A
Living Memorial to the Holocaust
18 1st Place in Battery Park
City
(212) 968-1800
www.mjhnyc.org
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Inside
Tips
Located at 18 1st
Place in Battery Park City, the Museum of Jewish Heritage is a
disturbingly informative tribute to the more than six million
Jews who perished in the Holocaust. While the sensitive nature
of the museum may be a concern to those with children, the
experience of visiting is one that should be undertaken by
everyone. Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the
Holocaust is not to be confused with the Jewish Museum on Museum
Mile, a museum dedicated to history of Judaism rather than the
holocaust exclusively.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage is
downtown’s newest museum, opened in 1997 after over fifteen
years of planning. The Kevin Roche-designed granite structure is
three stories high and hexagonal, resembling a Star of David and
overlooking Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park. Inside, three floor of
exhibits await all visitors, demonstrating the resilience and
dynamism of 20th-century Jewish culture. These
exhibits are themed and separated; more detail will be given in
the paragraphs below.
The first floor contains
artifacts of early 20th-century Jewish life, such as
wedding invitations, tools used by traders, and other personal
items of interest. The second floor is themed "The War
Against the Jews," and details the rise of Nazism in
Germany, as well as the horrifying ravages of the actual
Holocaust. A word of caution: this is a particularly disturbing
exhibit, so use discretion with the young ones and expect to be
affected…it’s very powerful. Signs of hope are displayed,
including the trumpet that Auschwitz inmate Louse Bannet,
sometimes called "The German Louis Armstrong" played
for three years while imprisoned. The third floor deals with
postwar Jewish life and is devoted to Jewish renewal. The last
gallery leads into a room, often well-lit, with several windows
overlooking the harbor and the Statue of Liberty. The serene
setting is a good place to reflect and is a very appropriate end
to the tour.
For more
information, please call (212) 968-1800. Tickets are $7. The
museum is open Sunday through Wednesday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm,
Thursday from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, and Fridays and the eve of
Jewish holidays from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.
