Greeetings!

Welcome to the electronic newsletter of the National Museum of American Jewish History. This newsletter is designed to keep you informed of exhibitions, programs and other activities of the NMAJH, the only Museum in the country exclusively presenting educational programs and experiences that preserve, explore and celebrate the history of the Jews in America.

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1. THE TIME HAS COME FOR A GROUNDBREAKING EVENT
Public Invited to September 30 Ceremony


U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, and Philadelphia Mayor John Street are among the guests scheduled to speak at the groundbreaking for the new Museum taking place on Sept. 30, 11 a.m. on Independence Mall at 5th and Market Streets. The program will begin with the bells of Independence Hall ringing 11 times, and will include music in addition to the speakers and other activities.

Joining in the celebration with dignitaries from federal, state and local government will be Museum trustees and donors, scholars, educators, religious leaders, and young people, wishing to take part in a historic event for the national Jewish community and all Americans.

"The Museum will be a cornerstone in the modern-day American Jewish community, and a source of national pride," said Ronald Rubin, co-chairman with George M. Ross of the Museum's Board of Trustees. "The new NMAJH is dedicated to keeping Jewish culture alive and giving a new generation greater appreciation of their heritage. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help create a special place in the American Jewish community and to tangibly demonstrate what's possible when people live in freedom."

"I hope that people from throughout the region will celebrate with us in this landmark community event," said Gwen Goodman, Museum Executive Director and CEO.

The new Museum, an architecturally distinctive 6-story, 100,000 square foot building, will be the pre-eminent national educational and cultural institution presenting American Jewish history. Designed by the leading New York architectural firm of Polshek Partnership Architects, the Museum will build on the dynamic interaction between its location on Independence Mall, the history and traditions of the Jewish people, and the broader national experience. Galleries, exhibition halls, an education center and an auditorium will be among the features of this new Museum.

The new Museum is scheduled to open a half block away from 5th and Market streets on July 4, 2010, 34 years after its first opened its doors during the Bicentennial.

To make a reservation to join us for the groundbreaking ceremony, please contact Jannine Medrana at 215.923.3811 ext. 111.

To view a recent news story about the new Museum, visit http://cbs3.com/video/?id=44269@kyw.dayport.com.


2. ONE LAST TASTE OF FORSHPEIS!
Exhibition To Close October 21


Before Forshpeis! A Taste of the Peter H. Schweitzer Collection of Jewish Americana closes on Sunday October 21, visitors can take one last look at artifacts in the exhibition that helped to reveal aspects of American Jewish life by examining food in a range of settings, including in the kitchen and at the deli.

Among the objects displayed in the exhibit (above) are seltzer bottles, ca.1910-1940, which stand at the entrance to the exhibition as a vivid reminder of seltzer's heyday in the 1920s and 1930s; the Zion Kosher salami pillow which was used as a promotional item in 1967; pickle jars from Bloch & Guggenheimer which continues to be a predominant seller of pickles today since it's founding by two immigrant families from Manhattan in 1889; and an array of buttons, humorously proclaiming Jewish identity by referring to foods associated with the American Jewish experience.

Forshpeis! explores, through the Schweitzer Collection, the role food played in helping immigrant Jews adjust to life in the United States and illustrates how Jewish foods, like American Jews themselves, have become a part of the American mainstream.

To schedule a visit to the exhibition and Museum, or to learn about our special programs, view our webpage at http://nmajh.org/education/index.htm. The Education Department web page has more information about programs and booking tours. Tours and special programs must be scheduled at least six weeks in advance.

The Forshpeis! exhibition was made possible in part through the generous support of the Independence Foundation, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. The Museum receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.


3. TIE ONE ON AT THE MUSEUM SHOP


Kippah and tie sets made by Yama [pictured], a dynamic fast growing New York based company specializing in high-end, modern Jewish fashion are among the new, items the Museum Shop is now carrying in the new year.

Yama kippot have two unique patents; the inner loops to attach a hidden hair-pin and a silicon band inside the base for maximum grip. Both the kippah and the tie are made from fine silk.

Also new in the Shop are women's decorative tallit clips handmade by artist Judit Leiser from Cliffside Park, N.J. Decorated with semi-precious stones and Jewish symbols, her work is a favorite among collectors. Judit's crafts are sold throughout the country at galleries, museum shops, and craft shows.

The Museum Shop carries Judaica from a wide variety of artists. Visit the Museum Shop to browse the large assortment of items in all price ranges. For more information contact Eva Schlanger, Eva@judaicashop.net , or Elaine Silverman, Elaine@judaicashop.net , or call the Museum Shop at 215.923.0262. The Museum Shop is open Mondays-Thursdays 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Fridays 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and Sundays 12 noon - 5 p.m.

Proceeds from the Museum Shop support the National Museum of American Jewish History.


4. MUSEUM TAKES PART IN SMITHSONIAN DAY OF CELEBRATION


The Museum is participating in Smithsonian magazine's Museum Day Sunday, Sept. 23 - a week earlier than the official event.

On Museum Day museums and cultural institutions nationwide open their doors free of charge to Smithsonian magazine readers and Smithsonian.com visitors. Because the official Museum Day is September 29, on Shabbat, the NMAJH has received permission to hold the event here on a Sunday. Museum Day is presented by Smithsonian magazine and Hyundai Motor America.

