Jennifer and Rachel show off their first retired pencils of 2010
Jobi showed her Ravens pride! (Funny, once the Ravens lost that pencil mysteriously disappeared)
Friday, January 29, 2010
Pencil Wars 2010
Our obsession with pencils continues! Who will use the most pencils in 2010? Now that Jenn & Rachel have their own mason jars to fill there might be some serious competition between the three collections managers. Place your bets now; we'll check in regularly to see who is doing the most work (or just the most sharpening!)
Jennifer and Rachel show off their first retired pencils of 2010
Jobi showed her Ravens pride! (Funny, once the Ravens lost that pencil mysteriously disappeared)
Jennifer and Rachel show off their first retired pencils of 2010
Jobi showed her Ravens pride! (Funny, once the Ravens lost that pencil mysteriously disappeared)
Farewell to WINTERN Abby!
Over the past three weeks, I've learned a lot at the museum about how it works and all the organization that goes into it. I got the chance to store the 2009 objects as well as take care of more archives and photographs. It was really interesting to find places for all of these items and to also get an idea of how important it is to have everything so organized. This way it's understandable and accessible for those who need to refer to the items. I really had a great time working at the museum and I'm grateful for such a wonderful and always exciting experience!
--- Abby
--- Abby
This is the cart filled with some of the 2009 items. And these are the shelves with even more 2009 items! Now everything is labeled and in a nice new home!
Drawing on Tradition Closes Sunday!
Drawing on Tradition: The Book of Esther is closing after Sunday, January 31, 2010. It will then travel to Yeshiva University, where it will be on display from 2/21 - 8/15/2010.
Weekly Report 1.29.10
It’s cold outside, but things are heating up inside the Museum as we gear up for our fiftieth anniversary celebrations. Here are some highlights.
EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS
Ilene Dackman-Alon and the rest of the program staff continue to work on our spring, summer, and fall calendars, with special to attention to the upcoming opening of The Synagogue Speaks exhibition on 21 March. Deborah Cardin and Simone Ellin are working with the Lloyd Street Rededication Committee to plan our synagogue rededication events. Simone is working on press materials for The Synagogue Speaks, and Lauren Silberman is designing invitations, press kits, and ads for upcoming programs and exhibitions.
This week, Ilene attended a committee meeting at the Center for Jewish Education for the upcoming community-wide program, The Amazing Race, which will take place on Sunday 2 May. Based on the popular and highly acclaimed reality TV show, the program engages participants in competitive activities that highlight the variety of connections between Baltimore and Israel. The Amazing Race is part of CJE’s Reveal Israel project, funded by the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Fund for the Enrichment of Jewish Education and planned in conjunction with Melitz: Centers for Jewish Zionist Education.
Simone and the web team hired a new vendor, Whiteboard Media, to put the finishing touches on our beautiful new website. Simone also participated in a meeting about the Chosen Food exhibition website.
EDUCATION
Thirty students and parents participating in the Lessons of the Shoah high school interfaith program visited the JMM on Sunday 24 January. During their visit they learned about basic tenets of Judaism through a tour of our historic synagogues led by JMM docent Alvin Fisher. They also participated in small group conversations so that Jewish students could share their personal observances of Judaism with their peers. Our next program is a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum scheduled for Sunday 7 February.
On Monday, City Neighbors Charter School (Baltimore City Public School) brought 15 students and teachers to tour the Museum. On Wednesday, Friendship Heights Community Center brought 21 adults to participate in a tour. On Thursday, Beth Tfiloh brought their 6th graders to see the Lloyd Street Synagogue and the Voices of Lombard Street exhibition as the first stop of a day-long trip through Jewish Baltimore.
Yesterday, 48 teachers participated in a teacher training workshop at the JMM on the topic of Anne Frank and Beyond: Using Diaries to Teach About the Holocaust. Most of the teachers were from Baltimore City public schools, though educators from other school districts, independent schools, Catholic schools, and home school families also attended. Christina Chavarria from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum facilitated the morning sessions. The afternoon portion of the program included a diary making workshop led by local artist Sara Glik, followed by a dramatic reading of Words That Burn Within Me, a book of poetry by Holocaust survivor Hilda Stern Cohen read by her husband Dr. Werner Cohen and friend Rosemary Warschawski. Teachers also had the opportunity to learn about JMM educational programs.
OUTREACH
Deb Weiner gave a presentation to the Friends of Chevrah Thelim in Norfolk, Va., on Sunday, on the topic of Coalfield Jews: Immigration and Continuity.
On Tuesday, Lauren Silberman spoke to 16 current fine arts and art history students at her alma mater, George Washington University, regarding career choices in the arts. She was one of five panelists.
Harvey Schwartz, volunteer and docent both at the JMM and at the United States National Park at Ft. McHenry, gave a talk titled The Jews of Fort McHenry to the Baltimore Lodge of B’nai Brith. The presentation was a program of the JMM Speakers Bureau, which is generously sponsored by Attman’s Delicatessen.
CALLING ALL INTERVIEWERS
A centerpiece of our fiftieth anniversary commemorations is Telling Time, a major oral history initiative. We’re currently recruiting interviewers to help us collect fifty interviews in 2010. The completed interviews will become a permanent part of the Museum’s archive. Response so far has been very positive, but we can always use more interviewers, so please consider participating.
We will be hosting our first oral history training session on Sunday 28 February (snow date 14 March). For more information or to sign up for a training session, please contact Jobi Zink at jzink@jewishmuseummd.org or 410-732-6400, ext. 226.
Best wishes for the weekend.
Anita
EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS
Ilene Dackman-Alon and the rest of the program staff continue to work on our spring, summer, and fall calendars, with special to attention to the upcoming opening of The Synagogue Speaks exhibition on 21 March. Deborah Cardin and Simone Ellin are working with the Lloyd Street Rededication Committee to plan our synagogue rededication events. Simone is working on press materials for The Synagogue Speaks, and Lauren Silberman is designing invitations, press kits, and ads for upcoming programs and exhibitions.
