Manchester Jewish Museum

Go Back

90 RESULTS

Song-writing Group (16 August)

In this session we will continue to grow and develop our song about Annie Conway and words inspired by stories connected to tea within our collection. From a spot of tea on Cheetham Hill Road, to tea breaks in hat shops and Tennis Clubs, these images have opened up discussions about what a warm cup of tea means to us and may have meant to individuals in the past.
This week we will be exploring musical collaborations, talking about how music shapes our identities and how it shares traditions and cultures. Our inspiration will be Jarak Qaribak, a new collaboration between Israeli musician and artist Dudu Tassa and Radiohead’s English guitarist Jonny Greenwood.
In this session we will be visited by a textile designer and artist Emily Gubbay. She will be showing us how to create colourful patterns on fabric, using plants, flowers and a steaming technique called bundle dyeing. All the flowers Emily uses are UK grown and we will be looking at objects from our collection as colour inspiration! 

Arts Award: Discover In A Day

Come along to our Discover in A Day, a full day of creative activities, and explore beautiful art in our galleries and collection. Get artsy as we draw, make collages and work with ceramic. You will receive an Arts Award certificate and get to go home with your creations!
This session will be co-hosted by Kit Mo, who will show us how to make Lou Hei, a salad popular in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, eaten during Chinese New Year. We will be pairing this dish with another 'New Year recipe', a Syrian Spinach Salad with pomegranates and chopped walnuts, traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year. Join us and see how these two salads come together!

The Crafty Corner: Shoemaking!

In this session we will be continuing to create shoes, inspired by the story of Nathan Seaberg. Don’t worry if this is the first time you are joining us, we are still in the early stages of making and all activities are collaborative so you can join up with some other members of the group to help design a pair of shoes!
This month we will be exploring Jewish stories from Scotland, inspired by a BBC documentary "Being Jewish in Scotland". From the busy Kosher delis at Chanukah, to the history of migration in Scotland and the opportunity to meet both reform and orthodox Rabbis of Glasgow, this portrait celebrates how Jewish and Scottish identities intersect.

Foodie Group: Rugelach!

This month we invite you to join us for a special, Shavuot edition of our Foodie Group workshop. Join us as we play around with different sweet and dairy fillings and bake our own Rugelach together. You will get to go home with some delicious sweet treats! 
Rough Diamonds is Netflix’s latest drama centred on a Haredi Orthodox family that runs a business in Antwerps’s famed diamond district. But what is it about the Haredi community that has now become so fascinating in mainstream culture? Why are people hooked? Bring yourself and an open mind and join us at this month’s Culture Club as we discuss all this and more. 
Do you love to write? Or have an interest in exploring music? Join our Song-writing Group as we work on a new song about Annie Conway, who was a prominent member of the Portuguese and Spanish Sephardi synagogue in Cheetham Hill – now the Manchester Jewish Museum.

Foodie Group: Mejedra with Filis!

Our September session will be co-hosted by Filis Rosenberg who will be showing us how to make a Sephardi dish called Mejedra. Our Foodie Group meet monthly to discuss, cook and eat food inspired by stories from our collection, artists and events we programme, as well as our own members’ heritage and backgrounds. Our workshops are informal, chatty and a chance to meet new people as well as learn about new recipes and cooking traditions.

Make it! Stamps & Symbols

Join us to discover the incredible book of blue-inked stamps in our collection that belonged to the Btesh family, one of the earliest Syrian traders to arrive in Manchester. Inspired by the stamps in the Btesh book, you’ll get to design your very own stamp that reflects your interests – whether that’s football, food or animals!

The Crafty Corner: Shoemaking

This newly launched group is a friendly space where you will get to explore, experiment, and express your creative side. In every workshop we will explore a story from the museum’s collection about a trade or craft and create an artistic response to its themes, craft process or medium.

Song-writing Group (18 July)

Do you love to write? Or have an interest in exploring music? Join our Song-writing Group as we work on a new song about Annie Conway, who was a prominent member of the Portuguese and Spanish Sephardi synagogue in Cheetham Hill – now the Manchester Jewish Museum.
This month we will be looking at some famous Jewish comedians and discussing all things comedy. Is there such thing as solely ‘Jewish Humour’? And what is its influence on modern society? Come on down to our very own café, grab a drink, have a chat and hopefully a laugh as we discuss Jewish comedy. 

Summer at the museum!

