Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York City
Located in Lower Manhattan at the south end of Battery Park City, the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust rises 85 feet above Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park.
The building occupies a strikingly spare six-sided granite building designed by award-winning architect Kevin Roche. Its six-tier roof alludes both to the Star of David and the 6 million murdered in the Holocaust.
New York's Museum of Jewish Heritage first opened its doors on September 15, 1997. In the fall of 2003, the East Wing opened and includes a kosher cafe, Abigael's at the Museum, run by celebrity chef Jeff Nathan.
The museum's permanent exhibits are organized around three main themes: Jewish Life a Century Ago (first floor), The War Against the Jews (second floor), and Jewish Renewal (third floor).
Uniquely using documentary films of first-person testimonies, these exhibits recount the daily prewar lives, the unforgettable horror that destroyed them, and the tenacious renewal experienced by European and immigrant Jews in the years from the late 19th century to the present.
The museum's power derives from the way it tells that story: through the objects, photographs, documents, and, most poignantly, through the videotaped testimonies of Holocaust victims, survivors, and their families. The testimonies include those chronicled by Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, founded by museum trustee Steven Spielberg.
The exhibition is drawn from a collection of more than 15,000 artifacts, photographs, documents, and archival films that have been gathered for nearly two decades. The exhibits of of Jewish life on the first floor include such items as elaborate screens hand-painted for the fall harvest festival of Sukkoth, wedding invitations, and tools used by Jewish tradesmen.
The museum is intended to be a venue of active learning as well as permanent exhibits; Thursday evenings are dedicated to panel discussions, performances, and music, while Sundays are dedicated to family programs and workshops. A film series is also a regular part of the calendar. These special events take place in the Robert M. Morgenthau Wing, named for the Museum's Chairman and Manhattan District Attorney.
Map
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While advance tickets are not usually necessary, you may want to purchase them to guarantee admission; call tel. 212/945-0039. Audio tours narrated by Meryl Streep and Itzhak Perlman are available at the museum for an additional $5.
| Address: | 36 Battery Place, Battery Park City, New York City, New York, USA |
| Phone: | 212/968-1800 |
| Subway: | 4, 5 to Bowling Green |
| Hours: | Sun-Wed 10am-5:45pm; Thurs 10am-8pm; Fri and eves of Jewish holidays 10am-3pm |
| Cost: | Admission $10 adults, $7 seniors, $5 students, free for children under 5. Check website for coupons. |
- The Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust - Official Website
- Ours to Fight For: American Jews in the Second World War - Official Website of the Temporary Exhibition
Sources: Frommer's New York City 2005 and museum website.
