Museum of Jewish Heritage

For other Jewish Museums, see Jewish Museum (disambiguation).
Museum of Jewish Heritage

Aerial view of the Museum of Jewish Heritage
Location within Manhattan
Established 1997
Location 36 Battery Place, New York, NY, U.S.
Coordinates 40°42′22″N 74°01′08″W / 40.706211°N 74.018750°W / 40.706211; -74.018750Coordinates: 40°42′22″N 74°01′08″W / 40.706211°N 74.018750°W / 40.706211; -74.018750
Type Holocaust/Jewish museum
Director David Marwell
Public transit access New York City Bus: M5, M15, M15 SBS, M20 to South Ferry
New York City Subway:
Bowling Green (  trains)
Broad Street (  trains)
South Ferry – Whitehall Street (  trains)
Website www.mjhnyc.org

The Museum of Jewish Heritage, located in Battery Park City in Manhattan, New York City, is a memorial to those who perished in the Holocaust. The building, designed by Roche-Dinkeloo, is topped by a pyramid structure called the Living Memorial to the Holocaust. The museum opened in 1997. More than 1.5 million visitors from all over the world have visited the museum. The mission statement of the museum is "to educate people of all ages and backgrounds about the broad tapestry of Jewish life in the 20th and 21st centuries — before, during, and after the Holocaust."[1]

Exhibitions

The museum's Robert M. Morgenthau wing

Core Exhibition

The museum's collection contains more than 25,000 items relating to modern Jewish history and the Holocaust. Many of these rotate into the Core Exhibition, while others are featured in temporary exhibitions. In addition, many can be viewed in the museum's searchable online collection.[2] The Core Exhibition tells the story of 20th and 21st century Jewish life from the perspective of those who lived it. Through a rotating collection that includes artifacts, photographs, and documentary films, the Core Exhibition places the Holocaust in the larger context of modern Jewish history. It is organized into three chronological sections: Jewish Life A Century Ago, The War Against the Jews, and Jewish Renewal — each told on a separate floor. It is housed in a six-sided building, symbolic of the six points of the Star of David and the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. The Core Exhibition consists of the following:

Entry Rotunda
The visitor experience begins with a nine-minute, multimedia presentation that introduces the themes of the museum. ; Jewish Life a Century Ago: The first floor of the Core Exhibition explores vibrant and multifaceted Jewish life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Personal artifacts and family photographs accompanied by documentary films.
The War Against the Jews
The second floor galleries present the history of the Holocaust from the point of view of Jews who lived through it, using their own artifacts, photographs, testimony, and historical footage. Chronological displays provide a framework for the historical events of the period.
Jewish Renewal
The third floor of the Core Exhibition focuses on how Jewish individuals and communities rebuilt their lives after the Holocaust and continue to thrive in the 21st century. The exhibition concludes with how contemporary Jewry has embraced the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World) and fighting for justice for everyone.

Andy Goldsworthy's Garden of Stones

Andy Goldsworthy's living memorial garden, his first permanent commission in New York City, opened to the public on September 17, 2003. An eloquent garden plan of trees growing from stone, the garden was planted by the artist, Holocaust survivors, and their families. This contemplative space, meant to be revisited and experienced differently over time as the garden matures, is visible from almost every floor of the Museum.

Museum of Jewish Heritage

Keeping History Center

The Keeping History Center, an ongoing exhibition, presents the Museum’s ideas and collections in an interactive, digital visitor experience. The Center occupies a 2,200-square-foot (200 m2) area that has panoramic views of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty. The Center features Voices of Liberty, a soundscape of diverse voices responding to arriving in America for the first time, including Holocaust survivors, Soviet refuseniks, and others. The Center also contains a virtual exploration of Andy Goldsworthy’s Garden of Stones, called "Timekeeper."

