Museum of the History of Polish Jews
ul. Anielewicza 6
00-157 Warsaw
Poland
- Arts
- Democracy and community development
- Heritage
- Human rights
- International/Cultural relations
- Religion
- Research
- Youth and education
The Museum of the History of Polish Jews - a center for education and culture - is dedicated to preserving the lasting legacy of Jewish life in Poland and of the civilization created by Polish Jews over the course of a millennium. The Museum will foster respect for Jewish tradition and culture and stimulate dialogue in the spirit of mutual acceptance and tolerance. The Museum is the first and only museum to focus on the millennium-long history of Polish Jews. Located on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews will take its place alongside the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington, D.C.) and Yad Vashem (Jerusalem) as one of the most important institutions of its kind. The Museum of the History of Polish Jews will also provide Poland's capital city with a new multifunctional cultural institution that will set a standard for museums internationally. The Museum of the History of Polish Jews will be a forum, a place for dialogue and civic engagement. It will inspire visitors to reflect on the personal and historical significance of the civilization of Polish Jews and to take action to preserve this legacy for future generations. It will confront hatred and promote moral responsibility and democratic values. As an international educational institution, the Museum will provide a unique learning environment through a cutting-edge multimedia narrative exhibition, lively public programs, a resource center, educational programs, and collaborative projects. Polish visitors will see their history and the places where they live today in a new way. For Jews across the globe, so many of whom have roots in Poland, the Museum will add depth to their visit to Poland and to their understanding of the Holocaust by presenting not only how Jews died, but also how they lived. All visitors will discover the vibrant civilization of what was once the largest Jewish community in the world and the center of the Jewish Diaspora.
EXHIBITIONS
The Core Exhibition
The attendance in 2015 amounted to nearly 320 000 people. We offered a number of ways of visiting the exhibition, dedicated to different audiences and a variety of tools to assist in the visit, including:
▪ curator tours,
▪ individual visit along a thematic track,
▪ audio guides in 10 languages,
▪ printed guides in mini and micro version,
▪ educational workshops combined with a tour.
We are constantly working on the modification and enrichment of the offer.
Top temporary exhibitions
“Roman Vishniac: Photography, 1920–1975”, 8.05–31.08.2015
An exhibition of the works by one of the most important photographers showing the lost world of the Polish Jews.
“Wojciech Wilczyk: (in)visible”, 23.10.2015–4.01.2016
Photographs showing the preserved synagogues and their functions today.
“Frank Stella and Synagogues of Historic Poland”, 19.02 – 20.06.2016
A presentation of the work of a prominent American abstractionist inspired by the architecture of synagogues in former Poland.
Travelling exhibitions
“They Risked their Lives. Poles who saved Jews during the Holocaust”
Travelling exhibition shown for the first time at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, December 3, 2013. Its purpose was to present the phenomenon of the Polish Righteous Among the Nations and the historical context of their choices, including circumstances and scale of help given to the Jews. The exhibition is based on a unique collection of testimonies from the Righteous as well as Holocaust survivors. It was prepared by the POLIN Museum in collaboration with the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a view to present it at the Polish diplomatic and cultural institutions. It was presented in 10 countries, 43 places in seven language versions, including English, German and Spanish.
"Museum on Wheels"
The Museum on Wheels is a mobile educational exhibition presenting the history and culture of Polish Jews, which will travel around Poland from June 2014 until April 2016. We will visit nearly 50 small towns (up to 50 thousand inhabitants) across the country, as well as a number of festivals. The exhibition will be accompanied by different educational activities animated by the Museum’s educators and local leaders – including workshops, discussions, film screenings, and activities in urban space. The aim of the project is to teach audiences about the age-long coexistence of Polish and Jewish culture, and to support local leaders involved in Polish-Jewish dialogue and the protection of Jewish heritage.
ONLINE PUBLICATIONS
Virtual Shtetl www.sztetl.org.pl
An internet platform devoted to documenting local Jewish history across Poland – from small towns to large cities, launched in 2009. The website features archival and contemporary material such as documents, maps, mementos, photographs and recordings. The project fosters a web-based community of local contributors who are passionate about Polish Jewish heritage. Thanks to the knowledge gathered, young people, students, individuals – even from the smallest towns, as well as descendants of Polish Jews scattered around the world can discover and research hitherto unknown history. The website is available in English, German and Hebrew, and can supplement traditional forms of education, allowing visitors to become involved in the creation of a virtual research database.
