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The Weitzman\u2019s Only in America Gallery\u00ae\/Hall of Fame (Photo credit: David Rosenblum)<\/p>\n The Weitzman\u2019s Only in America Gallery\u00ae\/Hall of Fame (Photo credit: David Rosenblum)<\/p>\n
In 2024, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History took big steps toward becoming a Smithsonian institution. The United States Congress passed a bill, signed in December by then-President Joe Biden, that created an eight-member panel of experts to make a recommendation on whether the Weitzman should join the federal government-run organization of museums and educational centers. The board was given a two-year deadline to announce its decision.<\/p>\n
With the clock ticking, the board is still being formed, but the Weitzman is already making its case.<\/p>\n
In 2026, the museum that seeks to become the nation\u2019s main center of Jewish-American history will unveil three new exhibits on that subject. The first, a temporary exhibit that will open on April 23, is a tribute to the United States\u2019 250th anniversary. Called \u201cThe First Salute,\u201d it will tell the story of St. Eustatius, the tiny Caribbean island that became the first foreign government to recognize the U.S. with an 11-gun salute to a visiting U.S. ship.<\/p>\n
British Admiral George Rodney responded by blaming the island\u2019s Jews. He rounded them up and stripped them of their property and possessions. But Rodney\u2019s focus on the island was costly; it distracted him from the French ships that were crossing the Atlantic, coming to help U.S. forces fighting the British in the Revolutionary War.<\/p>\n
The Weitzman\u2019s second exhibit, which will premiere in July, is a permanent exhibit for children and families. It will use colorful displays to tell the biblical story of the world\u2019s creation to kids. Visitors will walk through exhibits portraying God\u2019s first six days of work before ending at the seventh, the day of rest.<\/p>\n
The third and final display, set to open by the fall, will focus on contemporary antisemitism. It will feature three-minute videos in which American Jews will discuss their experiences with anti-Jewish hate. As Dan Tadmor, the Weitzman\u2019s president and CEO, explained, \u201cit\u2019s not Tree of Life; it\u2019s not the Capital Jewish Museum shooting; it\u2019s not Colleyville.\u201d Those were prominent, tragic incidents. These are day-to-day experiences, he said. This is the best way to tell the story in an era when antisemitic incidents keep rising year to year, Tadmor noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis museum opened in 2010 in its current location, and it really doesn\u2019t have a section that deals with contemporary antisemitism,\u201d he said. \u201cWe thought then that it\u2019s a relic of the past. We\u2019ve been proven wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
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A view of the layout of \u201cThe First Salute\u201d (Rendering by G&A)<\/p>\n
Before COVID, bankruptcy and the donation from shoe designer Stuart Weitzman that kept it open, the National Museum of American Jewish History was known for celebrating Jewish life in America and great American Jews like the influential music executive Bill Graham.<\/p>\n
Tadmor, who succeeded Misha Galperin as Weitzman CEO earlier this year, still sees the museum\u2019s mission as highlighting Jewish contributions to America. In fact, that\u2019s what \u201cThe First Salute\u201d is all about. Although they were not in America, the Jews of St. Eustasius supported the Continental Army and helped provide it with gunpowder and other supplies.<\/p>\n
\u201cJews participated heavily in the shipping,\u201d said Josh Perelman, the exhibit\u2019s curator.<\/p>\n
The \u201cFirst Salute\u201d exhibit will include films, artifacts, storytelling and an immersive video experience, according to a Weitzman press release. Along with the other two new displays, it should cost in the range of $12 million, $10 million of which has been raised from the likes of the Elaine L. Lindy Donor Advised Fund, the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program and other sources.<\/p>\n
Tadmor said it usually takes \u201cseveral years\u201d to hit a fundraising goal when large donations are involved. The Weitzman has come close to hitting this one in less than a year. Donors have been both Jewish and non-Jewish, local and national, foundations and individuals.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like the world has been waiting for the nation\u2019s Jewish museum to reimagine itself,\u201d Tadmor added. \u201cOnce we came forward with a plan that made sense, it really resonated. People were enthusiastic to get on board.\u201d<\/p>\n