Edmond J. Safra Hall

In the 375-seat Edmond J. Safra Hall, the museum offers a schedule of films, concerts, and panel discussions throughout the year. Past programs have included symposia on the Holocaust, interfaith dialogues, and concerts featuring established and emerging artists.

Over the last few years, the museum has held a day-long symposium on Darfur with policy makers and leaders on human rights; presented performers such as Idan Raichel and David Strathairn; hosted film screenings with actors and directors such as Kirk Douglas, John Turturro, Quentin Tarantino, Claude Lanzmann, and Ed Zwick; explored Justice after the Holocaust with experts like Alan Dershowitz; and hosted the revival of a Yiddish operetta, Die Goldene Kale.

History

The pagoda-like structure of the museum

The Museum of Jewish Heritage was incorporated and chartered in 1984, dedicated in 1986, and built between 1994 and 1997 in New York City's Battery Park City. The museum's $21.5 million building, designed by architect Kevin Roche opened to the public on September 15, 1997.[3]

At first, between 1946-1960s, government officials lacked interest in building the museum until the American Jewish Community expressed interest and made an intervention for the museum creation[Page 5];[4] the American Jewish Community’s interest was catalyzed by the Six Day War in 1967.[Page 24][5] The intervention also contributed to the building process delay.[Page 5][6]

President Jimmy Carter, with the support of Mayor Ed Koch, proposed placing the national’s memorial in New York City instead of Washington D.C. but it was ruled out.[Page 15][7] Mayor Ed Koch's appointment of a Task Force on The Holocaust in 1981 was crucial. The Task Force, “which evolved in 1982 to the New York Holocaust Commission,”[8] recommended the creation of a museum. President Jimmy Carter, in 1978, created the President’s Commission which placed the issue on the US government's agenda.[Page 25][9] The agenda remained present until it became a reality in President Bill Clinton’s term on 1993.[Page 26] [10]

Before the museum became a realization, there were many political events that occurred that slowed down the museum creation. Political events included debates based on the structure, location, and even other priorities such as funding crisis.[Page 5][11] Examples of each of the debates are the following, but not limited to: For structure, one of the co-chairmen wanted to personalize the museum.[Page 5][12] Location was the switch to Battery Park City.[Page 144][13] The funding crisis was when “Black Monday,” that occurred in Wall Street on October 19, 1987, “wiped out” potential donors for the museum; but also, “Black Monday” dropped real estate prices.[Page 6][14]

Initially, Mayor Ed Kochs’ administration and co-chairmen George Klein were going to obtain the Custom House for the museum. In 1985 Governor Mario Cuomo’s broker negotiated site change to Battery Park City. George Klein alongside with other leaders were enthusiastic about the change since they wanted to create the best museum for the least price. Many plans for the Museum of Jewish Heritage was submitted but they were rejected by City’s planning authorities.[Page 144][15]

In 1990, the museum merged with the Center for Holocaust Studies in Brooklyn. Architect Kevin Roche begin designing the museum in 1993. In the same year, Howard J. Rubinstein also joined the museum's board.

The New York City Holocaust Memorial Commission, established in 1982, was reincorporated in 1986 as the New York Holocaust Memorial Commission, with Governor Mario Cuomo and Mayor Ed Koch, as well as George Klein, Robert M. Morgenthau and Manfred Ohrenstein and Peter Cohen as chairmen of its board.

The plans weren’t completely accomplished in the beginning because the funds weren’t sufficient to cover the vision, so in the early 2000, the realization took place with the guidance of David Marwell.[16] In 2003, the dedication of Robert M. Morgenthau wing included auditoria, classrooms, conference center, and a temporary exhibition space.

Affiliates

Outside view of the museum

JewishGen

JewishGen is the leading internet pioneer for Jewish genealogy and provides free online access to a vast collection of Jewish ancestral records. JewishGen and the museum affiliated in 2003. JewishGen features over 20 million records (including family trees containing 6 million individuals, 2.5 million burial records, and 2.7 million Holocaust records), hundreds of translated Yizkor Books, research tools, a family finder, educational classes, and many other constantly updated resources.

