The Jewish Children's Museum

Upcoming Events

Jewish Holidays

Stroll through a replica of an old-fashioned shtetl—a village—to explore the Jewish holiday cycle. Weave your way in and out of storefronts and homes, peer through windows and visit “outdoor” displays. Investigate a shofar-maker’s workbench. Sit in a beautifully decorated sukkah, and “shop” for the ... [ + ]perfect lulav and etrog. Press olive oil for Chanukah and become a news correspondent in a real newsroom in order to publicize the miracle of Chanukah. Retell the Purim story with puppets, and search for information on a large, interactive Passover Seder plate with plenty to lift up, look under, and flip open. Play a virtual reality bow-and-arrow game for Lag B’Omer, and try writing your name in Hebrew like a Torah scribe (an easy to follow chart shows you exactly what to do).
Chanukah Newsroom — As part of the holiday exhibits, visitors will learn about the miracle of Chanukah. One aspect of observing Chanukah is to publicize the miracle—this is why we light menorahs near a window. Children will get to do this in the museum by becoming television newscasters! Video monitors will feature a news anchor reporting on the “breaking news” of the Maccabees revolt against the Syrians. He will then cut to field anchors for reports. Museum visitors will then be prompted, with easy-to-follow instructions, to record their own 60-second reports, which they can make up or read from a monitor. These segments will then be integrated into the “newscast.”

Kosher Supermarket

Enjoy role-playing fun and gain an understanding of the basics of the Jewish dietary laws. Stock up on kosher products with scaled-down shopping carts, artificial food, working scales and checkout scanners. At the checkout scanner, instead of ringing up prices, answer questions about various items o... [ + ]n a touch-screen monitor.

Kosher Kitchen

With the shopping done, it’s time to head to the kosher kitchen. Sort the two sets of dishes and utensils into the appropriate cupboards.
Open the refrigerator and get a real surprise—it talks! And it has a great sense of humor too! Set the table for Shabbat dinner, and watch a kosher cooking show ... [ + ]featuring real kids as chefs.

World of Good

With a city skyline as a backdrop, explore fundamental good deeds that are universal to people of all faiths yet are grounded in biblical teachings, including honoring parents and teachers, faith, charity, visiting the sick, watching one’s speech, and respecting animals and resources. Play “pushke-p... [ + ]inball” to give charity to a worthy cause. Create a get-well card for children in a local hospital. Figure out the path through a maze by identifying the proper way to behave towards parents and teachers.