Although the paint is still wet on Philadelphia's National Museum of American Jewish History, an announcement has just been made of a planned National Museum of the Jewish People on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., steps from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and not far from both the Lillian and Albert Small Jewish Museum and the National Museum of American Jewish Military History. D.C. is not an anomaly: most U.S. states have at least one Jewish museum; many cities have several.
Jewish museums are quickly proliferating, in four varieties: museums that preserve Jewish buildings, Holocaust museums, art museums, and museums of Jewish history. But as each museum requires huge sums to build and maintain, we should ask ourselves if the investment is truly worthwhile.
An example of the museum as site of historic preservation is the Little Synagogue on the Prairie, a small, wooden shul built by the Jewish farmers of Sibbald, Alberta. Someone loved the abandoned shul enough to restore it for tourists. Baltimore's 1845 Lloyd Street synagogue is one of America's oldest surviving synagogue buildings; just down the street is the 1873 B'nai Israel synagogue. The first time I visited was on a tour; as we entered the sanctuary a small girl gasped, "it's . . . it's just like Princess Jasmine." She was right: the Moorish-revival style Ark is exactly what Walt Disney would have dreamed up for Aladdin's princess's bat mitzvah. Both are now preserved as part of the well-curated Jewish Museum of Maryland, which has its home in a modern building between the two shuls. It is a short walk from the popular Inner Harbor, and it is a good place to go if you want to be alone—as are the Jewish Museum of Florida, the Jewish Museum of Atlanta, the Jewish Museum London and, in my experience, most of the world's Jewish museums.
Holocaust museums draw the biggest crowds and the greatest attention. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Jerusalem's Yad Vashem are the best known, though for me the most moving is the oldest: a small room on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem where walls are covered with simple memorial plaques put up by survivors just after the Shoah. The generosity of foundations, government agencies, and individual Jews and non-Jews to educate about the Shoah and honor the memory of the massacred is of course admirable. But despite the proliferation of Holocaust institutions, and the millions of dollars poured into each new entry in the field (most recently in Los Angeles), their impact has been qualified. Many such museums, trying to address all human evil under the rubric of the Holocaust, strip the event of all necessary distinctions, turning the attempted genocide of the Jews into a generalized lesson about prejudice.
Art museums, on the surface, are more straightforward. The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, the Kansas City Jewish Museum of Contemporary Art, and New York's Jewish Museum are all dedicated to Jewish art. But what makes art Jewish? None of these museums seems particularly interested in answering that question. At New York's Jewish Museum, the answer has mostly been simply to exhibit the work of Jewish artists, such as Ezra Jack Keats or Hans and Margret Rey, the refugee couple who created Curious George. But whatever the merits of these artists' work, nothing about it contains Jewish content or concerns itself with matters of Jewish interest. Invited by the San Francisco's Contemporary to create seder plates for an exhibit entitled "New Works/Old Story: 80 Artists at the Passover Table," many artists seemed clueless about the contents of the book of Exodus or the proceedings of a seder. One artist's work was simply a scattering of shredded pages from the Haggadah. But, to adapt the language of that text, even if every artist were learned in the Torah, it would be no guarantee of aesthetic importance.
No museum is the result of spontaneous generation. Enormous Jewish resources have gone into creating these institutions, and much more is required for their upkeep. And even so, the empty, echoing corridors of so many Jewish museums suggest that the audience for such exhibits is likely to be limited.
So now is the time to ask ourselves: should every beloved old synagogue be preserved as a museum? How many Jewish history, art, and culture museums does the world need? Before we build the Alaska Jewish Historical Museum or the Russian-Jewish Museum of Tolerance, I suggest that we cast a very cold eye on the building of such institutions and ask whether it is the most efficacious use of our resources to honor the Jewish past and build the Jewish future.
Diana Muir Appelbaum is an American author and historian. She is at work on a book tentatively entitled Nationhood: The Foundation of Democracy.
COMMENTS
Joel Katz on August 23, 2011 05:09 am:
The National Museum of the Jewish People certainly seems interesting.
I was also surprised to see my favorite musician included in the site.
