Jewish Museum (Manhattan)

The Jewish Museum is an art museum housed at 1109 Fifth Avenue, in the Felix M. Warburg House, along the Museum Mile on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. The museum holds a collection of approximately 30,000 objects, including religious artifacts, fine art, and media, making it one of the largest museums dedicated to the Jewish culture worldwide. The museum is known for its expansive cultural and historical scope, staging art exhibitions that center "Jewish heritage and viewpoints while appealing to broader audiences".

The Jewish Museum originated in 1904 with Judge Mayer Sulzberger's donation of ceremonial objects to the Jewish Theological Seminary, later expanded through gifts and works sent for safekeeping from Poland in 1939 due to the outbreak of World War II. The museum was established in the Warburg family mansion, donated in 1944 by Frieda Warburg, and opened to the public in 1947. Originally designed by C.P.H. Gilbert in the châteauesque style, the building underwent expansions in 1959 and 1963.

Appointed director in 1972, Joy Ungerleider-Mayerson oversaw the acquisition of 600 ancient artifacts from Israel and the 1975 exhibition Jewish Experience in the Art of the 20th Century. Under Joan Rosenbaum's directorship (1981–2010), introduced new public initiatives—most notably the launch of the New York Jewish Film Festival in 1992—and completed a major renovation in 1993 by Kevin Roche, who added 11,000 square feet and modernized the facilities for exhibitions and education while preserving the building's Gothic revival character. In 2006, the museum adjusted its Shabbat observance policy by opening to the public on Saturdays. As money cannot be exchanged on Shabbat, the museum is admission-free and the cafe and shop are closed on Saturdays, and a Shabbat elevator was installed. In 2011, Claudia Gould was appointed Helen Goldsmith Menschel Director and served in this role until her retirement in 2023.