Sukkot at the Museum
by Judith Vandervelde, Senior Educator We recently reached the end of the harvest festival of Sukkot, which reminds us of the forty years the Jewish people spent wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. During this festival meals are eaten in the Sukkah, an outdoor temporary hut that is covered with greenery. To […]
LOVE… how do we celebrate, seal and remember it?
L to R: Boris Bennett, Wedding photograph of Mr and Mrs Simmons, 1935; 18th century wedding ring; Ketubah (marriage contract) 1806 Lend your own treasures to be displayed alongside ours in new exhibition series, Your Jewish Museum, beginning in January. Your object can speak to any type of love: divine, parental, romantic. Anything! Let the pieces above […]
Obscuratorial Finds – Why do we have so many…?
by Alice Quine, Curatorial Assistant In a practising Jewish household, food plays a very important role in religious holidays and celebrations. Many Jews keep kosher, whereby they only eat meat and dairy products which have been prepared in a ritually proper manner, and which must never be mixed or eaten together. At the Jewish Museum […]
Work Experience at the Jewish Museum
by Hannah Milofsky, Work Experience Student Hannah Milofsky (year 10 Hasmonean School for Girls) completed a week’s work experience at the Jewish Museum. She was most surprised by the number of non Jewish visitors to the Museum and their genuine interest in Jewish religion, culture and history. As an avid reader, she was delighted to […]
Work Experience at the Jewish Museum
by Tania Shew, Work Experience Student Tania has just completed her first year at the University of Sussex where she is studying History. She spent a few weeks with the learning team during a very hectic month of school visits: As a history student I was very excited to be offered an internship at 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 […]
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 […]