Auschwitz Jewish Center

In addition to the New York campus, the Museum has also operated the Auschwitz Jewish Center in Oświęcim, Poland, since 2006.

Before Auschwitz became the ultimate symbol of the Holocaust, it was just an ordinary Polish town. The majority of its citizens were Jewish. In September 2000, the Auschwitz Jewish Center opened its doors to honor the former residents of the town and to teach future generations about what was lost. Located less than 2 miles (3.2 km) from Auschwitz-Birkenau, it is the only remaining Jewish presence in the town.

The AJC's mission is also to provide all visitors with an opportunity to memorialize victims of the Holocaust through the study of the life and culture of a formerly Jewish town and to offer educational programs that allow new generations to explore the meaning and contemporary implications of the Holocaust. The Center provides regularly scheduled exhibitions and educational programs. The United States Service Academy Program takes cadets and midshipmen to Poland for a three-week trip to learn from survivors, scholars, and historians. The Auschwitz Jewish Center Fellows program is a three and a half-week study trip for students who are matriculated in graduate programs or are completing undergraduate degrees.

Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE)

Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE) is a set of programs for students in business, journalism, law, medical, and seminary graduate programs. Fellows study the roles of their chosen professions in Nazi Germany and the Holocaust and use that historical focus as a framework for the consideration of contemporary ethical issues. FASPE is under the auspices of the Museum of Jewish Heritage.[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About: MJHNYC". Museum of Jewish Heritage.
  2. ↑ MJH Collections
  3. ↑ [Jackson, Kenneth T., and Keller, Lisa, eds. The Encyclopedia of New York City (2). New Haven, US: Yale University Press, 2010.]
  4. ↑ [Saidel, Rochelle G. Never Too Late to Remember: The Politics behind New York City's Holocaust Museum. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1996. Print.]
  5. ↑ [Saidel, Rochelle G. Never Too Late to Remember: The Politics behind New York City's Holocaust Museum. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1996. Print.]
  6. ↑ [Saidel, Rochelle G. Never Too Late to Remember: The Politics behind New York City's Holocaust Museum. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1996. Print.]
  7. ↑ [Saidel, Rochelle G. Never Too Late to Remember: The Politics behind New York City's Holocaust Museum. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1996. Print.]
  8. ↑ [Mais, Yitzchak. "Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust (MJH: ALMTTH)." Encyclopaedia Judaica, edited by Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik, 2nd ed., vol. 14, Macmillan Reference USA, 2007]
  9. ↑ [Saidel, Rochelle G. Never Too Late to Remember: The Politics behind New York City's Holocaust Museum. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1996. Print.]
  10. ↑ [Saidel, Rochelle G. Never Too Late to Remember: The Politics behind New York City's Holocaust Museum. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1996. Print.]
  11. ↑ [Saidel, Rochelle G. Never Too Late to Remember: The Politics behind New York City's Holocaust Museum. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1996. Print.]
  12. ↑ [Saidel, Rochelle G. Never Too Late to Remember: The Politics behind New York City's Holocaust Museum. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1996. Print.]
  13. ↑ [Saidel, Rochelle G. Never Too Late to Remember: The Politics behind New York City's Holocaust Museum. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1996. Print.]
  14. ↑ [Saidel, Rochelle G. Never Too Late to Remember: The Politics behind New York City's Holocaust Museum. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1996. Print.]
  15. ↑ [Saidel, Rochelle G. Never Too Late to Remember: The Politics behind New York City's Holocaust Museum. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1996. Print.]
  16. ↑ [Mais, Yitzchak. "Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust (MJH: ALMTTH)." Encyclopaedia Judaica, edited by Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik, 2nd ed., vol. 14, Macmillan Reference USA, 2007]
  17. ↑ FASPE: Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics
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