NMAJH E-newsletter
July 09, 2009
Enews July 2009
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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Museum Seeks Public's Input on Gallery
Visitors to the website will have the opportunity to vote from a list of 218 candidates in the fields of Arts and Entertainment; Business and Philanthropy; Literature; Performance; Politics, Law and Activism; Religion and Thought; Science and Medicine; and Sports. Participants will also have the opportunity to cast write-in votes.
Voting ends Thursday, Aug. 6.
"The Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame will be a space that inspires visitors," said Michael Rosenzweig, the Museum's president and CEO. "It will celebrate the lives and achievements of eighteen individuals who exemplify a central theme of the Museum: that a hallmark of the American experience has been an unparalleled opportunity to aspire, achieve, and possibly change the world.
"The public vote will help provide us with a barometer of who has had a lasting influence on our world, and the 18 individuals selected for the Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame will reflect a consensus between the public and the Museum's historians," Rosenzweig continued. "The list is not meant to be comprehensive. It's a representative sample and starting point for the public to think about major themes in American and American Jewish life during the past 355 years."
"This is a rare opportunity for the public to have input on what is going to be featured in a major museum exhibition," said Dr. Josh Perelman, the Museum's deputy director of programming, historian and chief curator of the core exhibition in the new Museum.
Visitors to the Museum will also be able to vote using a computer installed in the Museum's changing exhibition, Shaping Space, Making Meaning. The exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to learn how a museum creates a major exhibition and invites them to make their opinions known prior to its opening, as does the Only in America initiative.
The Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame will be a landmark museum experience, featuring major film productions, original artifacts, and an interactive database. The 18 selected individuals will be featured in the films prepared for the gallery and projected on two large curved glass surfaces at its center. The films will explore those who have made incredible work and the implications of their efforts for our world.
All 218 names included in the public vote will also be included in the interactive database that will be available to all Museum visitors as well as on its website. Representing individuals from diverse backgrounds and areas of activity, the Only in America®Gallery/Hall of Fame database will provide access to hundreds of compelling stories that underscore the Museum's primary themes and offer significant opportunities for educational activities.
Museum Board Member Ed Snider, who is chairman of Comcast-Spectacor, one of the preeminent sports and entertainment organizations in the world, is the major benefactor of the Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame.
Museum Launches Improved Site
Surf's Up at New Site
The first phase of the Museum's website redesign has been completed, and it offers visitors easier navigation and new content, among its many new features.
In addition to a newly-designed homepage, the site includes: comprehensive information about the Museum's Capital Campaign, including video clips; an image gallery; and information about how to become a Founding Member of the Museum.
"I hope people will visit the site often in the months ahead as we add content and make it more interactive. It's also, of course, an excellent way to stay abreast of the progress of our new Museum," said Museum president and CEO Michael Rosenzweig. "We welcome your input on ways to make the site better and more user-friendly, so please email us with your suggestions."
Museum's Walls Rising High
The east facade of the new Museum is nearly finished, with grey metal panels forming the wall of the back of the building. As the east facade nears completion, the same material is starting to be placed on the building's south side. Workers are also making preparations for the terracotta wall that will cover the Museum's north and west sides. The west side of the Museum will also contain a glass prism facade. By the end of November, the walls will be almost entirely up.
The new National Museum of American Jewish History will be the first and only major museum dedicated to chronicling the American Jewish experience. Through intriguing exhibits, rare artifacts and interactive displays, the Museum will mark the trials and triumphs of American Jews through every phase of the country's history. It will explore the challenges of identity and assimilation they faced and will celebrate the contributions they made to every facet of American life. And since other immigrant ethnic groups have faced similar challenges, the Museum will ultimately be a place for all Americans to explore, offering an experience that is thought-provoking and informative.
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Museum Seeks Public's Input on Gallery
Gallery to Feature Notable Jewish Americans
Irving Berlin. Levi Strauss. Henrietta Szold. Steven Spielberg. Albert Einstein. Rebecca Gratz. Sandy Koufax. Which of these Jewish Americans achievements should be recognized in a major exhibition in the NMAJH's new museum? We want you to help us make the determination.
Today the Museum has launched a new website found at http://onlyinamerica.nmajh.org/ that asks the public to help select who will be included in the Museum's Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame. The Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame will be a signature component of the core exhibition when the new Museum opens in November 2010. Situated on the first floor of the Museum, the gallery will examine the choices, challenges and opportunities that have been faced by a remarkable group of American Jews on their paths to accomplishment. Visitors to the website will have the opportunity to vote from a list of 218 candidates in the fields of Arts and Entertainment; Business and Philanthropy; Literature; Performance; Politics, Law and Activism; Religion and Thought; Science and Medicine; and Sports. Participants will also have the opportunity to cast write-in votes.
Voting ends Thursday, Aug. 6.
"The Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame will be a space that inspires visitors," said Michael Rosenzweig, the Museum's president and CEO. "It will celebrate the lives and achievements of eighteen individuals who exemplify a central theme of the Museum: that a hallmark of the American experience has been an unparalleled opportunity to aspire, achieve, and possibly change the world.
