 Established in 1976, and situated
on Philadelphia's Independence Mall, the National Museum of American
Jewish History is the only Museum in the nation dedicated exclusively
to collecting, preserving and interpreting artifacts pertaining to the
American Jewish experience.
The Museum serves as an important resource for information about Jewish
life and culture, exposing visitors to American Jewish history through
its changing exhibitions and complementary programming.
The
Museum's collection, numbering only 40 objects in its first year, has
grown to more than 20,000 artifacts which resonate with the history of
more than 350 years of American Jewish life.
The
Museum annually attracts over 40,000 individuals, one third of whom are
not Jewish. Visitors come from the Greater Philadelphia region, which
includes Philadelphia and its suburbs, New Jersey and Delaware, as well
as from throughout the United States and countries around the world.
The Museum is committed to serving audiences of all ethnic and racial
backgrounds. In the interest of broadening its audience, the Museum
presents programs exploring not only Jewish life but also issues of
American ethnic identity, history, art and culture, often in
conjunction with co-sponsors. Program co-sponsors have included the
Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum, People's Light and
Theatre Company, University of the Arts and WOMEN'S WAY.
By focusing on the particular experiences of one ethnic group and its
relationship with the larger society, the Museum illuminates ethnicity
in American life. Its location at the birthplace of American liberty is
ideal for an institution that celebrates the freedoms that have made it
possible for Jewish Americans to flourish.
The Museum shares its location with historic Congregation
Mikveh Israel, one of the first organized Jewish
congregations in this country, and is known as the "Synagogue of the
American Revolution."
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