This week, Ilene attended a committee meeting at the Center for Jewish Education for the upcoming community-wide program, The Amazing Race, which will take place on Sunday 2 May. Based on the popular and highly acclaimed reality TV show, the program engages participants in competitive activities that highlight the variety of connections between Baltimore and Israel. The Amazing Race is part of CJE’s Reveal Israel project, funded by the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Fund for the Enrichment of Jewish Education and planned in conjunction with Melitz: Centers for Jewish Zionist Education.
Simone and the web team hired a new vendor, Whiteboard Media, to put the finishing touches on our beautiful new website. Simone also participated in a meeting about the Chosen Food exhibition website.
EDUCATION
Thirty students and parents participating in the Lessons of the Shoah high school interfaith program visited the JMM on Sunday 24 January. During their visit they learned about basic tenets of Judaism through a tour of our historic synagogues led by JMM docent Alvin Fisher. They also participated in small group conversations so that Jewish students could share their personal observances of Judaism with their peers. Our next program is a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum scheduled for Sunday 7 February.
On Monday, City Neighbors Charter School (Baltimore City Public School) brought 15 students and teachers to tour the Museum. On Wednesday, Friendship Heights Community Center brought 21 adults to participate in a tour. On Thursday, Beth Tfiloh brought their 6th graders to see the Lloyd Street Synagogue and the Voices of Lombard Street exhibition as the first stop of a day-long trip through Jewish Baltimore.
Yesterday, 48 teachers participated in a teacher training workshop at the JMM on the topic of Anne Frank and Beyond: Using Diaries to Teach About the Holocaust. Most of the teachers were from Baltimore City public schools, though educators from other school districts, independent schools, Catholic schools, and home school families also attended. Christina Chavarria from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum facilitated the morning sessions. The afternoon portion of the program included a diary making workshop led by local artist Sara Glik, followed by a dramatic reading of Words That Burn Within Me, a book of poetry by Holocaust survivor Hilda Stern Cohen read by her husband Dr. Werner Cohen and friend Rosemary Warschawski. Teachers also had the opportunity to learn about JMM educational programs.
OUTREACH
Deb Weiner gave a presentation to the Friends of Chevrah Thelim in Norfolk, Va., on Sunday, on the topic of Coalfield Jews: Immigration and Continuity.
On Tuesday, Lauren Silberman spoke to 16 current fine arts and art history students at her alma mater, George Washington University, regarding career choices in the arts. She was one of five panelists.
Harvey Schwartz, volunteer and docent both at the JMM and at the United States National Park at Ft. McHenry, gave a talk titled The Jews of Fort McHenry to the Baltimore Lodge of B’nai Brith. The presentation was a program of the JMM Speakers Bureau, which is generously sponsored by Attman’s Delicatessen.
CALLING ALL INTERVIEWERS
A centerpiece of our fiftieth anniversary commemorations is Telling Time, a major oral history initiative. We’re currently recruiting interviewers to help us collect fifty interviews in 2010. The completed interviews will become a permanent part of the Museum’s archive. Response so far has been very positive, but we can always use more interviewers, so please consider participating.
We will be hosting our first oral history training session on Sunday 28 February (snow date 14 March). For more information or to sign up for a training session, please contact Jobi Zink at jzink@jewishmuseummd.org or 410-732-6400, ext. 226.
Best wishes for the weekend.
Anita
Friday, January 22, 2010
Weekly Report 1.22.10
Dear Friends,
Things are heating up here at the Museum in preparation for our 50th Anniversary. Fabrication and media production for our new core exhibition, The Synagogue Speaks, is moving along; preparations for the re-opening of Lloyd Street Synagogue are moving along; and we are making good progress on several of our special Anniversary initiatives. Details on these 50th Anniversary events will be coming weekly in this report, and also in our newsletter, e-blasts, and fliers! Please stay tuned. In the meanwhile, here are some updates on a range of current activities:
LEADERSHIP: We were delighted to host a lively crowd at our January Leadership Luncheon. Trustee Larry Kamanitz welcomed Robert Bogolmony, president of the University of Baltimore; Matthew Melnick, a commercial real estate broker; Al Saval, retired CEO of Saval Foods; and Bill Lewis, a former scholastic athletics director and summer camp administrator. As usual, the conversation was animated and engaged. Lunch was followed by a behind-the-scenes tour and a sneak preview of the restored Lloyd Street Synagogue. Our thanks to Larry and to our distinguished guests.
The JMM Executive Committee met on Monday to review a report on our governance and administration, to consider initial ideas for our FY11 operating budget, and to discuss progress on our 50th Anniversary activities. The meeting, chaired by Vice President Jerry Doctrow, was-as usual-lively and engaged.
SPECIAL GUESTS: Johns Hopkins professor Rob Gamble brought his freshman class for a tour of the Museum on Wednesday. Deb Weiner and Anita Kassof introduced them to the Voices of Lombard Street exhibition. Afterwards, Prof. Gamble wrote: "We very much enjoyed the museum as a whole, and I personally thought the Voices of Lombard Street was fantastic. (I had one student from Manhattan's Lower East Side who was struck by the similarities and differences with her neighborhood.)"
On Sunday, Ilene Dackman-Alon staffed a bris rental-Jacob Harry Blecker was born on Friday 11 January. Mazel Tov to parents Dr. Saul Blecker and Nina Rabinovitch Blecker, along with big sister, Joey Blecker, who regularly attends our Tot Shabbat programs co-sponsored with the JCC. Following the bris, Ilene welcomed the Downtown Jewish Family Network to the JMM, where children and their parents learned about Jewish life a long time ago and we engaged in our Living History Program - Paving Our Way. Downtown families participated in activities, playing the board game, Are We There Yet, practiced making silhouettes, and tried writing with ink and a quill pens.
On Tuesday, Beth Ami brought 20 adult learners to tour the Museum. The following day, Glen Meadows, a senior retirement center from Glen Arm, MD, brought a group to tour the synagogues and exhibits. On Thursday morning, a group of 18 6th graders from Graceland Park (Baltimore City Public School) participated in the Introduction to Judaism program and enjoyed a scavenger hunt in Voices of Lombard Street.
