Jewish, etc.

The Southern Tour

2008-01-07T18:20:00.000-05:00

I rarely go to a synagogue here in Philadelphia, but whenever I visit a city with a synagogue worth visiting, i.e., an old, historic one, I always make it a point to check it out. It’s a paradox, huh?

So it was with my recent swing down south. I was heading to Charleston, S.C. and Savannah, GA, and was eager to visit the historic synagogues in those cities. Because I work in a Jewish history museum, and because the museum shares its location with historic Congregation Mikveh Israel, one of the original colonial congregations and historic in its own right, I had a passing familiarity in, and a professional interest, the two southern sites. Plus, as noted before, I like going to synagogues when I don't have to pray.

Charleston’s Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (sanctuary below) was established in 1749, but the current structure was dedicated in 1841. The congregation’s first synagogue was destroyed in a fire, a fate that apparently befell many a structure in Charleston. It seemed that every historic building in Charleston had the same prologue: “The original church … synagogue …outhouse … you name the structure, burned down and what you are seeing is the one that replaced it.”

Kahol Kadosh was impressively old and southern, or so it seemed to me, and it included an excellent, small exhibition about the history of Jewry in Charleston.

Savannah’s Congregation Mickve Israel (below) was the more impressive structure. As its website declares, it is America’s only gothic style synagogue. Its first synagogue, a small wooden structure was destroyed by – yep, you guessed it, fire in 1829. The current building was consecrated in 1878. Mickve Israel also had a nice exhibition.

The synagogue was on Monterey Square, one of many wonderful squares that Savannah is known for by everyone, apparently, in the United States and more than a few Belgians and no doubt some Burkina Fasoians. But not me. I hadn’t had time to research the city before I went there. It is an exceptionally beautiful city.

But the real treasure for me was the synagogue (below) I stumbled upon in Beaufort, S.C., on the way to Savannah. I was driving around, looking for historic homes in Beaufort, and spotted a building that looked interesting. It was an arsenal, and right behind the arsenal was a synagogue. It didn’t have the grandness of the Charleston or Savannah synagogues. It was a simple structure and reminded me of the roadside churches – and there are lots of them – that dot the road from Charleston to Savannah.

According to the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina website, congregation members at one time rented a room on the second floor of the arsenal (on right in front of synagogue). The white clapboard synagogue was dedicated in 1908.

It was locked up, so I couldn’t go in. But it was a delightful find and, best of all, as far as I know, it has never caught on fire.

Happy Hanukkah

2007-12-04T16:35:00.000-05:00

It's Hanukkah and I thought I'd show a cool artifact from our collection.

This compact and very portable Hanukkah lamp, whose eight oil reservoirs can be concealed within its sofa-shaped case when not in use, has survived a lot. It dates back to the early 1700s, from a Sephardic Jewish family. They lived on the island of Curacao in the Caribbean. Many islands in the Caribbean during this time were home to Jews who were involved in the shipping trade.

Curacao, like New Amsterdam where the first Jews settled in North America in 1654, was a Dutch colony and therefore undoubtedly friendlier to Jews than other places, given the greater religious tolerance practiced by the Dutch at home and abroad. The lamp’s portable and inconspicuous design speaks to the itinerant nature of the Jewish people and also perhaps to the tradition of practicing Judaism in secrecy, especially after the Jews were expelled from Spain and Portugal in 1492 and then scattered.

I'm scattering out of here to my brother's for a Hanukkah celebration at his house.

Hope your holiday is nice.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T15:30:00.000-05:00

My aunt Sara used to live in a building called the Mayflower. That's about as close as a connection I can make to Thanksgiving and the Jews.

Maybe not.

If I have my history right, sometimes a dubious proposition, the Pilgrims emigrated from England seeking religious freedom. (And, sometimes when you say the word freedom, don't you just want to shout it out like Mel Gibson did as William Wallace in Braveheart: FREEEEE-DOMMMMMM.) And, Jews, of course, have immigrated to America for years, seeking freedom of all sorts, such as religious, economic, and artistic.

