Jewish Museum

Jewish Museum, museum in New York City displaying art and objects of Jewish culture from the past 4,000 years.

The Jewish Museum was founded in 1904 with only 26 pieces and was originally located in the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary. In 1946 the museum moved to the Felix Warburg mansion (see Warburg family), located on New York City’s “Museum Mile” on Fifth Avenue. The Jewish Museum is one of the foremost museums of its kind. Its permanent collection contains tens of thousands of unique objects, ranging from ancient cultural artifacts to artwork by contemporary Jewish artists, organized in a comprehensive overview of Jewish experience. The museum’s original permanent exhibit, “Culture and Continuity: The Jewish Journey” (1993–2017), explored two fundamental themes: how Judaism has thrived for four millennia and the roots of Jewish identity. The exhibit emphasized the evolution of Jewish traditions, the influence and impact of Judaism on other cultures, and the significance of historical events to Jewish life. Following a renovation of the museum’s galleries, the Jewish Museum opened a new permanent exhibition in 2018: “Scenes from the Collection” features a rotating display of the museum’s permanent collection, emphasizing visual art. In addition to mounting the permanent and temporary exhibitions, the museum sponsors a number of lectures, performances, and film screenings.