Nelson is a mainstay on the national children's music scene, both as a solo artist, and with his Jon Nelson's Rockin' Kids Review. His unique performances for kids and their families are rooted in his love of rock & roll and his desire to teach children through fun and interactive music. Jon's fresh, exciting and innovative original songs have appeared on several nationally distributed compilation CDs, and his music is heard on radio stations in the United States and abroad.

Joining Jon Nelson's Rockin' Kids Review is returning BJAC entertainer Michael Rosman, whose amazing feats of all-ages comedy has been seen on "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," and who has performed numerous times in Atlantic City.

Also returning is Wondergy, the "Best of Philly" Party Entertainers, who fuel curiosity by making science fun and exciting. All children will receive a "goodie bag" and the Museum Shop will also hold a sale on all Judaica and toys at the program.

"Being Jewish at Christmas" is held Friday, Dec. 25 at the National Museum of American Jewish History, Independence Mall East, 55 North 5th Street, from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $5 per person (children three and under admitted free). BJAC is also free to Museum members and members of the military. Tickets are available only at the door. For more information call 215-923-3811 x 148. "Being Jewish at Christmas" is made possible by the generous support of the Robert Saligman Jewish Heritage Fund.


Founding Member Found Home In U.S.

When Renate Breslow left Germany in 1939 as a child and boarded the S.S. St. Louis in search of asylum from Nazi persecution she never dreamed she would wind up building a life for herself in America.

The German ship carrying 900 German Jewish refugees, Breslow and her mother among them, was turned away from Cuba and the U.S. making Breslow's first step off the boat one into a detention camp in Holland. "Although I was originally denied entry to the U.S. I was able to make it here, thanks to my father and a distant relative in [Philadelphia]. In America I grew up with an appreciation and awareness for liberty, justice, and freedom," said the Elkins Park, PA resident.

Breslow's appreciation for the life America provided led her to become a Founding Member of the Museum, joining the still-growing list of 3,000 people from across the country who have supported the membership campaign of the National Museum of American Jewish History.
By making a Founding Member gift, individuals will be supporting what will be an iconic institution on Independence Mall as well as a leading national education and cultural center. The Museum will include unique exhibitions, lecture series and films, as well as online initiatives, distance learning and outreach programs for students of all ages across the country.

Founding Memberships may be purchased with a gift of $54. Founding Members who make a minimum gift of $90 will receive a limited edition print depicting world-renowned architect James Polshek's design for the new Museum (as seen on the E-Newsletter masthead).

Founding Members will be entitled to participate in the Museum's opening celebrations and to visit the NMAJH for free whenever they choose, throughout the membership term. Founding Members' names will also be permanently listed in the Museum along with other Jewish Americans who have played important roles in shaping the history of this country. Visit the Museum's website for information on becoming a Founding Member and about the benefits provided at each level of donation, or call the development office at 215.923.3811 x 104.

For information on ways to participate in the Museum's Capital Campaign, contact Irv Hurwitz, the Museum's Director of Institutional Advancement, at 215.923.3811 x133 or via email at ihurwitz@nmajh.org.


Jewish Life Revealed In Sampler

Samplers were very common in nineteenth century America, a way for girls and young women to demonstrate their stitching skills. What was less common was for samplers to include Hebrew. Yet, that's exactly what can be seen on an 1813 sampler that will be included in the core exhibition now being created for the new Museum.

"The sampler has numbers and an alphabet and animals and other designs embroidered into it. And then this young woman stitched in Hebrew letters, literally stitching in her Jewish identity," said Dr. Josh Perelman, the Museum's historian and deputy director of programming. "It also is a wonderful piece of folk art that demonstrates the everyday life of Jews in early America."

The sampler will appear in the "Foundations of Freedom" section of the exhibition. Spanning 1654 through the 1880s, "Foundations of Freedom" will reflect the process by which a tiny minority sought, defended, and tested freedom-in political affairs, in relations with Gentile neighbors, and in their own understanding of what it meant to be Jewish-and will raise questions about what it meant to be a small minority in a young and still evolving nation.

According to Claire Pingel, the Museum's chief registrar and assistant curator, the sampler was donated to the Museum by a woman whose mother was an antique collector. The sampler includes very typical and conventional forms for the period it was made, and has the initials S.G.M., she said.

The Museum is currently seeking artifacts to expand its collection of Jewish Americana. The premise of NMAJH collecting is that history affects all people and that everyone has valuable stories to tell. The collection's geographic focus is national, and the Museum holds artifacts which date from the Colonial period to the present day from all areas of the United States. The wide variety of artifacts in the collection vividly evokes the diversity of the American Jewish experience.

If you have an object you'd like the Museum to consider for donation, please contact Rebecca Levine, the Museum's associate registrar, at rlevine@nmajh.org or at 215.923.3811 x 138.


The Glass Is Going Up On The Mall

There are now more than 20 pieces of glass in place that are part of the curtain wall going up on the 5th Street side of the new Museum building. A crane has been setting the glass panels on the east and southeast facades (pictured above and below) of the new Museum building since the end of November. "The start of construction of the glass box marks the next milestone for the new Museum," said Michael Rosenzweig, Museum president and CEO. The glass curtain wall symbolizes the transparency of Jewish life in America and will also demonstrate the welcoming nature of the Museum on Independence Mall."

A second crane will be brought in to begin glass installation on the northwest corner. The new Museum is scheduled to open in the fall of 2010. For an up-to-date picture of the construction site that refreshes every 15 minutes, view our Museum-Cam. To see additional photos of the Museum's construction like those above, click here.