Many Jews who were born in Berlin and had emigrated during the Nazi period joined the society
and contributed significantly to the building of the collection. In 1978, the Berlin Museum
presented for the first time the new acquisitions for the future Jewish Museum. In 1979, the
cultural anthropologist Dr. Vera Bendt was appointed to head the Jewish Department and
establish the Jewish Museum. She expanded the collection substantially in the years that
followed and organized several exhibitions, among them "Synagogues in Berlin" in 1983.