So, Jews have a lot in common with those Pilgrims. (Although I have to say American Jews, collectively, are snappier dressers.) All Americans who came here from someplace else seeking freedoms that were not allowed in their countries of origin have something in common with the Pilgrims.

The main theme of the new Museum is, in fact, freedom. The core exhibition will illuminate the rights and freedoms enjoyed by all Americans by exploring the life experiences, struggles and triumphs of American Jews. It will question freedom's blessings and costs.

The postcard below, from the Museum's collection, illustrates in a small way one of the costs of freedom. The cost of life borne by our country's soldiers.

The postcard, according to its back (below), was published by the Jewish Welfare Board in Boston and depicts Thanksgiving dinner for 150 soldiers and sailors stationed in the Boston area.

According to the Smithsonian Institute, the Jewish Welfare Board was organized shortly after America’s entry into World War I, consolidating religious groups in the Jewish community to become an official agency to work with the War Department through its Commission on Training Camp Activities.

The JWB built buildings and stocked libraries on army installations and distributed books, articles, Bibles, and prayer books supplied through its affiliation with the Jewish Publication Society. It established community branches in the “second line of defense,” by supporting Jewish workers in the shipyards, arsenals, and other military plants and factories, as well as hospitals and universities where the government had taken over under military regulations.

Enjoy American freedom this Thanksgiving. Enjoy your holiday. And to all the troops serving on the country's behalf, stay safe.

The Opposite Point of View

2007-11-02T22:00:00.000-04:00

Our friend, Jeff Holder, took this photograph of the Museum site, from the west side of Independence Mall. (Click on it for a larger view.)

The building being demolished is on the site of the new Museum. There are two interesting projects going on on Independence Mall that are visible.

The circular area will be a rest area with seating. Next to the circular section, on the left, a space is being designed that celebrates the First Amendment and will provide a highly visible area for public assemblies.

Between 5th and 6th Streets will be open landscaping, with pedestrian walkways and some seating areas. The Museum is on 5th Street and will face west.

To the northeast is the Ben Franklin Bridge, which takes you to New Jersey. And back to Philadelphia, of course, depending on which way you are driving.

Geography lesson is now over.

Dig it! The Museum had a Groundbreaking

2007-10-12T14:00:00.000-04:00

We did it. After years of what seemed like one step forward, two steps back, the Museum became more of a certainty, more of a reality, with our September 30 groundbreaking. It was a ceremonial groundbreaking, as demolition of the building on our site had already begun, but nonetheless it was a fantastic, exciting day.

Once again, you can see the view from the Museum is going to be spectacular.

The view above, looking southwest, shows Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell Center, and some of the approximately 400 people who attended the ceremony.

At the groundbreaking were (from left) Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell; Museum Co-Chairman Ron Rubin; Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street; Dr. Jonathan D. Sarna of Brandeis University, who is leading the team of scholars designing the new Museum; James S. Polshek, the Museum's architect; Patrick Gallagher, whose Gallagher & Associates is designing the core exhibition; and Emmy award-winning filmmaker David Grubin, who is helping to create the Museum's narrative.

Also there (from left) were Ruth Sarner-Libros, the Museum's president emerita; D. Walter Cohen, the Museum's chairman emeritus; Gwen Goodman, the Museum's executive director; U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter; Lyn M. Ross, a Museum trustee and former president; and George M. Ross, the Museum's co-chairman.

The Museum's fearless leader Gwen Goodman and her husband Alan dug the groundbreaking.

I got into the act with some of the stuff I shoveled in my press releases.

And, of course, what would be a ceremonial groundbreaking without Star of David-shaped pretzels given to all the people who attended?

Construction of the Museum is scheduled to begin in December.

