About
director's note
We Invite you to join us in this work!
At the Jewish Museum of Maryland, our central charge is telling the story of Jewish Maryland and connecting people to Jewish experiences. The story of Jewish Maryland is deep, dynamic, fluid, and ongoing. We invite you to collaborate with us in the great task of telling this story.
Through generous capital investment, our Museum has been redesigned under the banner of “Building the Participatory Museum,” and that means transforming the relationship between the Museum and its audiences from presenter and viewer to collaborators and co-producers. We have redesigned the Museum’s architecture and updated its technologies to support a practice that prioritizes collaboration with community onsite and online.
The Jewish Museum of Maryland is embarking on the next era of its evolution from historical society to cultural center, and now: a fully formed 21st century museum. People hold a central position within our evolving practice. I invite you to join us in our work of enlivening the story of Jewish Maryland.
Sol Davis, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Mission + Vision
We connect people to Jewish experiences and Maryland’s Jewish community to its roots.
We inspire everyone to explore history, take action, and imagine a better future.
Values
People matter.
We nurture discourse. We know issues of vital importance must be discussed with empathy and civility.
Things matter.
We preserve the documentation of Maryland’s Jewish communities. We provide a repository of expert and authentic resources.
Place matters.
We are a destination. We are an educational and cultural attraction located at the heart of Baltimore’s historic Jewish community.
Learning matters.
We foster discovery. We provide experiences, not merely information.
Actions matter.
We inspire deeds. We transform curiosity into experience, experience into memory, and memory into action
our Team
The Jewish Museum of Maryland is shaped by the dedication of our board of trustees, staff, and volunteers. Our board helps guide our vision, our staff brings creativity and care to everything we do, and our volunteers help connect us to the community.
Timeline: 1958-2000
Explore Our History
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
JMM IA 1.0005
1958
Wilbur Hunter, director of the Peale Museum, contacts Rose Greenberg,...Wilbur Hunter, director of the Peale Museum, contacts Rose Greenberg, Secretary of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation. He expresses concern about the condition of the Lloyd Street Synagogue, original home of the Congregation, which is dilapidated and slated to be razed for a parking lot.Read More
JMM 1986.083.004. Gift of Delma Harris and Julia H. Shalowitz.
1960
Nineteen members of Baltimore’s Jewish community meet to organize the...Nineteen members of Baltimore’s Jewish community meet to organize the Jewish Historical Society of Maryland (JHSM) at the suggestion of Isaac Fein, a professor at the Baltimore Hebrew College (now Baltimore Hebrew University) who has been collecting documents of Baltimore’s Jewish history for about ten years. Offices are at BHU. The organization is incorporated on April 11 with Hugo Dalsheimer as President. Isaac Fein is curator.Read More
JMM 1986.083.004. Gift of Delma Harris and Julia H. Shalowitz.
1961
Over three hundred people, a starling turnout, attend JHSM’s first...Over three hundred people, a starling turnout, attend JHSM’s first open meeting at BHU to hear a paper by Isaac Fein on Baltimore Jews in the Civil War. Despite its tiny size, JHSM undertakes to acquire, renovate, and maintain the Lloyd Street Synagogue.Read More
JMM IA 1.0944
1962
With assurances that it will not be used for religious...With assurances that it will not be used for religious services, JHSM buys for $10,000 the Lloyd Street Synagogue from the elders of Shomrei Mishmeres HaKodesh, the congregation which has owned it since 1906. Henry Frank leads a fund-raising campaign to match a gift of $25,000 from the Aaron and Lillie Straus Foundation.Read More
JMM 1986.083.004. Gift of Delma Harris and Julia H. Shalowitz.
1963
As planning for the restoration of the Lloyd Street Synagogue...As planning for the restoration of the Lloyd Street Synagogue moves forward, WJZ television presents a show on the project. JHSM also beings to document Jewish cemeteries, microfilm important papers, and tape reminiscences by “important personages of today’s scene.”Read More
JMM IA 1.0871a
1964
A volunteer committee of Hugo Dalsheimer, Louis Cahn, and Edgar...A volunteer committee of Hugo Dalsheimer, Louis Cahn, and Edgar Levi undertakes the restoration of the Lloyd Street Synagogue, with the goal of returning it to its appearance in the mid-nineteenth century. The J. Raymond Gerwig Company is the contractor.
