MUSEUM EXPLORES HISTORY OF JEWS IN AMERICA

 NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY EXPLORES LIVES OF JEWS IN AMERICA SINCE THEIR ARRIVAL IN 1654

PHILADELPHIA – The National Museum of American Jewish History, located in the heart of historic Philadelphia, tells the story of  American Jews from their arrival in North America more than 350 years ago to the present – exhibiting and interpreting the American Jewish experience  in a new $150 million, 100,000-square-foot, five-story building on Independence Mall. It is the only museum in the nation dedicated solely to telling the story of Jews in America.

“Standing directly across from the Liberty Bell, a block south of the National Constitution Center  and one block north of the birthplace of American liberty, Independence Hall, the Museum’s inspiring new home is a powerful testament to what all free people can accomplish, for themselves and society at large,” said Michael Rosenzweig, the Museum’s president and CEO. “Since many other immigrant ethnic groups that came to this country faced challenges similar to those confronted by Jews, the Museum will be a place for all Americans to explore.”

Encompassing 25,000 square feet of gallery space on three-and-a-half floors, the core exhibition explores the challenges faced by Jews since their arrival on this continent in 1654, celebrating their experiences in every facet of American life and throughout every phase of the country’s history. Featuring more than 1,000 artifacts, as well as films and state-of-the-art interactive technology, the exhibition showcases how an immigrant population flourished under freedom and highlights the diverse backgrounds and experiences of Jews in this country. An additional 5,000 square feet will be used for changing exhibitions.

 Architecture and Design

The Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, moved from the 15,000-square-foot location it had occupied since opening in 1976, a half-block from its new site. The new Museum building was designed by renowned architect James Stewart Polshek, founder of Polshek Partnership Architects  (now Ennead Architects), whose work includes the Newseum/Freedom Forum headquarters in Washington, D.C., the American Museum of Natural History Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York and the William J. Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Ark.

            The Museum design is a composition of two interdependent forms—one translucent, the other opaque. The west façade facing Independence Mall is a glass prism that expresses the openness of America, as well as the perennial fragility of freedom and democracy. The north wall is constructed of terracotta, symbolizing the strength and survival of the Jewish people and the protective shelter of American freedom. Inside, the two forms are interlocked and bridged by a network of staircases. An 85-foot-high, light-filled atrium connects the entry level to the exhibition floors above and the Dell Theater and Education Center below.

Two public sculptures at the site symbolize freedom, the core theme of the Museum. An LED sculpture, “Beacon,” created by acclaimed media artist Ben Rubin, is located in the uppermost corner of the glass façade at the corner of Fifth and Market streets. Its undulating forms are visible from blocks away as well as from the fifth floor Robbi and Bruce Toll Terrace, where its fluid panels appear as pages in a book, inspired by the Talmud, one of the central texts of Judaism.

At the base of the Museum, on the corner of the new Sidney and Caroline Kimmel Plaza, is “Religious Liberty,” a 19th century classical sculpture by Sir Moses Jacob Ezekiel, originally donated by B’nai B’rith to the City of Philadelphia in 1876.

Exhibitions and Collection

The exhibition was designed by Gallagher & Associates, one of the nation’s leading exhibition design firms. Organized chronologically into different time periods from 1654 to the present, each floor of the core exhibition vividly evokes the diversity of the American Jewish experience. Through displays of historical artifacts, immersive environments and cutting-edge  interactive technology, the core exhibition explores the religious, cultural, political and economic stories of American Jews. Galleries examine themes of democracy, religious innovation versus continuity, immigration and integration, as well as the lifestyles and aspirations of a community, and are designed to be educational, engaging and thought-provoking. In addition, the exhibition is “family friendly,” with hands-on activities and lessons appropriate for all age groups.

The curator of the core exhibition is Josh Perelman, Ph.D., the Museum’s deputy director of exhibitions, programs and collections, and chief curator, who worked with a team of leading historians of American Jewish history from across the country.

One of the new Museum’s signature attractions is a multimedia exhibition – the Only in America^® Gallery/Hall of Fame – showcasing the challenges and opportunities a select group of extraordinary Jewish Americans encountered on the road to remarkable achievement. Among the first 18 honorees are Louis Brandeis, Albert Einstein, Estée Lauder, Jonas Salk, Steven Spielberg and Barbra Streisand. Providing individual filmed testimonials for these individuals are such notables as director J.J. Abrams, author Michael Chabon and Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. “The remarkable individuals in this gallery exemplify a central theme of the Museum: that a hallmark of the American experience has been an unparalleled opportunity to aspire, achieve and possibly change the world,” Rosenzweig said.

Complementing the exhibitions is a series of thematic short films, created by Emmy Award-winning director David Grubin, ranging from Jewish life and entertainment to history and politics, including examinations of Yiddish theater, Hollywood moguls, civil rights and the founding of the State of Israel.

Additional exploration is possible through interactive technologies used throughout the Museum, created by media design firm Local Projects. The “It’s Your Story” video recording booth invites visitors to share their family histories and personal memories, which the Museum will archive for public viewing and sharing through online links. The unique multimedia Contemporary Issues Forum offers visitors the opportunity to engage in real-time discussions about important and provocative issues facing the American Jewish community and the world today.

The new building also features the Education Center, the 200-seat Dell Theater, a multipurpose event space with capacity for 600 on the fifth floor overlooking Independence Mall, a kosher café and a Museum store.

The Capital Campaign to support the new facility began with a lead gift from philanthropist Sidney Kimmel, and the Museum has since obtained major gifts of $100,000 or more from 147 donors from across the country, including nationally prominent supporters such as The Eli and Edyth
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