The New Year

2007-09-12T13:00:00.000-04:00

Man, who knew that being involved with building a $150 million museum would take up so much time? Between work, buying Springsteen tickets, visiting the doctor and visiting the dentist, the latter symbolically represented by the artifact below from the Museum's collection, it was hard to find time to write.

I do want to wish all of Jewish, etc.'s faithful readers -- who are you anyway? Write, would ya'? -- best wishes for the New Year, on behalf of myself and the Museum staff, Board of Trustees and volunteers. I hope to be more diligent in the year ahead. I'm not sure if that will get me written in the Book of Life, but that's my resolution.

Please enjoy these postcards from the Museum's collection.

CREDITS, descending order.

Painted metal business sign, “Dr. Saul Cohen / Dentist,” early twentieth century. Collection of the National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia. Peter H. Schweitzer Collection of Jewish Americana. Photograph by Jeffry E. Holder.

Rosh Hashanah postcard, ca. 1912. Collection of the National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Schimmel Purchase Fund.

Rosh Hashanah postcard, ca. 1910. Collection of the National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia.

Rosh Hashanah postcard, ca. 1910. Collection of the National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia. Weinberg Trust Purchase Fund.

Groundbreaking is Nigh

2007-08-24T16:20:00.000-04:00

Groundbreaking for the new Museum is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 30, at 11 a.m at 5th and Market streets on Independence Mall. The public is invited to this event, which will be a historic one for Jews locally and across America, and for the Greater Philadelphia region.

The public is invited so if you're in the area, or are thinking about visiting, come by.

I'll be writing more about the groundbreaking as it approaches, and afterward, but this will be the only time I will use the word "nigh." That's my guarantee.

The fantastic Save the Date card, by the way, was done by Debbie Schafer, a good friend of the Museum.

Nice Views, Huh?

2007-08-16T10:30:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delay between my last post and now, but Jewish, etc. has been very busy preparing for the demolition of the structure at our new site at 5th and Market streets on Independence Mall. First, we had to install a fence around the building we are tearing down. Then, there was gutting of the interior. Scaffolding had to be erected.

Then, and only then, could we proceed with the actual knocking down of the structure.

Now, when I say "we," I mean the great folks at Becker & Frondorf, the Museum's project managers, and at Intech Construction, the contractor. They did all that labor. Me, I had to prepare a couple of press releases. Which isn't to say I didn't have to sweat a split infinitive or two.

The guys at Intech are working really hard to raze the building.

They first have to take down the paparpet on the roof, and then the building will be taken down incrementally, floor-by-floor. Demolition is expected to be completed for the fall. Our ceremonial groundbreaking is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 30, at 11 a.m. More details on that later.

From the roof, you can see Independence Hall and imagine how spectacular the view will be once the Museum is completed and you won't have to crane your neck for a glimpse.

From the third floor, you can get a better sense of what the view will be like.

This view is looking southwest on Independence Mall; the long, horizontal structure is the Liberty Bell Center. To the south, partially in frame, is the west wing of Independence Hall.

This photograph shows the northern end of the Liberty Bell Center and the excavation of the President's House. The city recently excavated the long-buried President's House, which served as George Washington's and John Adams' residence, and included quarters Washington built to house the enslaved Africans he brought to Philadelphia upon assuming the presidency. The city is planning an installation to commemorate the house and its residents.

This is the Independence Visitor Center, and on the next block north is the National Constitution Center, which I could not get a picture of.

Following my journey to the construction site there are two things I can state with certainty: One, the view, to reiterate, will be tremendous. Two, I look ridiculous in a hard hat.

Do you still feel the pain of the scars that won't heal

2007-07-25T16:31:00.000-04:00

Jewish life in Barcelona dates back to at least the 8th century, verified by a responsa sent by the rabbis of Babylonia to the rabbis of Barcelona. The community produced prominent Jewish rabbis and other notable figures, including doctors and businessmen.

