Greetings Graham – The “Beyond Chicken Soup” Edition

Today’s JMM Insights features our quarterly highlights of fictional messages to visitor services manager, Graham Humphrey.  Any resemblance to real people is pure coincidence.  Hey, it’s almost Purim.

We do have one real announcement to share however.  We have rescheduled our Annual Meeting.  The new date for the Annual Meeting is Tuesday, June 14, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.  Our featured speaker will be Dr. Jay Perman, President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore.  We look forward to seeing many of you there.

 

Greetings Graham,

I visited the Museum last month, but was so disappointed to find out that the Paul Simon exhibit about my buddy had closed. What is the next exhibit you’ll have and how long will it run?

Yours Artfully

 

“Artfully”,

Beyond Chicken Soup: Jews and Medicine in America opened on March 13 and will remain at the Museum until January 16th, 2017. Inside, you’ll find interactive activities, multimedia effects and more than 400 artifacts, documents and images. You will get to journey through the worlds of health in the mid-20th century, from med school to the doctor’s office, hospital, pharmacy –and even a trip to the gym.  You can also experience hands-on encounters with medicine and ethics, explore stories at the juncture of science and culture and examine the links between traditions and contemporary practices. Please visit our website, http://chickensoupexhibit.org/, to learn more. You’ll have the option of buying tickets in advance by visiting https://jmm.tixato.com/buy. However, advance tickets are not required and you can still buy them when you arrive at the Museum.

Can't wait to see you!
Can’t wait to see you!

Greetings Graham,

OK, what is this I hear about books from overseas being imported into an exhibit about American medicine!  First it was undocumented foreigners, now its foreign documents. Kindly explain yourself.

Fanny Farmisht

Dear Ms. Farmisht,

It is true that our exhibit on Jews and Medicine in America has rare manuscripts from the National Library of Israel, but there is a perfectly logical explanation.  They are part of a collection originally gathered by Dr. Harry Friedenwald right here in Baltimore.  Dr. Friedenwald was inspired by his father (both eye doctors) to explore the question of the connection between medicine and Jewish experience.  His documents included Latin translations of Maimonedes and a medical diploma from an Italian renaissance university.  Dr. Friedenwald gave his collection of hundreds of documents to the National Library of Israel in 1947.  The NLI has sent JMM a few of these originals which we will display in a recreation of Dr. Friedenwald’s study

Some of the fabulous books the National Library of Israel has lent us.
Some of the fabulous books the National Library of Israel has lent us.

Greetings Graham,

I bought a Graceland CD and Paul Simon mug during the Paul Simon exhibit. What merchandise will you have in stock for the Medicine exhibit?

JMM Shopaholic

 

JMM Shopaholic,

We had a great time shopping for this exhibit and we believe you will have a blast too browsing through our shop! We will sell medically themed trays, water bottles, coasters, storage tins, plates and greeting cards. We also have scientific flask style dishware, chemistry lab notebooks, posters and the newly published Beyond Chicken Soup exhibition catalogue. You can still purchase Paul Simon merchandise at a great discount such as journals, magnets, vinyl design clocks, folk music themed CDs. We even a few mugs left if you wished to purchase another for a friend! You may also notice one other addition to the shop as it has been renamed “Esther’s Place,” after our long time shop manager, Esther Weiner, who retired last year.

All this and more could be yours! Remember, JMM members get a 10% discount in the shop.
All this and more could be yours! Remember, JMM members get a 10% discount in the shop.

Greetings Graham,

I see all this information your Beyond Chicken Soup exhibit. I have an award winning matzah ball soup recipe. Would you like my recipe?

Mrs.  Manischewitz

 

Mrs. Manischewitz,

Thank you for offering your matzah ball soup recipe, however the exhibit is more about the intersection of Jewish culture and medicine than about actual chicken soup. Yet, we will have a cook off in the fall…stay tuned for details. In the meantime, here are a few other programs coming up. This weekend, we’ll have a lecture by Dr. Edward Halperin on the Rise and Fall of the American Jewish Hospital. On April 6th, health professionals have the opportunity to network and learn more about the exhibit and then on April 17th, there will be a talk about the American Jews and the early Birth Control Movement.

Keep an eye on the calendar because this is another fun program coming up!
Keep an eye on the calendar because this is another fun program coming up!

 

Greetings Graham,

We are traveling a lot but we expect to be in Maryland in April.  Our schedule is very busy these days –so we really would like to know more about your exhibit before we make a commitment to come and visit.  Where can we find out more?

Hillary and Bernie

 

Dear Hillary and Bernie,

While nothing beats seeing the exhibit with your own eyes, we do have some really great background information at our special website: www.chickensoupexhibit.org.  Try clicking on the “Explore” tab to learn more about each section of the exhibit (it’s also a great way to extend your experience after the visit).  When the exhibit travels, we’ll be posting its upcoming schedule here too.   Who knows, it might go to Washington, DC and maybe that will be a more convenient site for one of you.

The Homepage
The Homepage

 

 

 

Categories
jewish museum of maryland JMM Blog

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.