In an effort to keep the public safe, Jewish Museum Milwaukee is temporarily closed. We are monitoring the situation closely and look forward to opening our doors.
We know how important at-home learning experiences will be during this challenging time and will be providing a number of free at-home learning resources for adults and children alike.
Social distancing through Social Media. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
The Girl in the Diary: Searching for Rywka from the Łódź Ghetto
JMM’s current exhibit, The Girl in the Diary: Searching for Rywka from the Łódź Ghetto, tells the story of one girl’s experience in the Łódź Ghetto during the Nazi occupation. It shares her dreams, her thoughts, her loneliness, fears and challenges. Rabbinical, sociological and historical commentary all written by women, give context to Rywka’s diary.
If you have not been able to see this exceptional exhibit in person, please view our virtual tour with education director, Ellie Gettinger.
Upcoming Exhibits
Luba Lukova: Designing Justice
June 5 – September 27, 2020
Opening Preview: Thursday, June 4, 7:00 PM
Designing Justice highlights the art of Luba Lukova, an artist and designer who creates thought-provoking posters that address essential themes of humanity and injustice worldwide. Through indelible metaphors she helps visitors develop an empathetic understanding for social and cultural issues that she hopes will catalyze action and change the world. Luba Lukova is a New York-based artist and designer known for her work using simple, bold designs to convey powerful messages.
Past Exhibits
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Student Curricula
JMM has created a number of curricula to build an understanding of Jewish history, culture, and practice. Even though several of these lessons are connected with specific exhibits that are no longer on display at Jewish Museum Milwaukee, they still provide great ways of understanding unique stories about Jewish life in Wisconsin and beyond.
Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare: This curriculum includes an introduction to the Hollywood Blacklist, complete with a glossary and timeline. It provides assignments related to civil liberties and censorship. There are also lessons that connect with the exhibit’s introductory video.
Stitching History from the Holocaust: This exhibit highlights the story of a simple letter and 8 dress designs that were sent to Milwaukee in 1939 in the hopes of the creator getting visas to escape the Holocaust. JMM created an original intro video for this exhibit, and Milwaukee Public Television produced a short documentary about the making of the exhibit. Additionally, JMM featured the artists at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater Costume Shop who meticulously stitched the dresses recreated in this traveling exhibit.
Mildred Fish Harnack: The Story of a Wisconsin’s Women’s Resistance: Milwaukee’s Mildred Fish Harnack was the only American executed on direct orders of Adolf Hitler. She was part of an underground network of Germans trying to take down the Nazi regime. Learn more about this remarkable woman through her letters to her mother and this remarkable PBS documentary.
Exclusionary Measures: Explore the antisemitism that led to the creation of Mount Sinai Hospital and Brynwood Country Club. A number of arenas like higher education, social clubs, and professions like law and medicine, limited Jewish involvement during the 20th Century. Check out these Milwaukee examples to understand the broader scope of this exclusion. This curriculum includes some very timely information about American eugenics philosophy and the way it impacted legislation in the 1920s.
From Pushcarts to Professionals: The Evolution of Jewish Business in Milwaukee: Jewish businesses have grown and changed from small fruit stands to massive national chains. Learn about Milwaukee leaders like Nate Zelazo and Harry Soref whose ingenuity changed the way we fly airplanes and lock up.
Understanding Jewish Immigration to Milwaukee: Explore the history of Jewish immigration to Milwaukee including with the five waves of immigration and the challenges that new Jewish emigres faced coming to the United States. Experience actual immigration stories taken from the Museum’s Oral Histories Archive and other primary sources. Includes The Settlement Cook Book, Golda Meir, Central European Immigration, Eastern European Immigration, Holocaust-related Immigration, and Soviet Immigration.
Judaism FAQ: A, by no means comprehensive, list about everything Jewish, but a great way to learn some basics about Jewish history and religious practice.
Explore Our Online Archives
Museum Moments via Facebook: Education director, Ellie Gettinger, will be sharing moments from Jewish history during the coming weeks via Facebook Live. Tune in Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 2:00 PM for a Museum Moment. These videos will also be archived and can be found on our Facebook page.
Youtube: You can find more great resources including past programs, behind the scenes video from Stitching History From the Holocaust, introductory videos from past exhibits and a host of other videos created by Jewish Museum Milwaukee.
Blog: Jewish Museum Milwaukee’s blog covers topics from Chanukah in Argentina to The National Mah Jongg League and the making of the card, to Israeli Olympians, to Jewish featherweight boxer Joey Sangor, to the Hollywood Blacklist, and so much more!
Milwaukee Jewish Timeline: The Milwaukee Jewish Timeline covers more than 150 years of Jewish history in Milwaukee starting in 1842. The timeline includes a variety of original images, illustrations and publications.