On Friday, the JCC and JMM partnered for a Tot Shabbat program geared for downtown families of very young children. Participants listened to a Shabbat Story, sang and danced to Shabbat songs, and finished the morning with a juice and challah snack. These Tot Shabbat programs are part of the JCC's program, "JCC Beyond the Borders," supported by the The Jacob & Hilda Blaustein Fund for the Enrichment of Jewish Education.
OUTREACH: On Tuesday, 60 residents of Atrium Village were fascinated by JMM Research Historian Deb Weiner's presentation on Coal Field Jews. Her stories of Jewish life of in the small mining towns of West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky were presented for the JMM Speakers Bureau, sponsored by Attman's Delicatessen. Deb's presentation was based on her award winning book of the same title.
MUSEUM SHOP: Esther Weiner has completed the Museum Shop's transition from Chanukah to Purim and Passover. Check out the newest items and add something bright, new and different to your holiday table this year-don't forget a 'little something' for your host or hostess for Seder! Reminder, JMM members receive a 10% discount on shop purchases.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Thursday evening, Lauren Silberman led a teacher training workshop for Baltimore City public school teachers at Mt. Royal Intermediate on the Museum's Introduction to Judaism program.
On 28 January, 8:30am to 3:30pm, the JMM and the BJC will jointly sponsor a Teacher-Training Workshop on Anne Frank and Beyond: Using Diaries to Teach about the Holocaust with Christina Chavarria of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. To register contact pgwynn@baltjc.org or 410-542-4850.
STAFF ACTIVITIES: In my recent review of volunteers and interns working at the Museum, I inadvertently left out Bobbie Hurwitz, who enters collections information and Rose Cohen, who translates materials in our collections. Our thanks to them both.
Deborah Cardin, Jeanette Parmigiani, and Lauren Silberman met with Marcie Taylor-Thoma and Donna Olszewski from the Maryland State Department of Education to begin planning our 6th annual Summer Teachers Institute. Dates for this Holocaust-themed teacher training workshop are August 2-August 5. Plans for this year include an optional fourth day devoted to the topic of interpreting the Holocaust through arts and literature. Deborah Cardin also met with Becky Pepkowitz to discuss plans for a June conference on the topic of Jewish diversity.
Marketing Director Simone Ellin met with representatives from Alter Communications (Style and Jewish Times) to discuss media sponsorship of the Museum's 50th Anniversary events. Simone continues to work with our web-team to bring our re-designed JMM website on-line in the next few weeks. On Wednesday, Program Director Ilene Dackman-Alon met with Jeff Counts, Program Director at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, about possible joint programming during the JMM's Anniversary year. Ilene also attended "Knit One Learn Two" at Chizuk Amuno led by Melton educator Judy Meltzer.
Lauren Silberman spent the past weekend in Boston, MA as her husband attended the American Library Association (ALA) mid-winter conference. She utilized the opportunity to tour several museums. And Curator Karen Falk continued to plan for the design and launch of www.chosenfood.org, a website linked to our Jewish foodways project.
Best wishes to everyone for a peaceful Sabbath and a lovely mid-winter weekend.
Avi
Things are heating up here at the Museum in preparation for our 50th Anniversary. Fabrication and media production for our new core exhibition, The Synagogue Speaks, is moving along; preparations for the re-opening of Lloyd Street Synagogue are moving along; and we are making good progress on several of our special Anniversary initiatives. Details on these 50th Anniversary events will be coming weekly in this report, and also in our newsletter, e-blasts, and fliers! Please stay tuned. In the meanwhile, here are some updates on a range of current activities:
LEADERSHIP: We were delighted to host a lively crowd at our January Leadership Luncheon. Trustee Larry Kamanitz welcomed Robert Bogolmony, president of the University of Baltimore; Matthew Melnick, a commercial real estate broker; Al Saval, retired CEO of Saval Foods; and Bill Lewis, a former scholastic athletics director and summer camp administrator. As usual, the conversation was animated and engaged. Lunch was followed by a behind-the-scenes tour and a sneak preview of the restored Lloyd Street Synagogue. Our thanks to Larry and to our distinguished guests.
The JMM Executive Committee met on Monday to review a report on our governance and administration, to consider initial ideas for our FY11 operating budget, and to discuss progress on our 50th Anniversary activities. The meeting, chaired by Vice President Jerry Doctrow, was-as usual-lively and engaged.
SPECIAL GUESTS: Johns Hopkins professor Rob Gamble brought his freshman class for a tour of the Museum on Wednesday. Deb Weiner and Anita Kassof introduced them to the Voices of Lombard Street exhibition. Afterwards, Prof. Gamble wrote: "We very much enjoyed the museum as a whole, and I personally thought the Voices of Lombard Street was fantastic. (I had one student from Manhattan's Lower East Side who was struck by the similarities and differences with her neighborhood.)"
On Sunday, Ilene Dackman-Alon staffed a bris rental-Jacob Harry Blecker was born on Friday 11 January. Mazel Tov to parents Dr. Saul Blecker and Nina Rabinovitch Blecker, along with big sister, Joey Blecker, who regularly attends our Tot Shabbat programs co-sponsored with the JCC. Following the bris, Ilene welcomed the Downtown Jewish Family Network to the JMM, where children and their parents learned about Jewish life a long time ago and we engaged in our Living History Program - Paving Our Way. Downtown families participated in activities, playing the board game, Are We There Yet, practiced making silhouettes, and tried writing with ink and a quill pens.
On Tuesday, Beth Ami brought 20 adult learners to tour the Museum. The following day, Glen Meadows, a senior retirement center from Glen Arm, MD, brought a group to tour the synagogues and exhibits. On Thursday morning, a group of 18 6th graders from Graceland Park (Baltimore City Public School) participated in the Introduction to Judaism program and enjoyed a scavenger hunt in Voices of Lombard Street.
On Friday, the JCC and JMM partnered for a Tot Shabbat program geared for downtown families of very young children. Participants listened to a Shabbat Story, sang and danced to Shabbat songs, and finished the morning with a juice and challah snack. These Tot Shabbat programs are part of the JCC's program, "JCC Beyond the Borders," supported by the The Jacob & Hilda Blaustein Fund for the Enrichment of Jewish Education.