Unleash your imagination this summer with our exciting series of creative events designed for families, friends and individuals. Get ready to embark on a journey of fun, learning, and creativity at Manchester Jewish Museum.

Noga Ritter Trio

Following on from her sold-out 2022 Synagogue Nights show, Noga Ritter comes back to Manchester with a newly released album.

Take a Load Off

‘Take a Load Off’ offers museum visitors a taste of Sabbath – the Jewish day of rest, that begins on Friday at sunset and ends on the following evening after nightfall. The Sabbath is a time of gatherings, prayer, song, and eating and talking together. Every Saturday, the Museum will have two special sound installations for […]

MJM marks Holocaust Memorial Day with events co-created with ‘Creative Activists’

This January, Manchester Jewish Museum will mark the international Holocaust Memorial Day with a Museum Open Day involving reflective performances and workshops created with a group of young people called the ‘Creative Activists’. Since 2020, they’ve be working at the museum to explore creative ways of commemorating the Holocaust and connecting lesser heard stories from our collection with local communities.

Looking back on 2022

As 2022 draws to a close we just wanted to reflect on what an incredible year it’s been for the museum and share some of its key highlights. We raise a glass to the New Year and would like to thank our staff, trustees, volunteers, partners and most of all our audiences and supporters, who make our work possible and enable us to make connections and share Jewish stories with the world. 

Manchester Jewish Museum pays tribute to the Queen

We were deeply saddened by the recent news about the death of Queen Elizabeth II. She was a constant in the lives of many in our community and will be missed and remembered by them. We offer our dearest condolences to the Royal Family. Our thoughts are with them now.

Synagogue Nights 2022. MJM once again launches the autumn season of evening performances in the historic former synagogue.

Manchester Jewish Museum will once again be celebrating Jewish music and art with the new season of Synagogue Nights: intimate performances in the 1874 Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue. From the mellow sounds of jazz and entertaining comedy shows to the greatest of classical hits, this season’s line-up celebrates diverse identities within the Jewish community.

Stencl and the Jewish East End – interview with Dr Rachel Lichtenstein

This September, we will be exploring one of Britain's foremost, but now largely forgotten Yiddish poets, Avram Nachum Stencl. The evening event will be hosted by Dr Rachel Lichtenstein, whose grandparents were Polish Jews and who, like Stencl, settled in East London in the 1930s after escaping Nazi persecution. We speak to Rachel about her interest in Stencl's story and works.

Holocaust Memorial Day 2022: why do we commemorate?

To launch our year long Holocaust Memorial Day project in partnership with Imperial War Museums, we asked a group of young people "why do we commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day?". In response they created a powerful poem and film, inspired by the personal stories in our collection.

Music in our Synagogue: our second Synagogue Nights Season of music this March

Manchester Jewish Museum will be celebrating Jewish music with our new season of Synagogue Nights: intimate performances in our stunning 1874 Synagogue. From Klezmer ensembles to Baroque quartets, musical theatre and pop covers to Hebrew world jazz, we are showcasing Jewish music in all its diversity.

Manchester Jewish Museum launches Holocaust Memorial Day project with Imperial War Museums

On Holocaust Memorial Day 2022 we will launch a year-long project that will culminate on Holocaust Memorial Day 2023 with a public event and hosting a travelling exhibition sharing lesser known Holocaust and Second World War stories from across the UK. The project is part of Imperial War Museum’s Second World War & Holocaust Partnership Programme and will be working with local artist Becky Prestwich and young people from across Manchester.

Looking back on 2021

As 2021 draws to a close we just wanted to reflect on what an enormous year it’s been for the museum and some of the highlights. We’re excited for what next year will bring and just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who made it possible.

A more sustainable Manchester Jewish Museum – COP26 update

On Thursday 4 November we were proud to speak at The Carbon Literacy Project's Museum Sector Day as part of the COP26 Conference. We have been working with BuroHappold, Carbon Literacy Project and Museums Development NorthWest to build a more sustainable Manchester Jewish Museum for future generations to enjoy.

Chief Executive Max Dunbar to hand over the new Manchester Jewish Museum

After 10 years and a multi-million redevelopment and reopening, Manchester Jewish Museum Chief Executive Max Dunbar and Chair of the Trustees Andrew Singer QC will step down as they hand over the new museum to someone new, to lead the organisation during the next stage of its journey.

Yankl & Der Beanstalk revives Yiddish Pantomime once more

On Thursday 2 December Manchester Jewish Museum will be transported to the magical lands of Brick Lane and Hampstead with a bawdy and infectiously fun take on a classic Yiddish pantomime. We speak to director Samuel Ranger about how they are hoping to revive Yiddish pantomime for a new generation.

