Where-To-Go Wednesday - Museum of Jewish Heritage

We were given complimentary tickets to the Museum of Jewish Heritage for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are own.

What: Museum of Jewish Heritage 

Where:  36 Battery Place

              New York, NY

Who: Ages 9 and Up

A visit to the Museum of Jewish Heritage could not be more timely now that tensions between various groups are skyrocketing and hate crimes are on the rise. You might think of the museum as a Holocaust museum, and it does, in fact, serve that purpose. However, there is much more to it than that. It traces the story of the Jewish people, who they are, their customs, and more. 

It also traces the roots of antisemitism and intolerance starting from way back before World War II because this is not something that began with Hitler and the Nazis. It was around way earlier than that at least as far back as 1096 and perhaps even before that.  It covers these things right up to the present day as they are nowhere near eradicated and currently intolerances of all kinds are more ramped up than ever. 

Of course, a big chunk of the museum is devoted to the Holocaust. It covers not only the Holocaust itself but everything that led up to it, and everything that happened after. It includes a large collection of related objects, pictures, and more.  Numerous stories of individuals are told through these and through videos as well thus making it all more personal and relatable and harder to ignore or forget. They are not just stories of despair but also include stories of courage and little ways people found to resist and/or try to stir up sentiment to fight back. It shows how the world at large even the Americans turned a blind eye to what was happening. 

The museum is recommended for visitors aged 9 and up. It should be required viewing at least for all children of Middle School age and older to remind them of what hate can do which is, in fact, the name of the main exhibit at the Jewish Heritage Museum. While It may be too much for some younger children to handle there is an exhibit at the museum that is more suitable for slightly younger children, an exhibit that is full of hope rather than despair. It shines a light on the good in people and emphasizes their sameness rather than their differences. We will talk more about that in a future post. 

And that's our view. For more about the Museum of Jewish Heritage Museum or to purchase tickets online, visit mjhnyc.org

Tune in tomorrow for Theater Thursday.

All pictures used in this post are our own. If there is a problem with any image, contact us here and we will look into the matter.