November: When Lloyd Stree’s main floor restoration is complete, the building is formally dedicated as a historic site and opened to the public. More than 1,500 visit within one week, leading to an estimated 5,000 visitors in the first year. Volunteers under the leadership of E.B. Hirsh give tours on two Sundays a month.Read More
JMM 1987.137.099
1965
The outpouring of interest spurs JHSM to contract with the...The outpouring of interest spurs JHSM to contract with the Gerwig company to restore the lower level of Lloyd Street Synagogue and to replicate the Ark of 1860 in the main sanctuary.Read More
1966
January: the recreated Ark and lower level are dedicated, JHSM’s...January: the recreated Ark and lower level are dedicated, JHSM’s first exhibition, “Baltimore in 1850,” opens in the Museum Room. It includes pieces of the original stained glass from the Star of David window, the earliest minute of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, and an eighteenth-century Russian silver Hanukkah menorah. A plan is laid to establish an affiliate organization, “Friends of the Lloyd Street Synagogue,” whose dues will support the maintenance of the building. JHSM acquires the Friedenwald Family Papers.Read More
JMM 1986.083.004. Gift of Delma Harris and Julia H. Shalowitz.
1967
JHSM programs include seminars on the Jewish Legion of World...JHSM programs include seminars on the Jewish Legion of World War I by William Braiterman and the Jewish labor movement by Jacob J. Edelman. JHSM collects materials relating to Israel’s Six-Day War and the Israel Emergency Fund.Read More
1971
The Making of an American Jewish Community: The History of...The Making of an American Jewish Community: The History of Baltimore Jewry from 1773 to 1920 is published in conjunction with JHSM. This work by Isaac Fein, drawing upon the papers he has gathered as the basis for JHSM’s collections, is the definitive history of Baltimore Jewry to 1920 and its publication is considered to be one of JHSM’s greatest achievements to date.Read More
JMM 1986.083.004. Gift of Delma Harris and Julia H. Shalowitz.
1972
JHSM’s annual meeting features a presentation on Exodus 1947, celebrating...JHSM’s annual meeting features a presentation on Exodus 1947, celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of that ship’s battle to carry refugees to the Land of Israel. Isaac Fein proposes that JHSM now focus on the collection, study, and writing of the history of Baltimore’s Jewish community from 1920 to 1970. JHSM leadership instead initiate a project, under a Symposium Committee, to publish a series of topical monographs on historical issues of these decades, drawing on local writers.Read More
JMM IA 1.0074
1973
JHSM begins a project to create fictional Jewish newspapers from...JHSM begins a project to create fictional Jewish newspapers from past eras of Baltimore Jewish history for use in schools. JHSM sponsors an essay contest in religious schools. The Maryland Historical Society and JHSM hold the first of a projected annual series of joint meetings at Lloyd Street Synagogue. In addition to seminars and lectures, JHSM sends speakers to address groups around the state. Gilbert Sandler moderates a panel discussion on Jewish life in Maryland’s small towns.Read More
JMM 1986.083.004. Gift of Delma Harris and Julia H. Shalowitz.
1975
December: Mrs. Bertha Libauer organizes the first guided bus tour...December: Mrs. Bertha Libauer organizes the first guided bus tour of Jewish interest in Baltimore, including neighborhoods of Jewish settlement. JHSM and the American Italian Historical Association hold a joint conference on “The Interaction of Italians and Jews in America.”Read More
JMM IA 1.0881
1976
As part of its bicentennial activities, JHSM publishes three biographical...As part of its bicentennial activities, JHSM publishes three biographical pamphlets. JHSM participates in Baltimore’s first Jewish American Festival, held at Hopkins Plaza, with a booth and an open house at Lloyd Street.
The first wedding to take place in Lloyd Street Synagogue since it became a museum unites in matrimony Noah Jonathon Hanft and Cecile Basia Strauss. A joint Thanksgiving service is held at Lloyd Street by Baltimore’s Reform and Conservative congregations. Spiraling energy and maintenance costs threaten the Friends of Lloyd Street Synagogue.Read More
JMM 1984.045.001
1977
Spurred by Helen Sollins, an active JHSM member concerned about...Spurred by Helen Sollins, an active JHSM member concerned about the deterioration of the historic B’nai Israel Synagogue, the City of Baltimore grants the congregation $3,000 in emergency funds to repair its leaking roof. Mrs. Sollins continues to advocate for the building’s preservation.Read More
JMM 1986.083.004. Gift of Delma Harris and Julia H. Shalowitz.