OUTREACH: On Tuesday, 60 residents of Atrium Village were fascinated by JMM Research Historian Deb Weiner's presentation on Coal Field Jews. Her stories of Jewish life of in the small mining towns of West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky were presented for the JMM Speakers Bureau, sponsored by Attman's Delicatessen. Deb's presentation was based on her award winning book of the same title.
MUSEUM SHOP: Esther Weiner has completed the Museum Shop's transition from Chanukah to Purim and Passover. Check out the newest items and add something bright, new and different to your holiday table this year-don't forget a 'little something' for your host or hostess for Seder! Reminder, JMM members receive a 10% discount on shop purchases.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Thursday evening, Lauren Silberman led a teacher training workshop for Baltimore City public school teachers at Mt. Royal Intermediate on the Museum's Introduction to Judaism program.
On 28 January, 8:30am to 3:30pm, the JMM and the BJC will jointly sponsor a Teacher-Training Workshop on Anne Frank and Beyond: Using Diaries to Teach about the Holocaust with Christina Chavarria of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. To register contact pgwynn@baltjc.org or 410-542-4850.
STAFF ACTIVITIES: In my recent review of volunteers and interns working at the Museum, I inadvertently left out Bobbie Hurwitz, who enters collections information and Rose Cohen, who translates materials in our collections. Our thanks to them both.
Deborah Cardin, Jeanette Parmigiani, and Lauren Silberman met with Marcie Taylor-Thoma and Donna Olszewski from the Maryland State Department of Education to begin planning our 6th annual Summer Teachers Institute. Dates for this Holocaust-themed teacher training workshop are August 2-August 5. Plans for this year include an optional fourth day devoted to the topic of interpreting the Holocaust through arts and literature. Deborah Cardin also met with Becky Pepkowitz to discuss plans for a June conference on the topic of Jewish diversity.
Marketing Director Simone Ellin met with representatives from Alter Communications (Style and Jewish Times) to discuss media sponsorship of the Museum's 50th Anniversary events. Simone continues to work with our web-team to bring our re-designed JMM website on-line in the next few weeks. On Wednesday, Program Director Ilene Dackman-Alon met with Jeff Counts, Program Director at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, about possible joint programming during the JMM's Anniversary year. Ilene also attended "Knit One Learn Two" at Chizuk Amuno led by Melton educator Judy Meltzer.
Lauren Silberman spent the past weekend in Boston, MA as her husband attended the American Library Association (ALA) mid-winter conference. She utilized the opportunity to tour several museums. And Curator Karen Falk continued to plan for the design and launch of www.chosenfood.org, a website linked to our Jewish foodways project.
Best wishes to everyone for a peaceful Sabbath and a lovely mid-winter weekend.
Avi
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Weekly Report 1.15.10
Dear Friends,
While the Big Chill was coming down on us this week, things at the Museum were heating up, especially with regard to preparations for our 50th Anniversary year. The steering committee and staff working on Purim Pandemonium (27 February, right after megillah reading) are moving along; plans for the re-dedication of Lloyd Street Synagogue and the opening of The Synagogue Speaks exhibition are gelling; and we are pushing ahead with two new initiatives, Stories We Live By (Video Interviews) and Telling Time (Oral Histories). Stay tuned for more news of our 50th. Meanwhile, here are some other highlights of the week:
HONORS: Carolyn Schorr of Mount de Sales Academy, a 2009 graduate Lessons of the Shoah, the Blaustein-funded, high school interfaith program, sponsored by The Jewish Museum of Maryland and the Baltimore Jewish Council, has applied for a Spirit of Anne Frank scholarship for her efforts in standing up against intolerance. Carolyn was a leader in the class's team project, Shoes for Darfur, resulting in 125 pairs of new athletic shoes for refugees in Darfur. This year, Carolyn has organized a fundraiser to benefit children in war-torn Uganda through "Invisible Children." Carolyn will speak to the current class at an upcoming session with suggestions for their team project. Lessons of the Shoah is managed by Deborah Cardin and Jeanette Parmigiani.
OUTREACH: On Thursday, Jobi Zink, Jennifer Vess, and intern Abby Lyons de-installed the Museum's Hanukkah exhibition at City Hall. This festival display was seen by hundreds of visitors during the past month.
The JMM Speakers Bureau, sponsored by Attman's Delicatessen, provided four presentations during the past several weeks. On Wednesday 6 January and Sunday 10 January, actress Katherine Lyons portrayed Ida Rehr, in a Leo V. Berger Immigrant's Trunk presentation, to rave reviews from both the Hadassah Organization of Greater Baltimore and residents of the North Oaks Retirement Community. On Saturday 9 January, Deb Weiner, JMM Research Historian, was featured at Shabbat Services at the Beth Israel Congregation in Owings Mills, where she presented on "Baltimore Jewish Women Building a Vibrant Jewish Community." More than 200 receptive congregants enjoyed her presentation. On Sunday 10 January, Barry Lever spoke on the Baltimore Ship Exodus 1947 and its Role in the Establishment of the State of Israel, at a meeting of a Baltimore chavurah.
ORGANIZATIONAL REVIEW: The Museum is wrapping up a review of its administrative, business, HR, IT, and other non-programmatic functions in response to an Associated initiative. This self-study offers the Museum a unique opportunity to examine all of our policies and practices and to refine or upgrade any that merit attention. We are very grateful to the Associated and to Trustees David Liebman, Barry Isaac, Jeff Dreifuss, and Nancy Sherman, and to Anita Kassof, Susan Press, and the many staff who contributed to our initial draft report.
SPECIAL GUESTS: On Wednesday, 13 students with the Elijah Cummings Youth Program attended a presentation by Holocaust survivor Livia Shacter, introduced by Martha Weiman. The event was co-sponsored by the Baltimore Jewish Council. On Thursday, 34 4th graders, teachers, and parents from Garrison Forest watched the Leo V. Berger Immigrant's Trunk: Ida Rehr presented as part of a day-long history program focusing on women. They also visited other historic sites in Baltimore.
COLLECTIONS: This week Archivist Jennifer Vess put the last few touches on the Dr. Herman Seidel Papers (MS 13) which were processed by volunteer Myrna Seigel. Jennifer also wrote the first draft of a finding aid for our newest manuscript collection, MS 181, the Chesapeake Region of Women's American ORT (WA) Publicity Papers, which should be completed next week. One of our researchers this week was Melissa Martens, our former curator, now on the staff of the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City.
