Obscuratorial Finds – Why do we have so many…?
by Alice Quine, Curatorial Assistant While the museum holds a lot of quirky and fun objects, it is also home to many items of great historical importance. Though a large proportion of this collection is comprised of paper documents, accounts and records, it is the unique aesthetics of the objects that I feel hold the […]
A Jewish Internship
A reflection on my time at the Jewish Museum by Oly Nicolaysen, Ex-Curatorial Intern In April 2013, as part of my Masters Degree program, I was required to undertake a three month work placement. As per the format of the course, I wrote applications to three very different institutions, which were then given to my […]
Obscuratorial Finds – Why do we have so many…?
by Alice Quine, Curatorial Assistant From the late 19th century a large influx of Jewish immigrants settled in the East End of London, bringing with them a wide variety of customs and activities. This included the very popular establishment of Yiddish theatre, whose use of the home dialect and relatable themes such as assimilation and poverty […]
Who do you support and why?
by Joanne Rosenthal, Curator of Four Four Jew: Football, Fans and Faith The arrival of the World Cup leads me back to our recent football exhibition, Four Four Jew: Football, Fans and Faith which closed a few months ago, and is currently on display in a revised form at the Manchester Jewish Museum. In one section […]
London Volunteers in Museums Awards
by Emma Davies, Visitor Services Manager This year, the Jewish Museum is extremely proud to be hosting the annual London Volunteers in Museums Awards in September. The LVMAs recognise the amazing work volunteers do across museums in London and are the culmination of months of blood, sweat and tears by the Awards Committee, on which […]
Volunteering at the Jewish Museum London
by a Museum Volunteer Around nine or ten years ago I noticed an advertisement in the London Jewish News for volunteers at the Jewish Museum in Camden Town. I realised I had never been to the museum and the idea of volunteering appealed to me, so I made an appointment and was delighted to be […]
My favourite Jewish Museum object
by Barbara Brown, Museum Volunteer On going to the Religion Gallery one day I found a woman standing in front of the display of Hanukah lamps with tears pouring down her face. I put my arm round her and she pointed to the wooden one and said, simply, “My grandfather made it." The wooden lamp […]
Happy International Workers’ Day! To mark the occasion we have turned around our beloved London Jewish Bakers’ Union banner to display the Yiddish side (rather than the English side) for a limited time. The London Jewish Bakers’ Union was one of the longest lived Jewish trade unions, operating from 1905 to 1970, and this painted […]
Obscuratorial Finds – Why do we have so many…?
by Alice Quine, Curatorial Assistant The Jewish Museum has been acquiring material since the early 1930s, with a high proportion relating to social history and trade. As a result, we have amassed a large collection of some very specific items, which to the casual observer, may seem slightly bizarre. Buttons – Open any drawer in […]
Poetry and Parades: The Jewish East End at War
by Rachel Kolsky, Blue Badge Guide I was asked to create a new walking tour to coincide with the exhibition at the Jewish Museum and the centenary of the First World War and, to my delight, it sold out! On 6 April, despite the threat of rain, our group of walkers met outside the Whitechapel Art […]