Polish Righteous – Recalling Forgotten History http://www.sprawiedliwi.org.pl
A project dedicated to Polish Righteous Among the Nations - people who helped Jews during the Holocaust, risking their own lives and the lives of their families. Stories of rescue are documented and presented on the portal. The research covers both Poland and Israel. Interviews with witnesses of history – rescuers, rescued and wit-nesses of rescue – are conducted by trained researchers. These meetings are preceded by meticulous preliminary research. We use accounts collected after the War, stored in archives.
Central Judaica Database http://judaica.polin.pl
The Central Judaica Database is an internet database featuring artifacts and documents related to Jewish culture, scattered throughout Poland and around the world. The Database contains descriptions and photographs of over (5200) objects from 11 Polish institutions. Most items in the collection come from private donors. They include, above all, family mementos, photographs, documents, items of daily use, letters and memoirs.
CONFERENCES
“Jewish Cultural Heritage. Projects, Methods, Inspirations”, 8-10.06.2016
The conference explored issues related to Jewish cultural heritage in contemporary Europe – preservation, animation, engagement, and impact. The project was supported by the EEA 2009-2014 Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2009 – 2014 as part of the bilateral cooperation.
“In the circle of Peretz”, 07-10.09.2015
An international conference devoted to Isaac Leib Peretz, the father of Yiddish literature, organized on the 100th anniversary of Peretz’s death.
GLOBAL EDUCATION OUTREACH PROGRAM (GEOP)
GEOP was established in May 2015 as a project of the Museum of POLIN funded Taube Foundation for Jewish Life and Culture, The William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation and the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute in Poland. The aim of GEOP is to promote the study of the history and culture of Polish Jews in the international environment by supporting research and scientific exchange. It consists of scholarships doctoral and post-doctoral, doctoral nationwide seminars, scientific workshops and guest lectures visiting researchers, and academic conferences and seminars. The program is aimed at researchers in different stages of careers and different disciplines, including history, political science, literature, history of art, musicology, theater studies, philosophy, religion, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies and law, whose research interests include issues related to the history and culture of Jews in Poland.
JEWISH CULTURAL HERITAGE PROJECT 2013-2016
The main aim of the Jewish Cultural Heritage project is to enable the public to draw inspiration from the thousand-year historic experience of Polish Jews. Our goal is to promote tolerance and to educate young people on how to live in today’s multicultural society in which different groups, customs, practices and religions function side by side.
Activities organized within the framework of the project are largely addressed to children and young people from Poland and other countries, as well as teachers and educators. Persons with limited access to culture, including those with disabilities, are also an especially important target group.
The project will involve various types of educational formulas: free programs for schools and teachers, photography, theatrical and music workshops, meetings, panel discussions, city initiatives, exhibitions, artistic residencies, publications and applications for mobile devices. Internet projects such as a virtual tour of the Museum and contemporary Jewish Warsaw or an interactive educational game for children are a special part of the project.
The project is supported from the Norway and EEA Grants by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
The Museum of the History of Polish Jews is a highly innovative and ambitious institution.
The Museum received the 2016 European Museum of the Year Award. This prestigious award goes to a European museum which contributes most directly to attracting audiences and satisfying its visitors with unique atmosphere, imaginative interpretation and presentation, a creative approach to education and social responsibility. The jury recognized the Museum as a whole – its architecture, compelling core exhibition, its exceptional educational, cultural, and artistic programs, its impact, and the quality that it brings to everything that it does.
The Museum was also awarded the European Museum Academy Prize. The jury recognized the outstanding results of our institution in creating pioneering museum that carries on projects of European relevance.
Being the most innovative and technically advanced museum in Poland, we gladly support new museum projects in Poland. Our staff often offers technical and IT consulting, as well as advise on the use of new media. As a member of the Association of Jewish European Museums, we also offer expert knowledge to the museums abroad.
The diversity and variety of our activities and the scope of our aims and goals makes us an institution with an impact. We will gladly share our knowledge and experience with other members of the Anna Lindh Foundation Network in Poland.
The Museum of the History of Polish Jews concentrates on promoting the idea of tolerance in Polish society and building bridges between different cultures. We would like to join the ALF Network to become part of a group of like-minded institutions that work together to improve mutual respect between cultures and support civil society.
We hope that by becoming part of the ALF Network we will have direct contact with modern cultural and civil society institutions, especially those specializing in the heritage of Polish Jews, and the history of the Diaspora, cooperate with them in the organization of major events and impact on mutual perceptions of education, culture and media. We would like to contribute to the work of the Anna Lindh Foundation in creation of a space of peace, and to bridge the gaps in mutual perceptions as well as promote diversity and coexistence.