The first 25 visitors to the Museum on Sunday who become Smithsonian magazine subscribers will receive a complimentary Museum Day tote bag.

Celebrating culture, learning and knowledge, Museum Day reflects the spirit of the magazine, and emulates the free-admission policy of the Smithsonian Institution's Washington, DC-based facilities. This year's Museum Day is supported by CITGO Petroleum Corporation and, for the third consecutive year, TIAA- CREF.

Last year, approximately 30,000 people attended Museum Day. Forty-nine states were represented by 448 participating museums, including 55 Smithsonian affiliates.

The public is welcome to participate by going to the Smithsonian.com website and downloading the Museum Day Admission Card. Listings and links to other participating museums' and sponsors' sites can be found at www.smithsonian.com/museumday.

In the fall of 2002 the Museum became a Smithsonian Affiliate. The Museum now has greater access to the Smithsonian's collections and resources, giving it the ability to borrow artifacts from the Smithsonian's estimated 142 million piece collection - from Irving Berlin's piano to Colonial American Judaica and fine art - which can be used as part of special exhibitions or to be incorporated into our permanent exhibition.

The affiliation also allows the Museum to take advantage of the Smithsonian's educational resources and expertise in the areas of conservation, collections care and exhibit development for both staff training and consultation. The Museum is able to call upon Smithsonian experts to present programs on behalf of the Museum, and has already done so with great success. Our members now have the opportunity to become Smithsonian affiliate members at a minimal additional cost.

For questions regarding Museum Day please contact Smithsonian magazine at museumday@si.edu.


5. BALKIN BEAT BOX PERFORMS UNIQUE, OUT OF THE BOX MUSIC
On Tour, In Philly


Balkan Beat Box, JDUB Records' up-and-coming band will be performing live at Philadelphia's World Café Live Thursday, Oct. 4, 8 p.m. The band's sound has been described as a thrilling combination of Jewish, Gypsy, Arabic, and American music united by hip hop beats and dancehall toasts.

The Museum and JDub are joining together to offer free Balkan Beat Box CDs to the first five E-newsletter readers to respond to the e-mail address below.

Balkan Beat Box is steeped with an intense lifetime of research into their own non-Western roots as well as other cultures. A quasi-circus event, BBB performs with a core of 6 musicians, collaborating with artists from Bulgaria, Morocco, Spain, Israel, and Turkey, who draw on a variety of styles from around the world. Every concert keeps the audience guessing what the next surprise will be.

According to the Chicago Sun, BBB is, "A magnificent mash-up melding music from every conceivable corner of the globe and its history."

BBB's musical hitch-hiking continues as they mix things up with dub and electronics, juxtaposed with ancient Moroccan and Mediterranean melodies. The band's uncategorizable sound gives equal weight to soulful acoustic timbres and digital rhythms creating a uniquely organic sound with electronic elements.

To claim one of the five Balkan Beat Box CDs, send an email to elliot@jdubrecords.org with your name and address and mention that you are an E-newsletter subscriber. For more information on Balkan Beat Box, visit balkanbeatbox.com.

World Café Live is located at 3025 Walnut St., Philadelphia.

To purchase tickets go to http://tickets.worldcafelive.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=1698

JDub Records is a not-for-profit record and event production company for innovative Jewish music and cross cultural dialogue. JDub produces, presents, and disseminates new and innovative Jewish music, reclaiming music and the arts as a valid and vital method of self expression within Judaism and as a means of bridging religious, ethnic, and cultural boundaries. Some of their other artists include Golem, and The Leevees.

Visit JDub's website at http://www.jdubrecords.org/


6. MUSEUM CONDUCTS ORAL HISTORY PROJECT DURING DAY OF SERVICE


The Museum is conducting an oral history project for Mitzvah Mania in conjunction with the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center. Selected by Museum historians, 25 Jewish senior citizens born in Philadelphia before 1930 will be coming from Martins Run and Federation Housing to be interviewed about growing up Jewish in the city.

Mitzvah Mania is a community day of service sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia that will take place Sunday, Oct. 21. Thousands of men, women and children from all areas, interests and backgrounds will come together for one day to perform mitzvot. Throughout the region there will be hundreds of projects that afford volunteers many opportunities to repair the world, one day at a time.

"I am pleased the Museum is joining thousands of people on this day by honoring the lives of Jewish seniors and preserving their stories for future generations," said Jeffrey Honickman, a Museum Trustee who is also a co-chair of the event with his wife, Marjorie, along with Susanna Lachs Adler and Dean Adler and Sheri Cozen Resnik and Ken Resnik.



Dean Adler is also a Museum Trustee. Mitzvah Mania is being supported by Jewish Federation Real Estate Group, Deb Shops, Jewish Exponent, KYW Newsradio 1060, Canada Dry Delaware Valley, Comcast, and Citizens Bank Foundation.

To find a project that's perfect for you, visit www.jewishphilly.org/mitzvahmania or call 215-832-0564.


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October 6, 1965, Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers refused to pitch in the first game of the World Series versus the Minnesota Twins in observance of Yom Kippur.

National Museum of American Jewish History
Independence Mall East
55 North 5th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106-2197
Tel: 215.923.3811 Fax: 215.923.0763
www.nmajh.org