1978
Lloyd Street Synagogue is listed on the National Register of...Lloyd Street Synagogue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. JHSM and the B’nai B’rirth Nathan Hackerman Lodge jointly create the Maryland Jewish Hall of Fame in the Museum Room at Lloyd Street. Entry forms sent to synagogues and Jewish organizations request nominations of one living and one deceased Jewish leader. Proceeds from the Awards Dinner go to maintain and develop the Lloyd Street Synagogue.
JHSM publishes the first issue of Generations, its annual history magazine. JHSM sponsors a Jewish Artists Week with funds from a special grant. Nat Lipsitz donates his extensive collection of photographs to JHSM.Read More
JMM 1986.083.004. Gift of Delma Harris and Julia H. Shalowitz.
1980
Robert Weinberg becomes head of the JHSM building committee, charged...Robert Weinberg becomes head of the JHSM building committee, charged with finding a permanent home for the growing organization. Inspired by a project in Philadelphia, he wonders if a museum could be built on Lloyd Street in conjunction with the historic synagogues.Read More
JMM IA 1987.173.086
1981
September: JHSM moves from the Baltimore Hebrew College to rented...September: JHSM moves from the Baltimore Hebrew College to rented offices in the Embassy Apartments on Clarks Lane. Joan Lippman is hired part-time as the first executive administrator and Cynthia Requardt is the first archivist. Rose Cohen recruits and coordinates eleven archives volunteers. JHSM becomes an agency of THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.
Robert Weinberg, with the assistance of Isidore Schnaper and others from the JHSM, successfully negotiates with the B’nai Israel Congregation to deed the congregation’s historic building to the JHSM as part of a projected Jewish Heritage Center in East Baltimore. He begins to raise funds to support the restoration of B’nai Israel and the construction of the new Jewish Heritage Center.Read More
JMM IA 2.0056
1982
Major financial support from the Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Foundation...Major financial support from the Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Foundation gives an essential boost to the Heritage Center project. The City of Baltimore has agreed to donate the land between the Lloyd Street and B’nai Israel Synagogues. Grants from the Maryland Historical Trust assist with the restoration of B’nai Israel Synagogue.Read More
1983
September 19: Ground is broken for the construction of the...September 19: Ground is broken for the construction of the JHSM’s Jewish Heritage Center, designed by architect Lee Coplan. JHSM’s membership list is computerized thanks to Treasurer Leonard Sollins. Donal and Johanna Kann create a traveling exhibition, “Synagogues and Community,” for the JHSM presentation at the Jewish-American Festival.Read More
JMM IA 1.0906
1984
Bernard Fishman becomes JHSM’s first Director and first full-time employee....Bernard Fishman becomes JHSM’s first Director and first full-time employee. JHSM has an annual budget of less than $100,000 and endowments of less than $1 million, including pledges.Read More
JMM 1986.083.004. Gift of Delma Harris and Julia H. Shalowitz.
1985
Construction of the Jewish Heritage Center stops as James Cox...Construction of the Jewish Heritage Center stops as James Cox and Son, the construction contractor, declares bankruptcy.Read More
JMM IA 3.0303
1986
Robert Weinberg successfully negotiates a resumption of construction work. JHSM...Robert Weinberg successfully negotiates a resumption of construction work. JHSM moves into a nearly completed building. Elizabeth Kessin Berman becomes JHSM’s first full-time curator.Read More
JMM IA 9.318.002
1987
JHSM’s Heritage Center and the restored B’nai Israel Synagogue are...JHSM’s Heritage Center and the restored B’nai Israel Synagogue are dedicated and opened to the public. E.B. Hirsh, JHSM’s long-serving president, presides at the celebration. Elizabeth Berman curates JHSM’s first major original exhibition, “And So They Came: The Experience of Jewish Settlement in Maryland 1656-1929,” accompanied by a published catalogue.Read More
JMM IA 9.0317.001
1988
Philanthropist Harry Weinberg visits JHSM unannounced and surprises Director Bernard...Philanthropist Harry Weinberg visits JHSM unannounced and surprises Director Bernard Fishman with a gift of $100,000. The funds become JHSM’s first exhibition endowment. Emmy Mogilensky becomes JHSM’s first Director of Programming, developing trips and activities, and providing first-hand testimony of the Holocaust through her tours.Read More
JMM IA 7.0121
1989
Exhibition endowments provided by the Hoffberger Family Fund and the...Exhibition endowments provided by the Hoffberger Family Fund and the Marie C. and Standford Z. Rothschild Foundation provide additional support to the exhibition program. JHSM and the Baltimore Museum of Industry members exchange visits in conjunction with JHSM’s exhibition on the garment industry, “Threads of Life.”Read More
JMM IA 7.0036
1990
An original exhibition on the nineteenth-century painter and photographer Solomon...An original exhibition on the nineteenth-century painter and photographer Solomon Nunes Carvalho, researched and organized by Elizabeth Berman, becomes the first JHSM exhibition to travel to other American cities.Read More
1991
JHSM completes its first historic building documentation project, making architectural...JHSM completes its first historic building documentation project, making architectural drawings and photographs of the former Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Synagogue on High Street.