The Memory Map of Jewish Manchester

We are proud to have contributed to the Memory Map of Jewish Manchester. This interactive map shares the stories, histories and memories of the Jewish community who once lived in the Cheetham Hill, Strangeways and Hightown areas of North Manchester between the two world wars.

Weaving the past and present together – Interview with Sophie Ablett

On Thursday 14 October Sophie Ablett and Klein Blue will weave together spoken word and large-scale knitting in 'She Seeks Out Wool' to tell the personal journey of a family, the relatives left behind and how the past can be woven into the present. We speak to Sophie about her work, her knitting expertise and how it felt to explore your own family's history.

A more sustainable Manchester Jewish Museum

Our new museum is more sustainable and energy efficient thanks to the hard work of the structural engineers at Buro Happold. Despite doubling in size, we have reduced our overall energy use and carbon impact by 20% so that our museum may be preserved and enjoyed by future generations.

Our brand new vegetarian Café

Opening on Friday 2 July, Manchester Jewish Museum is delighted to reveal an exclusive “first look” at its brand new museum café and launch menu. Located at the Museum’s new entrance, the museum café will open daily from 10am seven days a week to serve a contemporary vegetarian kosher-style menu.

Our New Gallery

Part of our £6 million redevelopment, our new gallery space will take visitors on a journey through Manchester’s Jewish history to the city’s present day communities and individuals. We spoke to our curator Alex Cropper and Matt Schwab from All Things Studio about the process and what to look out for in our new gallery when you visit.

Second World War and Holocaust Partnership Programme with IWM

Manchester Jewish Museum joins IWM's Second World War and Holocaust Partnership Programme. We will be joining seven other regional partners to engage national audiences with hidden or lesser-known stories from across the country relating to the Second World War and the Holocaust.

A key milestone for Manchester Jewish Museum

A 'key' milestone for Manchester Jewish Museum as the keys for the new museum are now in the firm possession of our Chief Executive Max Dunbar as the building is officially handed over to the staff,

Turner Prize-winner Laure Prouvost at Manchester Jewish Museum

Turner Prize-winning artist Laure Prouvost will unveil a major new work that will transform The Ladies' Gallery in our historic synagogue. 'The long waited, weighted gathering', co-commissioned by Manchester International Festival and Manchester Jewish Museum, will premiere at MIF21 on 2 July 2021.

Manchester Jewish Museum will reopen this July

Manchester Jewish Museum will be opening its doors on Friday 2 July after a multi-million pound development. The new museum includes a new gallery, café, shop and learning kitchen as well as complete restoration of its stunning 1874 synagogue.

Restoring our Synagogue Windows

Restoring one of Manchester's oldest surviving synagogues is no mean feat. Learn about the "pane-staking" process of restoring our 1874 synagogue's stained glass windows with Recclesia stained glass repair specialists.

Passover in our Collection

This Saturday is the beginning of Passover (also known as Pesach or Pesah), one of the most celebrated holidays in Jewish culture and marks the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Learn more about the festival and some of the Passover items in our archives.

The Festival of Purim

Next week is the celebration of the Jewish festival of Purim, also known as the 'Feast of Lots', but do you know the story behind the festival? Find out here, and discover one of the Purim celebration stories from our collection.

Corten and the new museum

You may have spotted the rust-coloured cladding on our new extension as you pass on Cheetham Hill Road. But what is it? Meet corten, an architectural trend bringing the contemporary and the historic together!

Our Creative Activists shine a light on Holocaust Memorial Day

Responding to the Holocaust Memorial Day theme ‘Light the Darkness' our Creative Activists have created their own artwork in response to stories from our collections and from speaking to local community members about their own relationship to the Holocaust. They have created a film to share their experiences, artwork and the stories and inspiration behind them.

Designing a “place for conversation”

As we look ahead to our reopening in 2021, architect Katy Marks from Citizens Design Bureau speaks about her inspiration and process for creating a museum that reflects the diversity of Manchester's Jewish Communities and creates a space for sharing and connection.

Time Capsule Discovery

Our builders have made an astonishing discovery of a time capsule hidden in the historic synagogue’s walls. The sealed glass jar was discovered by a builder hidden deep in a wall cavern within our synagogue. Filled with money, synagogue papers and newspapers, these original artefacts are dated from the synagogue's foundation in 1873.