"The public vote will help provide us with a barometer of who has had a lasting influence on our world, and the 18 individuals selected for the Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame will reflect a consensus between the public and the Museum's historians," Rosenzweig continued. "The list is not meant to be comprehensive. It's a representative sample and starting point for the public to think about major themes in American and American Jewish life during the past 355 years."
"This is a rare opportunity for the public to have input on what is going to be featured in a major museum exhibition," said Dr. Josh Perelman, the Museum's deputy director of programming, historian and chief curator of the core exhibition in the new Museum.
Visitors to the Museum will also be able to vote using a computer installed in the Museum's changing exhibition, Shaping Space, Making Meaning. The exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to learn how a museum creates a major exhibition and invites them to make their opinions known prior to its opening, as does the Only in America initiative.
The Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame will be a landmark museum experience, featuring major film productions, original artifacts, and an interactive database. The 18 selected individuals will be featured in the films prepared for the gallery and projected on two large curved glass surfaces at its center. The films will explore those who have made incredible work and the implications of their efforts for our world.
All 218 names included in the public vote will also be included in the interactive database that will be available to all Museum visitors as well as on its website. Representing individuals from diverse backgrounds and areas of activity, the Only in America®Gallery/Hall of Fame database will provide access to hundreds of compelling stories that underscore the Museum's primary themes and offer significant opportunities for educational activities.
Museum Board Member Ed Snider, who is chairman of Comcast-Spectacor, one of the preeminent sports and entertainment organizations in the world, is the major benefactor of the Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame.
Museum Launches Improved Site
Surf's Up at New Site
The first phase of the Museum's website redesign has been completed, and it offers visitors easier navigation and new content, among its many new features.
In addition to a newly-designed homepage, the site includes: comprehensive information about the Museum's Capital Campaign, including video clips; an image gallery; and information about how to become a Founding Member of the Museum.
"I hope people will visit the site often in the months ahead as we add content and make it more interactive. It's also, of course, an excellent way to stay abreast of the progress of our new Museum," said Museum president and CEO Michael Rosenzweig. "We welcome your input on ways to make the site better and more user-friendly, so please email us with your suggestions."
Museum's Walls Rising High
The new National Museum of American Jewish History will be the first and only major museum dedicated to chronicling the American Jewish experience. Through intriguing exhibits, rare artifacts and interactive displays, the Museum will mark the trials and triumphs of American Jews through every phase of the country's history. It will explore the challenges of identity and assimilation they faced and will celebrate the contributions they made to every facet of American life. And since other immigrant ethnic groups have faced similar challenges, the Museum will ultimately be a place for all Americans to explore, offering an experience that is thought-provoking and informative.
The Museum is in the midst of a $150 million Capital Campaign for construction of the 100,000-square-foot, five-story building. To date, $118 million has been raised for the campaign.
The new Museum is scheduled to be completed in fall 2010.
For information on how to support the Museum, contact Irv Hurwitz, the Museum's director of institutional advancement, at 215.923.3811 x 133 or by e-mail.
NMAJH Docent and Volunteer Application Deadline Extended Into July
The Museum continues to recruit docents to enroll in a comprehensive training program in order to conduct tours and educational programs for the new Museum scheduled to open on Independence Mall in fall 2010. The extended deadline for application is Friday, July 17, 2009.
Docents in training will learn to lead visitors toward a fuller understanding of museum artifacts and the history, people, and stories behind them through interpretations and other experiential activities.
Among the requirements of the training program, the docents will attend a weekly course for one year on American Jewish history. They also will be required to conduct independent research and volunteer for at least eight hours a month guiding tours and walk-in visitors.
In addition, the new Museum is seeking volunteers for research, administration, visitor services, the Museum Shop, special events, and translation and interpretation.
"We look forward to having volunteers play a vital role in the only museum dedicated to chronicling the American Jewish experience," said Gwen Goodman, Museum Executive Director Emerita.
To apply to be a docent or a volunteer please first go to the website to see a more detailed description of the program and then e-mail the Education Department expressing your interest at education@nmajh.org. Please do not call the Museum's Education Department.
The new Museum is scheduled to be completed in fall 2010.
For information on how to support the Museum, contact Irv Hurwitz, the Museum's director of institutional advancement, at 215.923.3811 x 133 or by e-mail.
NMAJH Docent and Volunteer Application Deadline Extended Into July
The Museum continues to recruit docents to enroll in a comprehensive training program in order to conduct tours and educational programs for the new Museum scheduled to open on Independence Mall in fall 2010. The extended deadline for application is Friday, July 17, 2009.
Docents in training will learn to lead visitors toward a fuller understanding of museum artifacts and the history, people, and stories behind them through interpretations and other experiential activities.
Among the requirements of the training program, the docents will attend a weekly course for one year on American Jewish history. They also will be required to conduct independent research and volunteer for at least eight hours a month guiding tours and walk-in visitors.
In addition, the new Museum is seeking volunteers for research, administration, visitor services, the Museum Shop, special events, and translation and interpretation.
"We look forward to having volunteers play a vital role in the only museum dedicated to chronicling the American Jewish experience," said Gwen Goodman, Museum Executive Director Emerita.
To apply to be a docent or a volunteer please first go to the website to see a more detailed description of the program and then e-mail the Education Department expressing your interest at education@nmajh.org. Please do not call the Museum's Education Department.
posted by nmajh @ 7/09/2009 