The Museum Room in the Lloyd Street Synagogue is renovated and the Hall of Fame is disassembled. The new gallery becomes the location for a series of photographic and topical exhibitions mounted by new curator Barry Kessler.
Making use of paint analysis of the Lloyd Street Synagogue, JHSM repaints the building interior and exterior. The sanctuary changes from white to a palette of buff, green, gold, blue, with a Greek anthemion design typical of the mid-nineteenth century.
The Board approves a plan, developed by Bernard Fishman, to expand the JHSM, more than doubling its space.Read More
JMM IA 7.0248
1992
JHSM earns professional accreditation from the American Association of Museums....JHSM earns professional accreditation from the American Association of Museums. A new core exhibition, “Fertile Ground: Two Hundred Years of Jewish Life in Baltimore,” features room-size vignettes that portray scenes ranging from a Federal parlor to a 1960’s bar mitzvah, along with a display of specially collected artifacts relating to Baltimore’s growing Orthodox community.Read More
JMM IA 9.0323.002
1993
Twenty-five fifth graders from public School #139 participate in “East...Twenty-five fifth graders from public School #139 participate in “East Baltimore SNAP!” Under the guidance of a professional photographer, they shoot pictures of the neighborhood which are exhibited in the Lloyd Street Gallery.
JHSM publishes two valuable historical books: Traders and Transports: The Jews of Colonial Maryland by Eric Goldstein and Synagogues, Temples, and Congregations of Maryland by Earl Pruce.
In collaboration with the Eubie Blake Cultural Center, JHSM presents “Bridges and Boundaries: African Americans and American Jews,” along with many programs relating to Black-Jewish relations. A fire at the Eubie Blake Center results in the early closing of the exhibition and emergency conservation of several contemporary works.Read More
JMM IA 7.0586
1994
“Daughter of Zion: Henrietta Szold and American Jewish Womanhood,” organized...“Daughter of Zion: Henrietta Szold and American Jewish Womanhood,” organized by curator Barry Kessler, presents an artifactual biography of Maryland’s distinguished educator, editor, Zionist, and humanitarian. The exhibition travels to Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia and New York; Hadassah later presents it at their 2000 national convention in Los Angeles.Read More
JMM IA 3.0666
1995
Tali Katz becomes JHSM’s first full-time Director of Education. Coinciding...Tali Katz becomes JHSM’s first full-time Director of Education. Coinciding with the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Lloyd Street Synagogue, JHSM presents the first annual Feldman Family lecture: Leonard Fein, son of founding JHSM curator Isaac Fein is the speaker.Read More
JMM IA 3.0209
1996
Construction begins on the expanded JHSM building designed by architect...Construction begins on the expanded JHSM building designed by architect Jonathan Fishman of RCG, Inc. Lee Rosenberg heads the Building Committee.
JHSM begins to document the surviving historic synagogue buildings in Maryland through architectural drawings and photographs. Funded by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, it is the largest such project ever undertaken.Read More
JMM IA 7.0774
1997
With the main museum building under construction, “The Golden Land:...With the main museum building under construction, “The Golden Land: A Jewish Family Learning Place,” an interview children’s exhibition on East Baltimore’s turn-of-the-century Jewish immigrant community, opens in the Lloyd Street Synagogue Gallery.
April: In collaboration with The Contemporary Museum, JHSM mounts “Too Jewish?: Challenging Traditional Identities,” on loan from the Jewish Museum, New York, in a vacant store in Owings Mills.Read More
JMM IA 3.0684
1998
The stately mahogany-paneled former office of L. Manuel Handler is...The stately mahogany-paneled former office of L. Manuel Handler is transferred to JHSM through the generosity of Samuel Boltansky, becoming the first period room to be installed in an American Jewish museum.
