Arts & Culture

What counts as "Jewish art" is a debate as old as Judaism itself -- do we mean art by Jewish people, art with Jewish themes, or both? And Jewish culture? Which one? Jews have as many cultures as we have communities in which we've lived, from the Ashkenazi world of klezmer music and Yiddish stories from Eastern Europe, to the rhythmic music of the Abayudaya Jews of Uganda, to the spicy foods of the Mizrachi communities in the Middle East.  The following is a list of family-friendly places to go and explore.

Museum & Exhibits   

Music   

Landmarks    

Theater    

Libraries   

Museums & Exhibits

National Museum of American Jewish History  

The National Museum of American Jewish History’s mission is to present educational programs and experiences that preserve, explore and celebrate the history of Jews in America. Our purpose is to connect Jews more closely to their heritage and to inspire in people of all backgrounds a greater appreciation for the diversity of the American Jewish experience and the freedoms to which Americans aspire.

Rosenbach Museum and Library 

The Rosenbach Museum & Library seeks to inspire curiosity, inquiry, and creativity by engaging broad audiences in exhibitions, programs, and research based on its remarkable and expanding collections.

Borowsky Gallery at the Gershman Y  

Rotating exhibits of special interest to the Jewish community, featuring a mix of regional, national and international artists with four openings a year and related programming.

Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center 

Provides educational and community services to teach others about the Holocaust. Primary target age group is children in grades five through 12.

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology 

Among other exhibits of the ancient world is a permanent one titled "Canaan and Ancient Israel," which is the first to focus on the development of cultural identity in ancient Israel and neighboring lands during the Bronze Age.

Music

Arbel Chorale 

Group bringing together young adults from the entire Delaware Valley to perform a diverse and eclectic selection of Jewish music.

Elkins Park Jewish Community Chorale  

Comprised of congregants from Beth Sholom, Adath Jeshurun and other singers from the Old York Road community.  Performs a wide range of Jewish choral literature, including liturgical, Israeli and American.  Appears at Beth Sholom, Adath Jeshurun and throughout northeastern United States.  Conducted by Cantor David Tilman.

Nashirah, the Jewish Chorale of Greater Philadelphia 

Community-based chorale in the Greater Philadelphia area performing exclusively Jewish and Jewish-themed music. Brings choral music of many lands, languages and cultures together.  The chorale-in-residence at the Gershman Y.

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Landmarks

Beth Sholom Congregation
Conservative synagogue whose building is the only synagogue ever designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright.  One of four synagogues designated as a National Historic Landmark.  The Visitor Center is open to the public, and tours of the synagogue are offered.  The center and design store are overseen by the Beth Sholom Preservation Foundation.

The Frank Synagogue
Modeled after first- and second-century synagogues discovered in the Galilee region of north central Israel, this small, historically certified synagogue was originally dedicated in 1901, and reflects the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network's cultural heritage.

Hebrew Mutual Burial Association Cemetery
Founded in 1857 by a group of Dutch Jews, the site contains about 440 graves of Dutch Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews, including many Civil War and Spanish American War veterans.

Congregation Mikveh Israel
Spanish-Portuguese synagogue founded in 1740.  Located on Independence Mall.  Entrance is through the National Museum of American Jewish History.

Congregation Mikveh Israel Cemetery
One of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in the United States, with graves dating from 1740.  Interred here are Haym Solomon, Rebecca Gratz and 21 veterans of the American Revolution.  Mikveh Israel has two other cemeteries with historical significance: 11th and Federal Streets, which dates to the Civil War, and 55th and Market Streets.

Monument to the Six Million Martyrs
This memorial sculpture was the first public Holocaust monument in the United States. 

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Theater

Ann Frank Theater Project 

Provides theater pieces that educate viewers about prejudice, intolerance, and bigotry, and heighten awareness that moral courage can move one to action and assist in improving the lives of others.  This educational theater program offers two plays dealing with the Holocaust and how everyday people were affected by the Nazi regime.  Each performance is followed by a facilitated discussion.

Teatron Jewish Theatre  

Established in 1992 to provide an opportunity for the advancement of Jewish theater on Penn's campus and to provide a means for Sabbath-observant Jewish students to actively participate in theater. Teatron provides a forum for free discussion and interpretation of Jewish themes that is applicable to the Penn Community at large. Teatron is open to all members of the University Community.

Theatre Ariel  

Brings Jewish theater to synagogues, schools, conferences, community centers and organizations. Innovative, entertaining and educational productions enable audiences to explore Jewish stories/texts, history, identity, culture and ethics. Touring repertoire includes productions for children, families, teens and adults. Special programs include ARIELPROV, an improv troupe, as well as readings of new works.

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