Bruce Springsteen a MOT! (hello?)
see: http://nmjh.org/music.php?person=9
Robert Evans on August 23, 2011 07:49 am:
The author raises so many important questions about the mission and vision of ANY non-profit. With resources so precious, new institutions perhaps drain resources and older ones possibly need to close. But priorities change and evolve regularly . . . just as the Jewish people move around the globe and make their impact.
Geof on August 23, 2011 08:01 am:
Could have had this conversation 20 years ago with, "Are there too many Holocaust museums?" The answer to both questions is yes and yes. Too much necrology, especially in a country (USA) that did not directly undergo the Holocaust, and too much atavism in general. I remember viewing in a small city that had one barely functioning synagogue, but by God, I got a tour of the downtown Holocaust museum. Jews with money need to contribute more to the future, not the past.
Ellen on August 23, 2011 08:47 am:
Thanks for this piece. Of course, most thinking people realize that the proliferation of Jewish museums while yeshivas and day schools are struggling to educate their growing number of students who can't afford $10-20,000 tuition bills is a sad indictment of the priorities of an aging secular, Jewish liberal elite that sees its culture disappearing and wants to preserve it in museums, because it no longer exists in communities, synagogues and the lives of ordinary Jewish people.
Telling these people that building the future Jewish community of America depends on resources invested in Jewish education and religious life (including non-Orthodox varieties if they are viable), is a waste of time. They do not want to contribute to the living Jewish community because they realize it is mostly going to be Orthodox or something similar to that. So, instead they memorialize their inability to transmit living Jewish culture to their non-Jewish grandchildren by building yet more museums. That is truly the definition of pathos, if ever there was one.
They should stop building museums, because the future Jewish community of America is not going to have the money to maintain these mausoleums. In my own area of NJ, JCC's and Conservative/Reform synagogues are being shut down for lack of a secular Jewish membership willing to pay dues. The same thing will happen to the museums, with much greater wastage of money. They should forget about this bad idea and put their money elsewhere, anywhere.
Holly Cohen on August 23, 2011 09:08 am:
While it's important to preserve Jewish history to tell the story of where we came from, it is far more important to invest in the foundation of the Jewish people and that is our children. Educating Jewish children and Jewish families right now is the only way to insure that the Jewishness of the writers, artists, leaders and sages of the future will be relevant.
We must inspire philanthropists spend their wealth planting gardens not constructing mausoleums.
Holly Cohen, Director
Kohelet Foundation
Martin Sinkoff on August 23, 2011 09:51 am:
Instead of museums, let's invest in Jewish education, synagogues and our relationship with Israel. In short, let's invest in living, dynamic institutions not dying or dead ones. Thanks for the article and for the Jewish Ideas Daily.
DF on August 23, 2011 11:10 am:
What a great article. Kudos.
I would raise one additional point, and that is that I have my doubts even of the Holocaust Museum, supposedly the best attended of them all. In the many times I've been to D.C., I've seen lots of obviously non-Jewish tours taken there, but not too many individuals. We all know how it works today - public schools feel obligated to have their students attend liberal "tolerance" types of places, even though no one is truly interested in them.
Every Jew should ask himself one question: How many times have you, out of your own free will, been to an African-American museum? Despite Jews being among the most liberal Americans, the answer is probably very small. If so, what kind of hubris makes us think the average American is interested to see ours?
Rita Rosen Poley on August 23, 2011 11:23 am:
As a curator of a Jewish museum I see another side to this issue. I do agree that the fact of Jewish museum building is as the writer describes. For many the museum has replaced the synagogue as the bearer of Jewish identity, education and religious experience. OY!
However, museums are transmitters of culture and forces for education. Perhaps the best solution is the Jewish museum based in a synagogue with an actual dynamic community in house. I have experienced tremendous support from our congregants and our visitors for the programs and exhibitions we run. I do believe the Jewish museum, so constituted, is beneficial to the long term survival of the Jewish life of the community it serves.
Richard McBee on August 23, 2011 11:41 am:
Diana Appelbaum has accurately described the dilemma of the majority of Jewish art museums, i.e. they proudly show contemporary Jewish artists and almost always avoid Jewish content. Their problem is based on the outdated Modernist concept that anything attached to the Bible, religious thought or sectarian issues are contradicted by a modernist/universalist world view. With the exception of Jewish history, by and large most of these institutions are deeply afraid of being too Jewish. What they seemed to have missed is that in the era of Postmodernism, everything is grist for the artistic mill. Many artists are creating with significant Jewish content; witness the recent exhibitions of the Jewish Art Salon and HUC Museum in NY. Hopefully the other Jewish art museums will wake up soon.