Life was as good as it got for the Jewish community in those times until the Spaniards got medieval on the Jews, to paraphrase Marsellus in Pulp Fiction. In 1391, there was an anti-Jewish uprising. After 1391, Barcelona’s Jewish community technically ceased to exist.

There is a similar history for the Jews of Girona, a city about an hour north of Barcelona.

The history of Jews in Girona begins in 890. That year a group of Jews sold the deed to where they used to live to Count Dela and he, as compensation, placed them in “their city of Girona.” This is the first documented reference to Jews in the city, although it is very likely that they had already been living in Girona.

Attacks on the Jewish community occurred n 1348 because of the outbreak of the plague and the accusation that Jews caused it. More attacks occurred on August 10, 1391. Nearly 40 Jews died. Many other chose to become baptized and some fled.

There were nearly 800 Jews in Girona before 1391. After the attack, the number of Jews in the community did not exceed 400. In 1449, only 200 Jews were left in this once-vibrant community. There were only 20 Jewish families left in July 1492 when the expulsion order arrived. Half of these families converted to Christianity. As new Christians, they remained in Girona.

Much of this history of Spanish Jewry comes from guidebooks I purchased in the former Major Synagogue of Barcelona and Girona’s Jewish museum.

Barcelona's Gothic Quarter

The Major Synagogue, in the Jewish Quarter of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, is one of four that once existed in the city and the only one that has been recovered and restored. It’s tiny, 40 by 20 feet, but its impact is large and humbling. Its history seeped out of its stone walls – the synagogue has foundations that date to the 13th century.

In the space I was awed by the history, comforted by the familiarity of being in a synagogue and the attendant ritual objects, and also troubled, knowing that the community that prayed here endured expulsion and suffering of the worst sort for no reason other than being Jewish.

I asked Andreas, an affable young man who wore a yarmulke, and who worked at the Major Synagogue, how many Jews currently lived in Barcelona, which has four synagogues, categorized by him as: one Lubavitch, two Reform, and one Orthodox.

Andreas said there were approximately 6,000 Jews in Barcelona. I asked if these were Jews who had converted and remained in Spain and re-emerged when it was safe again to practice Judaism.

His answer was no, that they are like the Jews in America, all coming from someplace else.

Old District of Girona

The Museum of the History of Jewish People in Girona is tucked in the Old District of the city, and its Jewish Quarter. It is a charming three-story museum with displays about the history of medieval Jewish Catalonia and of daily life of Jews in Girona in the Middle Ages. It also includes information about the synagogues and cemetery of Girona, and has an exhibition of tombstones with Hebrew epitaphs from the 12th to 14th centuries. I left with a real sense of what Jewish life was like in Girona and with an appreciation for the city fathers and most likely members of the local Jewish community who created the museum.

I asked the women who worked at the admission desk how many Jews now lived in Girona. None, they replied. So much for assistance from members of the local Jewish community.

Barcelona and Girona also had another similarity. Both had "Montjuics," which translates roughly as Mountain of the Jews, and where the communities formerly had cemeteries. I didn’t make it to the one in Girona; I’m not sure if there is even recognition there of what the site once held. There barely was recognition on Montjuic in Barcelona.

Montjuic is enormous and Barcelona’s biggest recreation area. Among its many attractions are the National Palace, the main building of the 1929 International Exhibition; Olympic Stadium, built for the 1936 Olympics and renovated for the 1992 Games; and Montjuic Castle, an 18th century castle with wonderful views of the city and the Mediterranean.

View of the Mediterranean from Montjuic Castle

The castle also has a few small galleries devoted to the military and battles, and a display of cannons that ring the courtyard, all mentioned at the admission area. There is also a small gallery in the castle with recovered Jewish tombstones that once lay undisturbed on the mountain. Curiously, it wasn’t mentioned in any of the information about the mountain at the entrance. Could this reflect an ambivalence Spain still feels toward Jews? Someone had the aspiration and energy to dig out and retrieve the tombstones from wherever they were recovered from, but no one had the desire to give even cursory attention to promoting the display.

