the exhibition also presents the stories of those who were forced to relinquish the professions and social standing they had enjoyed in their countries of origin.

Despite the rupture caused by the Holocaust, the Yekke community in Israel continued to embrace the German language and culture, as well as the values of education, enlightenment, and progress. As a result, the wing serves as a contemporary, evolving laboratory for examining the relationship between “here” and “there.”

The Museum of German-Speaking Jewry was first established in Nahariya in 1968 as a Yekke heritage center by Israel Shiloni (Hans Herbert Hammerstein), a native of Berlin. Its aim was to document the community’s distinguished history and present both its heritage and its immigration to Israel as a story of success.

In 1991, industrialist Stef Wertheimer relocated the museum to the Tefen Industrial Park, where he provided for its needs throughout its thirty years there. The museum was directed and curated by Ruti Ofek.

In 2004, a partnership was established with the Association of Central European Immigrants, adding another dimension to the museum’s work: documenting the Yekkes’ contribution to strengthening Israel’s Western character and preserving the values of ethics, culture, and work that they had brought from their countries of origin.

Following the closure of the museum in Tefen in 2021, the collection was transferred to the Hecht Museum at the University of Haifa. In 2025, the new Wing for German-Speaking Jewish Heritage was inaugurated. Alongside the nostalgic experience and documentation of the past, the wing introduced a research and academic dimension, enabling connections with institutions and organizations in Israel and abroad.

In its current form, the wing fosters a connection with subsequent generations of Yekkes, who regard it as a home and a source of pride.