SECURITY: During recent months, the Museum has completed installation of several new security measures. Jobi Zink, our security czar, has managed the installation of remote controls for the gate at our staff lot and a number of internal security barriers internally. These measures, funded by Homeland Security, are intended to protect the Museum, our employees, volunteers, visitors, and our irreplaceable collections. This has been a very challenging initiative, and we thank everyone involved for their patience and Jobi for her excellent leadership.
STAFF ACTIVITIES: Barry Lever hosted members of the Manekin family on a VIP visit to the Museum. Jobi Zink conferred with Paul Smith of the American Folk Art Museum about open storage for collections. Susan Press and Sue Foard participated in The Write Way to Communicate - Accurately and Efficiently workshop held at the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg JCC on 7 January, presented by The Darrell D. Friedman Institute for Professional Development at the Weinberg Center. Anita Kassof chaired an Executive Committee meeting of Historic Jonestown.
Karen Falk is working through the nuts and bolts of exhibition development - object checklists, framing estimates, loan agreements, and more - for our spring exhibit, Nancy Patz: Her Inward Eye. Deborah Cardin, Jeanette Parmigiani, and Ilene Dackman-Alon met with Sara Glick to discuss possible future bookmaking workshops in conjunction with upcoming teacher training workshops and family programs. Deb Weiner, Rachel Kassman, and I conferred about the 2009-2010 issue of Generations magazine and commissioned several articles this week. Anita Kassof and other staff members began work on the spring issue of Museum Matters.
Deborah Cardin and Jeanette Parmigiani attended the Association of Holocaust Organizations Winter Conference at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, from 10 - 12 January. Presenters spoke on such topics as the opening of the International Tracing Service, music as a window into the lives of survivors, contextualizing Nazi Propaganda, and current trends in antisemitism. A highlight of the program was a session on the topic of Jewish literary responses to the Holocaust led by former JMM education and program director, Dr. Leah Wolfson, who is a member of the USHMM's Center of Advanced Holocaust Studies.
I wish everyone a peaceful Sabbath and an enjoyable winter weekend.
Avi
While the Big Chill was coming down on us this week, things at the Museum were heating up, especially with regard to preparations for our 50th Anniversary year. The steering committee and staff working on Purim Pandemonium (27 February, right after megillah reading) are moving along; plans for the re-dedication of Lloyd Street Synagogue and the opening of The Synagogue Speaks exhibition are gelling; and we are pushing ahead with two new initiatives, Stories We Live By (Video Interviews) and Telling Time (Oral Histories). Stay tuned for more news of our 50th. Meanwhile, here are some other highlights of the week:
HONORS: Carolyn Schorr of Mount de Sales Academy, a 2009 graduate Lessons of the Shoah, the Blaustein-funded, high school interfaith program, sponsored by The Jewish Museum of Maryland and the Baltimore Jewish Council, has applied for a Spirit of Anne Frank scholarship for her efforts in standing up against intolerance. Carolyn was a leader in the class's team project, Shoes for Darfur, resulting in 125 pairs of new athletic shoes for refugees in Darfur. This year, Carolyn has organized a fundraiser to benefit children in war-torn Uganda through "Invisible Children." Carolyn will speak to the current class at an upcoming session with suggestions for their team project. Lessons of the Shoah is managed by Deborah Cardin and Jeanette Parmigiani.
OUTREACH: On Thursday, Jobi Zink, Jennifer Vess, and intern Abby Lyons de-installed the Museum's Hanukkah exhibition at City Hall. This festival display was seen by hundreds of visitors during the past month.
The JMM Speakers Bureau, sponsored by Attman's Delicatessen, provided four presentations during the past several weeks. On Wednesday 6 January and Sunday 10 January, actress Katherine Lyons portrayed Ida Rehr, in a Leo V. Berger Immigrant's Trunk presentation, to rave reviews from both the Hadassah Organization of Greater Baltimore and residents of the North Oaks Retirement Community. On Saturday 9 January, Deb Weiner, JMM Research Historian, was featured at Shabbat Services at the Beth Israel Congregation in Owings Mills, where she presented on "Baltimore Jewish Women Building a Vibrant Jewish Community." More than 200 receptive congregants enjoyed her presentation. On Sunday 10 January, Barry Lever spoke on the Baltimore Ship Exodus 1947 and its Role in the Establishment of the State of Israel, at a meeting of a Baltimore chavurah.
ORGANIZATIONAL REVIEW: The Museum is wrapping up a review of its administrative, business, HR, IT, and other non-programmatic functions in response to an Associated initiative. This self-study offers the Museum a unique opportunity to examine all of our policies and practices and to refine or upgrade any that merit attention. We are very grateful to the Associated and to Trustees David Liebman, Barry Isaac, Jeff Dreifuss, and Nancy Sherman, and to Anita Kassof, Susan Press, and the many staff who contributed to our initial draft report.
SPECIAL GUESTS: On Wednesday, 13 students with the Elijah Cummings Youth Program attended a presentation by Holocaust survivor Livia Shacter, introduced by Martha Weiman. The event was co-sponsored by the Baltimore Jewish Council. On Thursday, 34 4th graders, teachers, and parents from Garrison Forest watched the Leo V. Berger Immigrant's Trunk: Ida Rehr presented as part of a day-long history program focusing on women. They also visited other historic sites in Baltimore.
COLLECTIONS: This week Archivist Jennifer Vess put the last few touches on the Dr. Herman Seidel Papers (MS 13) which were processed by volunteer Myrna Seigel. Jennifer also wrote the first draft of a finding aid for our newest manuscript collection, MS 181, the Chesapeake Region of Women's American ORT (WA) Publicity Papers, which should be completed next week. One of our researchers this week was Melissa Martens, our former curator, now on the staff of the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City.
SECURITY: During recent months, the Museum has completed installation of several new security measures. Jobi Zink, our security czar, has managed the installation of remote controls for the gate at our staff lot and a number of internal security barriers internally. These measures, funded by Homeland Security, are intended to protect the Museum, our employees, volunteers, visitors, and our irreplaceable collections. This has been a very challenging initiative, and we thank everyone involved for their patience and Jobi for her excellent leadership.