Tombstone relic from gallery on Montjuic

It made me think that Andreas, who worked at the Major Synagogue in Barcelona, was only partially right when he said the new Jews of Spain were like the Jews of America, all having arrived from another country.

The Jews of America were never kicked out of this country. Jews here have certainly experienced discrimination in America, but obviously never to the extent that they faced it in Spain. This country has always been a haven, a land of opportunity, for Jews since they first arrived here.

And guess what? Many of the first Jews to arrive in what was to become America had their origins in Spain. Expelled from Spain during the Inquisition, these Jews made their way to the Netherlands, Brazil, England, Germany and other countries before arriving in the colonies. In 1654 a group of23 Jewish refugees from Recife, Brazil arrived in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. There has been a continuous American Jewish presence here since then.

****

My mom grew up in a small town in upstate New York, Watertown. But no matter where she traveled to, she’d always meet someone who knew someone she knew. It was uncanny. She’d be on a helicopter flying to a remote spot in Alaska with six other passengers and, inevitably, the son of one of them was the college roommate of the next-door-neighbor of her aunt Bessie from Utica.

It is fun, though, rare as it is for me, to run into a friend, an acquaintance, a familiar face, when traveling. But that’s what happened, on the rooftop of Antoni Gaudi’s Casa Mila in Barcelona. He was working on a film, so we really couldn’t chat. Maybe once he’s back in the states....

Goodbye, Columbus/Hello, Columbus

2007-07-09T10:01:00.000-04:00

On the one hand, it’s depressing to find out how much history I don’t know. On the other hand, it’s somewhat understandable given there has been a lot of it through the years, and it’s hard to keep up.

Not only am I ignorant about a lot of history, some of the basic, common facts of history, facts that I know are right because, well, because that’s what I’ve been told all my life are, well, wrong.

Such as, Christopher Columbus didn’t discover America. He never made it to the mainland. He made it to the Bahamas and Cuba. But never America, on any of his three voyages.

How could I grow up not knowing that? Or, rather, why was I taught incorrect information all my life? For that matter, why is Columbus Day still celebrated?

And, if Columbus didn’t discover America, who did? Some say it was the Vikings, others claim it was another Central Conference team, perhaps the Packers.

Sheet music, If Columbus Would Not Have Found This Land by
Sam Lowenirth (J. and J. Kammen Music Publishers and Distributors,
Brooklyn, New York, 1925). Collection of the National Museum of
American Jewish History, Philadelphia. Gift of Sondra Katz.

What else do I have wrong about American history? World history?

I’ve been told, and I’m 99 percent certain it’s true, that Jews were kicked out of Spain in 1492 (coincidentally the year Columbus left on his first voyage, aided with nautical tables perfected by Abraham Zacuto, a Jew forced to leave his native Spain).

I’ve heard that, as a consequence of the Spanish Inquisition, there is no longer any Jewish life in Spain. Is that right? Is that another fact of history I’ve come to have, not supported by reality?

I hope to find out if that is true with a little inquisition of my own. Jewish, etc. is going to Spain, so I won’t be posting for a couple of weeks. When I return I’ll write about what I learned about Spanish Jewry, and then it’s back to American Jewish life.

The Mall Beckons

2007-07-06T17:20:00.000-04:00

We are building our new Museum at 5th and Market streets on Independence Mall, at a site that is the former home of KYW radio and television stations. The KYW building is pictured below; the photograph is by Jeff Holder, who will be documenting the building’s demolition and the construction of the new Museum. I’ll be periodically posting his photos.

When completed, the new Museum will look like this. At night, of course.

