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Address:
18 1st Place in Battery Park
Phone:
(212) 968-1800
Hours:
Sun-Wed: 9am-5pm; Thurs: 9am-8pm; Fri & Jewish holiday eve: 9am-2pm
Cost:
Adult: 7.00
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Overview
Located at 18 1st Place in Battery Park City, the Museum of Jewish Heritage is a disturbingly informative tribute to the more than six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. While the sensitive nature of the museum may be a concern to those with children, the experience of visiting is one that should be undertaken by everyone. Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is not to be confused with the Jewish Museum on Museum Mile, a museum dedicated to history of Judaism rather than the holocaust exclusively.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage is downtown’s newest museum, opened in 1997 after over 15 years of planning. The Kevin Roche-designed granite structure is three stories high and hexagonal, resembling a Star of David and overlooking Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park. Inside, three floors of exhibits await all visitors, demonstrating the resilience and dynamism of 20th century Jewish culture. These exhibits are themed and separated; more detail will be given in the paragraphs below.
The first floor contains artifacts of early 20th century Jewish life, such as wedding invitations, tools used by traders, and other personal items of interest. The second floor is themed ''The War Against the Jews,'' and details the rise of Nazism in Germany, as well as the horrifying ravages of the actual Holocaust. A word of caution: this is a particularly disturbing exhibit, so use discretion with the young ones and expect to be affected. It’s very powerful. Signs of hope are displayed, including the trumpet that Auschwitz inmate Louse Bannet, sometimes called ''The German Louis Armstrong,'' played for three years while imprisoned. The third floor deals with postwar Jewish life and is devoted to Jewish renewal. The last gallery leads into a room, often well-lit, with several windows overlooking the harbor and the Statue of Liberty. The serene setting is a good place to reflect and is a very appropriate end to the tour.
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