Sharon on August 23, 2011 03:36 pm:
Not sure I agree with your conclusion, but it certainly gives me food for thought. In my opinion, there can never be too many Jewish museums. Their goal is to educate those who are in the dark, and to remind us where we came from, in case we have forgotten. Truly those goals are admirable and worth perpetuating.
moshe brodetzky on August 23, 2011 04:36 pm:
Only one museum is needed - MUSEUM OF THE FUTURE HOLOCAUST - that was started by Rabbi Meir Kahana in Jerusalem in mid 70s and right away shut down by Israeli authorities! Yehe Zichrono Baruch! He was ? is a PROPHET
Rocky on August 23, 2011 09:31 pm:
I have been to the Jewish Contemporary Museum in San Francisco only once since it opened. It looks like the Museum of Modern Art a short distance away. The fine old collection of the former Magnes Museum (Jewish) in Berkeley was turned over to the local university and a tiny portion of its exhibits is shown on a rotating basis in one room at the Bancroft library on the campus. A sad ending to a fine institution. I guess he who has a the gold makes the rules.
What downtown San Francisco could have used instead of another art museum (Jewish in name only) was a Jewish Community Center, which could have provided athletic facilities, a library, cultural events etc for the many thousands of Jews who work in downtown SF, as well as many more who can easily get to downtown SF via public transportation from many parts of the Bay area.
Robert Evans on August 24, 2011 11:00 am:
Perhaps the REAL challenge to curators and executives who lead Jewish museums (and other non-profits as well) is to be engaging and forward looking. The icons of modern society are changing rapidly so flexibility is critical as well as engagement of people in all types of Jewish programs and education.
Diana on August 24, 2011 11:02 am:
The Magnus did indeed have a fine collection. Few visitors, but a fine collection. The cities of San Francisco and Berkeley/Oakland are rivals in many areas, the rivalry between the Jewish communities on opposite side of the Bay has long been part of this rivalry.
Directors of the Magnus and backers of the proposed Contemporary did hold serious merger discussions about a decade ago. If this had worked, the Contemporary would not be as it is now be a Jewish Museum without a permanent collection, let alone any Judaica or Jewish art. The two rival Boards of Directors could not agree.
Jews on each side of the Bay decided to go ahead and for several years fundraising went forward to build TWO new Jewish museums, one on each side of the Bay. I understand that the effort to build a new Magnus collapsed in the wake of the crash of 2008. As you say, the collection is now in the warehouses of the University of California library.
Diana on August 24, 2011 11:53 am:
Note that the Jewish Museum has just named a new director.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/arts/jewish-museum-chooses-claudia-gould-as-director.html
There is nothing in the least Jewish about her career in contemporary art. (Her father was Jewish)
The generous founding donor of the Jewish Museum, Frieda Schiff Warburg, had no intention of endowing a museum of contemporary art.
Robert Evans on August 24, 2011 01:30 pm:
Be sure to check out the August 19, 2011 edition of The Forward for a report on The Klutznick Museum in Washington, D.C., and what appears to be its demise. Changes in focus and purpose impact institutions and sometimes the once-important decline . . . or disappear.
Richard McBee on August 24, 2011 06:00 pm:
It is quite encouraging to see so many engaged in the issue of the role of Jewish art museums. Perhaps part of the problem are the two-fold issues of relevance and institutional maintenance. Institutions must attract visitors and patrons or else they wither and die. Driven by this they aim for the largest share in their market, hence the emphasis on contemporary cultural relevance. This means that most of the time they are in the position of reacting to art world trends rather than being advocates of Jewish art that is creating a new and radical approach to Jewish ideas. Contemporary Jewish art museums need to actively seek out art that is overtly Jewish in content that is forging a uniquely Jewish contemporary culture. The work and the artists are out there, the curators simply must look.
Robert Evans on August 24, 2011 06:33 pm:
I would suggest, too, that this conversation pertains to ALL Jewish museum and other institutions . . . not only to art museum. Stay relevant at all times. Lead the way . . . don't be reactive.