JHSM undertakes to place all collections records on a fully searchable computerized database. Two data entry workers under the supervision of Registrar Melissa Martins begin to convert all the old collections records, a process which is half complete by 2000.
JHSM changes its name to the Jewish Museum of Maryland. The new museum building opens with two major exhibitions, “Bridges to Zion: The People of Maryland and the Land of Israel” and “The Eighteen: Paintings by Archie Rand.” Nearly one thousand people attend the opening events highlighting the new exhibition gallery, lobby, museum shop, collections storage areas, loading dock, and offices, as well as the renovated library.
Bernard Fishman announces his departure after thirteen years as Director of JMM. The Museum’s annual budget now approaches $750,000 and its endowments top $6 million. Collections have grown to include many thousands of artifacts, documents and photographs. Barry Kessler serves as Acting Director for three months.
The Jewish Museum hosts its first evening program for young Jewish adults, planned by Board members and an advisory committee. Hundreds enjoy the Israel cafe-style party in the Museum’s new lobby.
The Jewish Museum presents its first living history walking tour. Carol Cohen portrays Yiddish actress Bessie Tomashefsky, who grew up in East Baltimore, as she brings to life the Lombard Street neighborhood at the turn of the century.Read More
JMM 1986.083.004. Gift of Delma Harris and Julia H. Shalowitz.
1999
Avi Y. Decter is appointed Director after filling in as...Avi Y. Decter is appointed Director after filling in as Acting Director for six months. JMM opens “Cornerstones of Community: Maryland’s Historic Synagogues,” an exhibition based on the synagogue documentation project and original research by guest curator David Kaufman and co-curator Melissa Martens. A scholarly catalogue is published.
The Board approves new By-laws and a new Collections Management Policy, outlining policies and procedures relating to all aspects of acquisition and care collections.Read More
JMM IA 7.2445
2000
More than twenty Jewish organizations and groups participate in the...More than twenty Jewish organizations and groups participate in the Museum’s time capsule project, filling modules with everyday objects and images that speak about their concepts of Jewish identity. The modules are exhibited at their own locations before being integrated into a single exhibition at the Museum.
Dozens of visitors bring objects for appraisal as part of “Jewish Treasures Roadshow” in conjunction with the exhibition, “Tchotchkes! Treasures of the Family Museum.”
April: Annual meeting inaugurates fortieth anniversary year with special recognition to past presidents and Robert Weinberg, visionary initiator of the Jewish Heritage Center.
Anita Kassof is appointed Assistant Director, Melissa Martens Curator, Jobi Okin (Zink) Registrar, and Abby Lester Archivist/Librarian.Read More
“A pillar for so many in terms of the archaeologies of Baltimore families and a rich cultural heritage, the JMM is entering an important new chapter that continues to honor these values and stories, while also welcoming the vibrancy and polyphony of artists and the younger generations.” – Asma Naeem, Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director, The Baltimore Museum of Art “The Jewish Museum of Maryland is the keeper and teacher of our collective past, both the past of yesterday made by our ancestors and the past of tomorrow that we are making now.” – Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin “The JMM features a unique and genuine look at Jewish life and tradition today, melding tradition with wide ranging innovation. They are field leaders, pushing the boundaries with boldness and curiosity that is helping to redefine how we approach Jewish art and tradition today. I’m proud to have colleagues and collaborators in the JMM.” – Laura Mandel, Executive Director, Jewish Arts Collaborative
“A pillar for so many in terms of the archaeologies of Baltimore families and a rich cultural heritage, the JMM is entering an important new chapter that continues to honor these values and stories, while also welcoming the vibrancy and polyphony of artists and the younger generations.” – Asma Naeem, Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director, The Baltimore Museum of Art “The Jewish Museum of Maryland is the keeper and teacher of our collective past, both the past of yesterday made by our ancestors and the past of tomorrow that we are making now.” – Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin “The JMM features a unique and genuine look at Jewish life and tradition today, melding tradition with wide ranging innovation. They are field leaders, pushing the boundaries with boldness and curiosity that is helping to redefine how we approach Jewish art and tradition today. I’m proud to have colleagues and collaborators in the JMM.” – Laura Mandel, Executive Director, Jewish Arts Collaborative
Reports