Comment
This is just a short comment to say, I agreed with Tanya Gold’s comment in the Evening standard today (5 June 23).
The comment most have drawn a lot of attention because of the headline but it was the second comment, which I almost missed, that needs to be promoted. The Jewish Museum in Camden, London is closing. It is a shame because the museum creates conversations and it is an amazing memorial to the lives and legacy of our Jewish Communities. I first, only went there to see The Asterix exhibition but learnt so much more. was amazing!
Her comment “I am bewildered that there are millions of pounds for another Holocaust memorial in Westminster — there is already a memorial in Hyde Park and the Holocaust Galleries at the Imperial War Museum — but not enough to keep a townhouse in London open. It makes me fear that people are less interested in Jewish life than Jewish death.”
I cannot image a more beautiful, though provoking memorial than the one in Hyde Park. I cannot image a better location for the Asterix exhibition than the museum in Camden. As well as rediscovering the joy I have when reading Asterix, I learnt about the life and legacy of the writers and cartoonist. I cannot imagine a better memorial than a museum that commemorates and helps bring to a life a legacy that is often forgotten.
Since reading the comment I have read: “The Jewish Museum in Camden is to close indefinitely after years of mounting financial losses. Despite being a leading cultural centre in the capital, trustees of the museum said the institution has faced rising costs which has prevented the production of temporary exhibitions. It hopes to use the money raised from selling the Camden site to fund a move to a new, more suitable location.
The museum was closed during the pandemic and last November was awarded National Portfolio Organisation status by Arts Council England, which secured £224,000 in annual funding until 2026. The Arts Council also gave the institution a £1million bailout in May 2020. Despite the funding, the museum will now sell the grade II listed Georgian town house in Albert Street in order to move to a new property. Nick Viner, Chair of Jewish Museum London, said: “As we approach our centenary, Jewish Museum London is at a crossroads. We have an extraordinary opportunity to re-envisage the museum for the future.
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Collections, which includes a 13th-century mikvah, a recreation of a Jewish East End street, the testimonies of Holocaust survivors, a 17th-century Venetian synagogue Ark, from the now move to specialised storage.
There is hope that some of the collection will be put into temporary premises for exhibitions until a new home is found. Georgia Gould, Leader of Camden Council said: ‘‘Jewish Museum London is a nationally important institution with its roots in Camden.
“At a time of rising antisemitism its significance cannot be overstated. The museum’s work in education, exhibitions, dialogue and as a definitive archive of Jewish life makes an extraordinary contribution to London and beyond.”
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3094522.html
https://www.standard.co.uk/author/tanya-gold
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/london-jewish-museum-close-indefinitely-135925315.html?
