| The Museum will unfold like a great symphony with these four
questions recurring as themes and variations, sometimes harmonic,
sometimes contrapuntal, sometimes dissident, building upon and
complementing one another, blending into a single organic, felt
experience.
How
Wide the Freedom?
For much of Jewish history, Jews had their freedom restricted. Forced
to live in their own communities, their geographic and economic
opportunities were limited. In America, they have the right to live
wherever they want, and work at any job for which they are qualified.
How did that happen?
How
Do You Maintain Freedom?
For much of Jewish history, Jews could not act in their own interests
to advance their own freedom. In America, Jews could come to stand up
for their own rights as citizens and Jews. Why did that happen?
What
Impact did the Jewish Struggle for Freedom Have on America?
Jews were always part of the American conversation about freedom,
experimenting with its possibilities, testing and pushing its
boundaries. How did the struggle of American Jews for freedom affect
other minorities in America? What impact did their struggle have on the
idea of freedom itself?
What
are the Blessings of Freedom and What are its Costs?
For much of Jewish history, the majority of Jews did not have the
freedom to determine their own destiny. In America, Jews would be free
to develop their unique gifts. But, how would they resolve the tension
between being Jewish and being American, between identity and
adaptation? How would they preserve Judaism in an environment of
freedom – where they could even choose, if they wanted, to not be
Jewish?
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