It’s a beautifully designed building. Even if it wasn’t, almost anything would have brightened up a drab corner on one of the most important intersections in Philadelphia, if not the country. That may sound a bit grandiose, but it’s true. A block south of the new Museum site is Independence Hall. Directly across from the new Museum is the Liberty Bell Complex. Two blocks away is the National Constitution Center.

Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Two of the greatest symbols of American democracy, and the Museum will be sharing Independence Mall with them (along with a hot dog vendor or two – God, I love democracy!)

But the Museum has a greater mandate than to be just a pretty building. Our core exhibition now being designed will tell the story of more than 350 years of Jewish life in America. The Museum exhibition will demonstrate how Jews – and other ethnic groups – benefited from the freedoms pledged on the Mall by the Founding Fathers.

I’ll be discussing more in future posts about the contents of the core exhibition and how we intend to tell the story of the American Jewish experience. In any case, we’ll find out if we are successful on July 4, 2010. That’s when the opening is planned. Hope you can make it.

Hey ho! Let's go!

2007-06-29T14:58:00.000-04:00

Josh is the Museum’s deputy director , but more importantly for this blog, he is also the Museum’s historian. He received his graduate education at New York University, studying in the joint program in American history and Judaic studies, and his dissertation is Choreographing Identity: Modern Dance and American Jewish Life, 1924-1954. I like to kid him about his dissertation topic, but he assures me that the interest level in modern dance and American Jewish life is above three figures, and maybe even into the mid-three figures, so what do I know?

Meanwhile, as historian he is overseeing the development of the core exhibition for the new Museum. Why a National Museum of American Jewish History, I asked him. “There is no institution devoted to exhibiting and educating the public about the American Jewish experience. Nor are there any major museums that take on ethnic history in this country. There are archives, and there are museums, that, as part of their story, include the American Jewish experience, but there is no single site under one roof with the sole focus of more than 350 years of American Jewish life. This is the gap it fills,” he said.

Fair enough. But what is this Museum going to give me that I haven’t got before? What is it going to mean for the average Joe, or Jew, so to speak? “Two things. It tells the story of coming to America, what it means to be a member of an ethnic community as well as a religious community, and how these experiences have shaped and been shaped by American Jews,” Josh said.

He also said, “The story we tell in our museum is part of the larger national story. Sitting on Independence Mall, steps from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, we are conscious that freedom is an essential part of the exhibition’s narrative. But, in the exhibition, we are dealing with freedom in a complex way, not as a historical utopia, but as complicated set of ideals we face as individuals, as communities, and as a nation. Almost anyone can identify with that.”

Josh went on to say that artifacts will be used with strong storytelling about the lives of people, and combined with cutting edge technology.

Before he drifted too far into Museum/historian speak, I asked, “What about Dylan? Will there be something about Dylan? How about Joey (born Jeffrey Ross Hyman) Ramone? We gotta’ have Joey Ramone in the Museum. And Dylan.”

Photograph of Joey Ramone by Susan Leh, courtesy of Michael Leh

Josh was sympathetic but couldn’t make any promises. He did say that the exhibition would include all sorts of cultural figures, both famous and infamous, and that the second floor of the Museum, one full floor, will be devoted to Jewish life in America after World War II.

A whole floor, eh? There should be plenty of room for Dylan and Joey and a lot of other greats. I’ll be staying to top of it.

An Introduction

2007-06-26T17:10:00.000-04:00

Ask me to name my top five musicians and the answer is easy. Bruce Springsteen, Graham Parker, Solomon Burke, Otis Clay and Otis Redding. They roll off the tongue effortlessly. I’ve gone over the list often with friends, sometimes on the drive to, or from, a distant Springsteen concert. Like characters in Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity, I’m obsessed with music.

Ask me to name my top five museums, or museum experiences, and it’s a different story. None spring instantly to mind, like, say, Thunder Road does when I’m asked what I think is Springsteen’s greatest song. But if I give it some thought, I can recall a few great museum visits.

