September 15, 2009
Only In America Results Edition
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Eighteen Jewish Americans Chosen
The 18 individuals who will be featured in the gallery are Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, Louis Brandeis, Albert Einstein, Mordecai Kaplan, Sandy Koufax, Estée Lauder, Emma Lazarus, Isaac Leeser, Golda Meir, Jonas Salk, Rose Schneiderman, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Henrietta Szold, and Isaac Mayer Wise.
During a one-month period, July 8 through August 6, 2009, the Museum invited the public to vote on the 18 to be included in the Gallery from a list of 218 possible candidates. More than 209,000 votes were cast from 56 countries on the Museum's Only in America® website, which can be accessed at www.nmajh.org.
The 218 candidates were drawn from eight categories: Arts & Entertainment; Business & Philanthropy; Literature; Performance; Politics, Law & Activism; Religion & Thought; Science & Medicine; and Sports. The Museum selected for inclusion in the Gallery the person who received the most votes in each category.
In addition to the public's recommendations, the Museum's historians and curators worked to ensure that the group reflected Jews' 350 years of history in the United States and the diverse fields in which they have been involved.
"The public played a significant role in how the Museum chose the first group of individuals we are honoring in our Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame," said Michael Rosenzweig, the Museum's president and CEO. "The 18 finalists represent a consensus between the public vote and the Museum's
historians and curatorial staff. We wanted the public's input on who should be recognized for their accomplishments in a major museum exhibition and they made excellent choices."
"In addition to the public response to the voting, we're very pleased with the educational aspects of the poll," Rosenzweig said. "Thousands of people came to the site and learned about the contributions of 218 distinguished American Jews to our society. There were debates about the merits of some of the candidates and the inclusion or exclusion of others, and that's exactly the kind of dialogue we plan to encourage in our new Museum.
"The Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame will be a space that inspires visitors," Rosenzweig continued. "It will celebrate the lives and
achievements of 18 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."
To be located on the first floor of the Museum's future home on Independence Mall, the Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame will be a landmark museum experience, featuring major film productions, original artifacts, and an interactive database.
Additional individuals will be added to the Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame in the coming years. All 218 individuals included in the public vote will 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. The Only in America® website will remain live for visitors to use and explore. Visitors to the site can continue submitting names of people that they believe should be included in the Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame database.
The Museum's academic historians are led by Dr. Jonathan Sarna, the Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University, and include Dr. Pamela S. Nadell, the inaugural Patrick Clendenen Professor of History and Director of the Jewish Studies Program at American University; Dr. Beth S. Wenger, Associate Professor of History and Director of the Jewish Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania; Dr. Michael Berenbaum, a writer, lecturer, and teacher consulting in the conceptual development of museums and Director of the Sigi Ziering Institute at the American Jewish University: and Dr. Josh Perelman who serves as the Museum's Historian and Deputy Director of Programming.
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.
The National Museum of American Jewish History is constructing a new 100,000-square-foot, five-story building on Independence Mall that will stand directly across from the Liberty Bell, one block south of the National Constitution Center, and one block north of the birthplace of American liberty, Independence Hall.
Eighteen Jewish Americans Chosen
Gallery to Feature Remarkable Individuals
Aided by a public vote and its esteemed panel of academic historians, the National Museum of American Jewish History has selected 18 distinguished Jewish Americans to be the first to be included in the Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame, which will be a signature component of the core exhibition when the new Museum opens in November 2010.
Aided by a public vote and its esteemed panel of academic historians, the National Museum of American Jewish History has selected 18 distinguished Jewish Americans to be the first to be included in the Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame, which will be a signature component of the core exhibition when the new Museum opens in November 2010.The 18 individuals who will be featured in the gallery are Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, Louis Brandeis, Albert Einstein, Mordecai Kaplan, Sandy Koufax, Estée Lauder, Emma Lazarus, Isaac Leeser, Golda Meir, Jonas Salk, Rose Schneiderman, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Henrietta Szold, and Isaac Mayer Wise.
During a one-month period, July 8 through August 6, 2009, the Museum invited the public to vote on the 18 to be included in the Gallery from a list of 218 possible candidates. More than 209,000 votes were cast from 56 countries on the Museum's Only in America® website, which can be accessed at www.nmajh.org.
The 218 candidates were drawn from eight categories: Arts & Entertainment; Business & Philanthropy; Literature; Performance; Politics, Law & Activism; Religion & Thought; Science & Medicine; and Sports. The Museum selected for inclusion in the Gallery the person who received the most votes in each category.In addition to the public's recommendations, the Museum's historians and curators worked to ensure that the group reflected Jews' 350 years of history in the United States and the diverse fields in which they have been involved.
"The public played a significant role in how the Museum chose the first group of individuals we are honoring in our Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame," said Michael Rosenzweig, the Museum's president and CEO. "The 18 finalists represent a consensus between the public vote and the Museum's
historians and curatorial staff. We wanted the public's input on who should be recognized for their accomplishments in a major museum exhibition and they made excellent choices.""In addition to the public response to the voting, we're very pleased with the educational aspects of the poll," Rosenzweig said. "Thousands of people came to the site and learned about the contributions of 218 distinguished American Jews to our society. There were debates about the merits of some of the candidates and the inclusion or exclusion of others, and that's exactly the kind of dialogue we plan to encourage in our new Museum.
"The Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame will be a space that inspires visitors," Rosenzweig continued. "It will celebrate the lives and
achievements of 18 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."To be located on the first floor of the Museum's future home on Independence Mall, the Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame will be a landmark museum experience, featuring major film productions, original artifacts, and an interactive database.
Additional individuals will be added to the Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame in the coming years. All 218 individuals included in the public vote will 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. The Only in America® website will remain live for visitors to use and explore. Visitors to the site can continue submitting names of people that they believe should be included in the Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame database.The Museum's academic historians are led by Dr. Jonathan Sarna, the Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University, and include Dr. Pamela S. Nadell, the inaugural Patrick Clendenen Professor of History and Director of the Jewish Studies Program at American University; Dr. Beth S. Wenger, Associate Professor of History and Director of the Jewish Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania; Dr. Michael Berenbaum, a writer, lecturer, and teacher consulting in the conceptual development of museums and Director of the Sigi Ziering Institute at the American Jewish University: and Dr. Josh Perelman who serves as the Museum's Historian and Deputy Director of Programming.
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.
The National Museum of American Jewish History is constructing a new 100,000-square-foot, five-story building on Independence Mall that will stand directly across from the Liberty Bell, one block south of the National Constitution Center, and one block north of the birthplace of American liberty, Independence Hall.
posted by nmajh @ 9/15/2009 