STAFF ACTIVITIES: Barry Lever hosted members of the Manekin family on a VIP visit to the Museum. Jobi Zink conferred with Paul Smith of the American Folk Art Museum about open storage for collections. Susan Press and Sue Foard participated in The Write Way to Communicate - Accurately and Efficiently workshop held at the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg JCC on 7 January, presented by The Darrell D. Friedman Institute for Professional Development at the Weinberg Center. Anita Kassof chaired an Executive Committee meeting of Historic Jonestown.
Karen Falk is working through the nuts and bolts of exhibition development - object checklists, framing estimates, loan agreements, and more - for our spring exhibit, Nancy Patz: Her Inward Eye. Deborah Cardin, Jeanette Parmigiani, and Ilene Dackman-Alon met with Sara Glick to discuss possible future bookmaking workshops in conjunction with upcoming teacher training workshops and family programs. Deb Weiner, Rachel Kassman, and I conferred about the 2009-2010 issue of Generations magazine and commissioned several articles this week. Anita Kassof and other staff members began work on the spring issue of Museum Matters.
Deborah Cardin and Jeanette Parmigiani attended the Association of Holocaust Organizations Winter Conference at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, from 10 - 12 January. Presenters spoke on such topics as the opening of the International Tracing Service, music as a window into the lives of survivors, contextualizing Nazi Propaganda, and current trends in antisemitism. A highlight of the program was a session on the topic of Jewish literary responses to the Holocaust led by former JMM education and program director, Dr. Leah Wolfson, who is a member of the USHMM's Center of Advanced Holocaust Studies.
I wish everyone a peaceful Sabbath and an enjoyable winter weekend.
Avi
Monday, January 18, 2010
Once Upon a Time 1.8.10
The Baltimore Jewish Times publishes unidentified photographs from the collection of Jewish Museum of Maryland each week. Click here to see the most recent photo on their website. If you can identify anyone in these photos and more information about them, contact Jobi Zink, Senior Collections Manager and Registrar at 410.732.6400 x226 or jzink@jewishmuseummd.org.
Date(s) run in Baltimore Jewish Times: 1/8/10
PastPerfect Accession #: 2006.013.1108
Status: Partially Identified. Teenagers around a table and passing a seder plate at a JCC Youth Seder. Left to right: 1. unidentified 2.unidentied 3. Gilbert Kleiner 4. Arnold Tarigan 5. Samuel Esterson 6. unidentified 7. unidentified 8. unidentified
Special thanks to: Morty Esterson, Renee Fromawitz
Date(s) run in Baltimore Jewish Times: 1/8/10
PastPerfect Accession #: 2006.013.1108
Status: Partially Identified. Teenagers around a table and passing a seder plate at a JCC Youth Seder. Left to right: 1. unidentified 2.unidentied 3. Gilbert Kleiner 4. Arnold Tarigan 5. Samuel Esterson 6. unidentified 7. unidentified 8. unidentified
Special thanks to: Morty Esterson, Renee Fromawitz
Once Upon a Time 12.31.09
The Baltimore Jewish Times publishes unidentified photographs from the collection of Jewish Museum of Maryland each week. Click here to see the most recent photo on their website. If you can identify anyone in these photos and more information about them, contact Jobi Zink, Senior Collections Manager and Registrar at 410.732.6400 x226 or jzink@jewishmuseummd.org.
Date(s) run in Baltimore Jewish Times: 12/31/09
PastPerfect Accession #: 2006.013.1076
Status: Identified. Eddie Rogers & Toba (Weinberg) Grant (co-chairs of the carnival) each holding a straw hat in front of a "Purimzappin '77" sign
Special thanks to: Bob Deaner, Carolyn Cooperman, Sharon Sagal, Chana Rogers, Barry Lever, Toba Grant, Ellie Hart, Harriet Cooper
Date(s) run in Baltimore Jewish Times: 12/31/09
PastPerfect Accession #: 2006.013.1076
Status: Identified. Eddie Rogers & Toba (Weinberg) Grant (co-chairs of the carnival) each holding a straw hat in front of a "Purimzappin '77" sign
Special thanks to: Bob Deaner, Carolyn Cooperman, Sharon Sagal, Chana Rogers, Barry Lever, Toba Grant, Ellie Hart, Harriet Cooper
Once Upon a Time 12.24.09
The Baltimore Jewish Times publishes unidentified photographs from the collection of Jewish Museum of Maryland each week. Click here to see the most recent photo on their website. If you can identify anyone in these photos and more information about them, contact Jobi Zink, Senior Collections Manager and Registrar at 410.732.6400 x226 or jzink@jewishmuseummd.org.
Date(s) run in Baltimore Jewish Times: 12/24/09
PastPerfect Accession #: 2006.013.1056
Status: Partially Identified. Three women standing behind a decorated flea market table at a Purim. Ruth Taubman is on the left, Bebe Hirsh in the middle.
Special thanks to: Ruth Taubman
Date(s) run in Baltimore Jewish Times: 12/24/09
PastPerfect Accession #: 2006.013.1056
Status: Partially Identified. Three women standing behind a decorated flea market table at a Purim. Ruth Taubman is on the left, Bebe Hirsh in the middle.
Special thanks to: Ruth Taubman
Friday, January 15, 2010
Purim Pandemonium!
Are you a kingpin or the boss’s bruiser? His moll? His right hand man? Are you a wet-behind-the ears gumshoe or a hard boiled detective? His determined girl Friday, or the femme fatale darkening his door? The Jewish Museum of Maryland (JMM) invites you to express your best “noir self” at this year’s Purim Pandemonium Party – Mystery! Suspense! Danger! A Night in Noir, inspired by the legendary Noir films.
Party-goers over age 21 (with I.D.) can enjoy DJ dance music, open bar and refreshments on Saturday, February 27, 2010 from 9:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Get your tickets at http://www.missiontix.com/index.cfm?venue=-jw or call 410-732-6402 x225 or email rkassman@jewishmuseummd.org!