During my first trip to Europe, in 1985, I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Lots of armor and weapons there, which I learned are the types of things called applied arts, and which I discovered I’m not a big fan of. Ol’ Vic and Al had more objects, many more, but I can’t remember anything else, either because I wasn’t much interested in the collection, or I’ve since forgotten. Except there was also an exhibition, I think of watercolors, but it could have been a general art exhibition, and I think it was drawn from the museum’s collection, but I’m not sure about that, either. What I do know is that I was captivated by Paul Klee’s, Allegory of Propaganda. In fact, I bought a print and schlepped it all through Europe. (Why I didn’t think to ship it home, I don’t know, but it’s not atypical of the kinds of things I do.)

Like my reaction to the Klee painting, there are some movies, or books, or music that I respond to in an emotional way, instantaneously. I may be able to tell you why it appeals to me – the colors, the theme, the composition. Or I may not. Sometimes I just LIKE it. I connect with it. It moves me.

Taken with Paul Klee, I made it a point to see a 1987 exhibition of his works at the Museum of Modern Art, and what a feast it was. Painting after painting, I liked virtually all of them. My initial connection with his work, and enthusiasm for it, was real, and had been sustained.

Meanwhile, back in Europe, I also made it to the Jeu De Paume, which at the time held a collection of impressionist works. It was a perfect museum experience. The paintings, of course, were terrific. Masterpieces, I believe they are called by people who know a thing or two about art. What also made the visit great was the size of the Jeu De Paume. It was the perfect size. I saw all of these amazing paintings, and I mean all of them, and was out of there in two hours.

It’s not like I want to treat museum visits like a drive-through at McDonald’s, but after a couple of hours at one I start to lose concentration and just wear out. So, brevity is good. A bad museum experience is when an exhibition is so crowded, typically a “blockbuster,” I can barely get to see a painting, or other works, and when I am able to catch a glimpse of something it’s while being jostled by other visitors. I hate that.

A more recent museum that I thoroughly enjoyed was the Tenement Museum in New York. (Side note: I visited it while in New York for the final two shows, at Shea Stadium, of Springsteen’s Rising Tour.) As I walked through the tenement building that serves as the museum, by God, I felt what it was like to live in a tenement. The cramped conditions, the poverty, the daily oppression of the lives of these people. I felt like I knew the families who lived in the two tenement apartments we visited, the Gumpertzes and the Baldizzis, and the hard times they endured. Their stories were poignant, excellently told by the docent, and I was done in about 90 minutes.

So, I’m a museum person, of sorts. I always enjoy visiting them, and find the best inspirational, but museums are not a constant presence in my life the way, say, music, or sports, are.

Well, that’s not exactly true. I find myself working in one, the National Museum of American Jewish History here on Independence Mall in Philadelphia. So, of course, museums are a part of my professional life.

Rendering of new Museum at Independence Mall,
courtesy of Polshek Partnership Architects.

It’s an interesting place, and we are going to get a lot more interesting. We are in the midst of a campaign to build a new Museum a half-block away, but also on the Mall. I’m fortunate and pleased that I’ll have input into this magnificent structure we are going to put up, a museum whose ambitious goal is to tell the story of the Jewish people in America, even if my input will be minor indeed. (“Hey folks, in my opinion, I think the trash cans should be placed on the left side of the entrance, not the right.”)

But this blog is not going to be strictly about museums. It’s going to be about music, art, sports, current events, Jewish identity, and anything that interests me, almost always with a Jewish slant.

I hope it’s going to be a dialogue. I know about museums having worked here for a while, and I know some things about history and Judaism, but I’m no expert in any of these areas.

But I do have opinions, and I’m sure you do, too. And, I, and by extension, the Museum, welcome what you have to say. We truly want to hear what you think a National Museum of American Jewish History should be. With one exception. I’m not interested in what you have to say about the placement of the trash cans. That’s my call.