Reading Terminal on August 28, 2011 12:36 pm:
The relatively new Jewish museum in Philadelphia has barely perceptible Jewish content. It panders to memories of Jewish comedians, theater folk, etc. There's a bit of fawning over "Reform Judaism."
Our communities need funding for Jewish education at all age levels. Such education cannot shy from Sabbath, Kosher, and family purity laws as bedrocks of Jewish ritual, and the reverential study of the Tanach and beyond as foundations of our history and religion.
Jack Godfrey on September 4, 2011 08:08 pm:
The latest entry into new museums is the story
of the legedary Catskill Resorts. If you visit
the website www.catskillreosortmuseum.com you can
submit information. The newly expanded website will
be launched in two or three weeks. You will have
the opportunity to support this worthwhile
endeavor. The museum will capture the very spirit
and energy of a beautiful by gone period.
Jon H on September 5, 2011 01:47 pm:
After initially reading this article (which reminded me of another one I read not so long ago, though I can't recall where, about a similar topic of a glut of Jewish/Holocaust museums), I sided with those who felt that many going toward such museums should instead be used for other educational outlets, mainly day schools. I in fact still believe that it is more important to fund day schools and the like over "yet another" museum. But in checking the websites of many of these museums, and having been to the NMAJH in Philly and the Holocuast Museum in DC, I realized that these institutions certainly do have a purpose and a place.
For one, they provide their communities with a sense of pride. American Jews can proudly note that their National Museum is mere feet from where American Independence was proclaimed. They can also show that a museum commemorating the greatest tragedy to befall their, or any other, people, is in a prime location on the National Mall. The location, as well as content, of these museums shows how successful American Jews have been not only in being accepted in American society but also in making their history and accomplishments known to broader American society.
In dealing with more local museums, such as in Alaska, Baltimore, London, Alberta, Kansas, San Francisco, Florida, and DC-why shouldn't these communities have a place to publicly celebrate their own history? They also serve as places of Jewish connection and education, and can be especially important for those without connections to other Jewish institutions, such as synagogues. Additionally, by understanding and connecting to the past from which they come, visitors may be more inspired to help grow and develop those communities. And those involved in the upkeep of said museums have an outlet for Jewish connection and community as well.
In terms of money, my gut feeling is that it is unlikely that those giving to Jewish museums would otherwise be funding day schools; more likely they would be funding other, likely non-Jewish, cultural instituions. So at least we have kept that money within the Jewish fold and utilized towards a different form of Jewish education.
In some European cities (Berlin and Prague come to mind), the Jewish Museum is one of the most visited attractions by ew and non-Jew alike. They come not only to learn about communities that barely survived extinction but to learn about Jewish life and its place in Europe historically to the present day. Both museums feature good overviews of Judaism as a whole as well as information about their specific communities.
I do think that there is starting to become too much of a glut of Holocaust-related institutions. Is it neccssary to have one in Illionis, for instance? But again, that allowed Illinois Jews to point with pride to their community and efforts-after all, they got Pres. Clinton to speak at it's opening.
Finally, to the point about Jews not going to African-American museums-not every place with a Jewish museum has an African-American museum, and vice versa. I suspect there are more Jewish museums than African-American museums anyways. And to challenge the real point behind the comment-that Jews expect others to come learn about us while we disregard other cultures: surely most Jews, when abroad, readily visit sites such as Westminster Abbey, the Vatican, or Notre-Dame. So we are on the whole very eager to see places of value to those of other cultures and faiths.
Lisbet Soda on September 5, 2011 02:09 pm:
Thank you for such a relevant article. I agree wholeheartedly with the general idea of spending less on the past and more on the present/future. What I think may be a viable solution would be to use the historical synagogues to house a Jewish History collection, and/or a Holocaust museum. Whatever motives the general public has for visiting a holocaust exhibit, I do think it is an obligation to humanity to make them available in central locations. The key is to combine their purposes. Also, why not have relevant modern Jewish art in some of those locations? (Not just modern art by Jewish born artists, however). If people come for a holocaust exhibit, they will see some Jewish cultural history, synagogue architecture, and/or modern Jewish art exhibit. And then, of course, communities have to stop being petty about who gets what and remember the actual purpuse of the endeavour.