Tickets are $17 before February 1, $18 before February 26, and $20 at the door. Group discounts are available, call or email for more info.
There will be FREE lot and street parking.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Hi! My name is Megan and I am a brand new “wintern” at The Jewish Museum of Maryland. I am currently taking a year off from my study of psychology at Towson University to get some real world experience. So far, it’s been great here and everyone has made me feel very welcome.
My official title is BHU Photo Intern, so my first week has been spent learning the ins and outs of PastPerfect, software designed to organize all kinds of information that a museum needs to run smoothly, and providing descriptions of photographs in a collection from Baltimore Hebrew University (BHU) to be included in our database. There are a lot of pictures, but I’m very excited to learn about and be a part of the process of integrating them all into our system so that they are readily available.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Weekly Report: 1.8.09
Dear Friends,
This has been a hectic week for the Museum. Anita Kassof, Deb Weiner, and Jennifer Vess have been spending a lot of time completing script and design for our new core exhibition, The Synagogue Speaks, which will open to the public on Sunday 21 March. Other staff have been busy with 50th Anniversary projects ranging from man-on-the-street videos (Karen Falk) to invitations (Lauren Silberman) to our annual Purim Pandemonium (Rachel Kassman). All in all, this is an exciting time of preparation for the Museum's Board, staff, and volunteers. Here are some other highlights:
GIFTS: We are delighted to report a number of recent generous gifts from Judy Langenthal, Barry Lever, Roger Levin, Margaret Nomentana, David Zee and many others. These contributions are essential to sustaining our programs and services and are greatly appreciated, especially in these challenging economic circumstances.
KUDOS: Several members of the JMM staff were awarded certificates for completion of the Me'ah program this past year. Mazel Tov to Deborah Cardin, Simone Ellin, Anita Kassof, Barry Lever, Lauren Silberman, and Esther Weiner on this important achievement. Meanwhile, we have gotten a spate of compliments on the recent issue of Generations magazine, none more welcome than Gil Sandler's encomium: "It is first-class in every way, every word, every line! It has to be among the most interesting, page by page, of any of the Generations ever published."
I am also pleased to announce that Jewish Museum is now an official stop on the Charm City Circulator's Orange Route. The Circulator is a free shuttle bus that takes riders across the city from the B&O Railroad in the west to Harbor East in the east. To educate bus drivers about the various sites along the route, JMM staff gave a brief presentation about our Museum and distributed free passes and exhibition brochures to the drivers.
A photo taken in the Drawing on Tradition exhibition graced the cover of last week's Jewish Times, and our Christmas Day program was mentioned in a JT article. Kudos to our wonderful marketing director, Simone Ellin.
PROGRAMS: More than 40 people visited the JMM on Friday 25 December taking advantage of free admission, exhibition scavenger hunts, and synagogue tours. The best line of the day was from a gentleman who was "happy to have a place to go where he did not have to listen to Christmas music!"
On Wednesday 30 December, the JMM offered a shadow puppet workshop for families as part of our winter break festivities. Led by Molly Ross of Nana Projects, more than 40 children and parents had a wonderful time creating shadow puppets of chickens that they used as part of a puppet performance based on the chickens of the Lombard Street market.
The JMM was invited to participate in Port Discovery's Noontime New Year's on Thursday 31 December. The event featured arts and culture of several countries including Israel. At the JMM booth, families learned how to write their names in Hebrew. Despite the icy weather, the event was well attended and many people who stopped by our booth were interested in learning about the JMM.
This Thursday, Weinberg Park brought 14 seniors to tour Voices of Lombard Street: A Century of Change in East Baltimore. On Friday,the JCC and JMM partnered for a Tot Shabbat program geared for downtown families of very young children. Young children, along with their parents, caregivers and grandparents were actively engaged in songs, stories and a challah snack in connection with the Sabbath. These Tot Shabbat programs and Hands-On Holiday programs are part of the JCC's program, "JCC Beyond the Borders,"funded by the The Jacob & Hilda Blaustein Fund for the Enrichment of Jewish Education.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The Jewish Museum of Maryland joins The Associated and the Baltimore Jewish Council as co-sponsors of Beth Tifloh's exhibition of Centropa in Commemoration of the Liberation of Auschwitz. The exhibit opens on 27 January, the day designated by the United Nations as The International Day of Commemoration to honor victims of the Shoah. This unique exhibit tells the stories of 790 Holocaust survivors through family albums and stories. At the opening ceremony, Edward Serotta, Director of Centropa, will make a special presentation, highlighting features of this remarkable exhibit. The exhibit opens at Beth Tfiloh on 27 January at 7:00 p.m. and will remain there for 10 days.
COLLECTIONS: This week Photo Archivist Rachel Kassman completed cataloging MS 17, began preservation scanning the first box of the 1990 accessioned photographs, and worked on selecting possible images for a traveling exhibition. She also engaged two new "winterns"-Beth Emmerling, a graduate student in the University of Maryland's MLS program, who will be working with her and Jennifer Vess in the library; and Rosemary Fitzsimmons, a senior Art History major from Towson University, who will be working with Rachel in the photo archives. BHU Photo Intern Megan Dalrymple began work this week, preparing binders of readings for interns, doing some readings of her own, beginning training in Past Perfect, and creating photo descriptions for Box 12 of the BHU photo archive.
Senior Collections Manager Jobi Zink reports that five people called in with identifications for our JT featured photograph. She also has received three boxes and two briefcases of archival materials from Brith Shalom for possible accession into the collections.
STAFF ACTIVITIES: On Thursday, Ilene Dackman-Alon attended the Greater Baltimore History Alliance meeting at the Flag House Museum. Museum educators from across the city met to discuss preschool programming. Presentations were given by educators from the Walters Art Museum and Port Discovery and a representatives of each museum spoke programming and ways to collaborate with one another.
On Tuesday, staff from the Historical Society of Frederick County toured the Museum as part of a professional development day in Baltimore. Curator Karen Falk has been working closely with artist-author Nancy Patz on her upcoming exhibit, selecting works for display from her studio collection and from the collections at the Goucher College Library. The exhibition will open this spring and will be titled Nancy Patz: Her Inward Eye.
