Manchester Jewish Museum

On Thursday, 23 April,  Manchester Jewish Museum will host 'Solomon', a new biographical solo play written by Stuart Eggleton and directed by Joseph Winer. The play tells the extraordinary story of Simeon Solomon, a brilliant, boundary-pushing queer Jewish artist at the heart of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. From his meteoric rise in the art world to the public scandal that shattered his career, Solomon’s story is both inspiring and devastatingly relevant. Ahead of the show, we spoke to Stuart and Joseph about the incredible story behind this play.

On Sunday, 7 December, the museum will host an intimate solo performance by acclaimed Israeli singer, Bat Ella. In this interview we talk about her musical journey, finding her Jewish identity and her upcoming Chanukah concert. 

On May 1st, International Workers’ Day, Manchester Jewish Museum will host a performance of “Chopped Liver and Unions”, a one-woman play which tells the remarkable but largely forgotten story of Sara Wesker, a trailblazing trade unionist who led the “singing strikers” of 1928, stood on the barricades at Cable Street, and fought tirelessly for East End garment workers. Ahead of the show, we spoke to performer Lottie Walker about the incredible story behind this play. 

On Thursday, 31 October, the museum will welcome Irit Dekel, a talented singer-songwriter whose gentle music spans various eclectic genres, from folky jazz to indie alternative. In this interview we talked about what inspires Dekel to write and compose and what we can expect from her upcoming show as part of Synagogue Nights. 

We are excited to announce our 2024 programme of our audiences’ much-loved Synagogue Nights: a series of intimate performances in our 150-year old former Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue. Starting this October, you can see theatre shows and live music, with shows celebrating Jewish art in all its diversity.

On Mother’s Day, Sunday, 10 March, Manchester Jewish Museum will welcome Noga Ritter, an Israel-born, London-based eclectic singer-songwriter, for a performance in the museum’s 150-year-old Spanish & Portuguese synagogue. Noga’s new album “Ima” (Hebrew for “mother”) is her debut solo album, dedicated to the artist’s mother, “a healer, mover and true artist”.

This October, Fran&Flora, a London-based experimental string folk duo, come to Manchester to present their new music as part of our Synagogue Nights. In this interview we talk about their many musical inspirations and ask what audiences can expect from their upcoming show.