Special thanks to our interns and volunteers for tremendous effort this week. Best wishes to one and all for a joyous Sabbath and a peaceful mid-winter weekend.
Avi
This has been a hectic week for the Museum. Anita Kassof, Deb Weiner, and Jennifer Vess have been spending a lot of time completing script and design for our new core exhibition, The Synagogue Speaks, which will open to the public on Sunday 21 March. Other staff have been busy with 50th Anniversary projects ranging from man-on-the-street videos (Karen Falk) to invitations (Lauren Silberman) to our annual Purim Pandemonium (Rachel Kassman). All in all, this is an exciting time of preparation for the Museum's Board, staff, and volunteers. Here are some other highlights:
GIFTS: We are delighted to report a number of recent generous gifts from Judy Langenthal, Barry Lever, Roger Levin, Margaret Nomentana, David Zee and many others. These contributions are essential to sustaining our programs and services and are greatly appreciated, especially in these challenging economic circumstances.
KUDOS: Several members of the JMM staff were awarded certificates for completion of the Me'ah program this past year. Mazel Tov to Deborah Cardin, Simone Ellin, Anita Kassof, Barry Lever, Lauren Silberman, and Esther Weiner on this important achievement. Meanwhile, we have gotten a spate of compliments on the recent issue of Generations magazine, none more welcome than Gil Sandler's encomium: "It is first-class in every way, every word, every line! It has to be among the most interesting, page by page, of any of the Generations ever published."
I am also pleased to announce that Jewish Museum is now an official stop on the Charm City Circulator's Orange Route. The Circulator is a free shuttle bus that takes riders across the city from the B&O Railroad in the west to Harbor East in the east. To educate bus drivers about the various sites along the route, JMM staff gave a brief presentation about our Museum and distributed free passes and exhibition brochures to the drivers.
A photo taken in the Drawing on Tradition exhibition graced the cover of last week's Jewish Times, and our Christmas Day program was mentioned in a JT article. Kudos to our wonderful marketing director, Simone Ellin.
PROGRAMS: More than 40 people visited the JMM on Friday 25 December taking advantage of free admission, exhibition scavenger hunts, and synagogue tours. The best line of the day was from a gentleman who was "happy to have a place to go where he did not have to listen to Christmas music!"
On Wednesday 30 December, the JMM offered a shadow puppet workshop for families as part of our winter break festivities. Led by Molly Ross of Nana Projects, more than 40 children and parents had a wonderful time creating shadow puppets of chickens that they used as part of a puppet performance based on the chickens of the Lombard Street market.
The JMM was invited to participate in Port Discovery's Noontime New Year's on Thursday 31 December. The event featured arts and culture of several countries including Israel. At the JMM booth, families learned how to write their names in Hebrew. Despite the icy weather, the event was well attended and many people who stopped by our booth were interested in learning about the JMM.
This Thursday, Weinberg Park brought 14 seniors to tour Voices of Lombard Street: A Century of Change in East Baltimore. On Friday,the JCC and JMM partnered for a Tot Shabbat program geared for downtown families of very young children. Young children, along with their parents, caregivers and grandparents were actively engaged in songs, stories and a challah snack in connection with the Sabbath. These Tot Shabbat programs and Hands-On Holiday programs are part of the JCC's program, "JCC Beyond the Borders,"funded by the The Jacob & Hilda Blaustein Fund for the Enrichment of Jewish Education.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The Jewish Museum of Maryland joins The Associated and the Baltimore Jewish Council as co-sponsors of Beth Tifloh's exhibition of Centropa in Commemoration of the Liberation of Auschwitz. The exhibit opens on 27 January, the day designated by the United Nations as The International Day of Commemoration to honor victims of the Shoah. This unique exhibit tells the stories of 790 Holocaust survivors through family albums and stories. At the opening ceremony, Edward Serotta, Director of Centropa, will make a special presentation, highlighting features of this remarkable exhibit. The exhibit opens at Beth Tfiloh on 27 January at 7:00 p.m. and will remain there for 10 days.
COLLECTIONS: This week Photo Archivist Rachel Kassman completed cataloging MS 17, began preservation scanning the first box of the 1990 accessioned photographs, and worked on selecting possible images for a traveling exhibition. She also engaged two new "winterns"-Beth Emmerling, a graduate student in the University of Maryland's MLS program, who will be working with her and Jennifer Vess in the library; and Rosemary Fitzsimmons, a senior Art History major from Towson University, who will be working with Rachel in the photo archives. BHU Photo Intern Megan Dalrymple began work this week, preparing binders of readings for interns, doing some readings of her own, beginning training in Past Perfect, and creating photo descriptions for Box 12 of the BHU photo archive.
Senior Collections Manager Jobi Zink reports that five people called in with identifications for our JT featured photograph. She also has received three boxes and two briefcases of archival materials from Brith Shalom for possible accession into the collections.
STAFF ACTIVITIES: On Thursday, Ilene Dackman-Alon attended the Greater Baltimore History Alliance meeting at the Flag House Museum. Museum educators from across the city met to discuss preschool programming. Presentations were given by educators from the Walters Art Museum and Port Discovery and a representatives of each museum spoke programming and ways to collaborate with one another.
On Tuesday, staff from the Historical Society of Frederick County toured the Museum as part of a professional development day in Baltimore. Curator Karen Falk has been working closely with artist-author Nancy Patz on her upcoming exhibit, selecting works for display from her studio collection and from the collections at the Goucher College Library. The exhibition will open this spring and will be titled Nancy Patz: Her Inward Eye.
Special thanks to our interns and volunteers for tremendous effort this week. Best wishes to one and all for a joyous Sabbath and a peaceful mid-winter weekend.
Avi
Week 1 of WINTERNS
Hi! I’m Abby and I am working as a collections “wintern” for the next month. I’m a senior at Goucher College here in Baltimore and a Communications major. So far in my winternship I’ve learned the basics of PastPerfect, and worked on the 2007 and 2008 accession records. This gives me the opportunity to see what gifts and donations have been made to the museum over the past couple years and how they are processed in the museum’s system. The gifts are so different, but each is important to Jewish history in Baltimoer. It’s been a great first few days and I look forward to what I’ll do next!
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