The Implications of the Intended Audience in Jewish Museums - Coursework Example

Sandra Vadasz Dr. Robin Ostow FA/VISA/3680Q June 2009 Implications of the Intended Audience in Jewish Museums Museums are a very important aspect of humanity an they are the places to go to research historical information. Depending on the situation audiences can enjoy fine art, they can marvel at the Masters of artistic expression or they can understand the history that a group of people have been through so that it will not be repeated. In many situations museums are the place where people go to think about something that happened in the past so that they can get a better understanding for themselves. Adam Gobnik (2008) suggests that museums are "places to go and see things, are also places to go and talk about things and through talking to understand something about the way life takes place in time" (32). This is the case with the two museums chosen for this report: The Beth Tzedec Reuben and Helen Dennis Museum and the Holocaust Centre of Toronto. The Beth Tzedecs Museum is important because it holds information for "all things Jewish" and The Holocaust Centre of Toronto is important because they educate the community about the Holocaust. THE BETH TZEDECS REUBEN & HELEN DENNIS MUSEUM The Beth Tzedecs Museum opened its doors in 1965 with the acquisition of Dr. Cecil Roths extensive Judaica collection. Dr. Roth was a prominent Jewish historian and his full collection contained over a thousand artifacts. Some were ceremonial objects, rare Esther scrolls, Chanukah lamps and more. Since their beginning they have acquired 1,800 artifacts that represent "Jewish art and history from ancient times to the present." (Beth Tzedec Website). This museum is housed inside a synagogue and it is open to the public. The museum is located in an old conservative synagogue in the Lawrence neighborhood in Toronto. The museums purpose is to be one component of the entire synagogue so that people can browse and learn about Jewish history. The museum and synagogue seem to be very welcoming to anyone who wants to learn about Judaica. Gopnik would call this museum a mausoleum type because it is "a place where you go to see old things and where you go to find yourself" (32). It is a repository of ancient and current artifacts that are maintained for the world to see and talk about. This museum is small and it seems to be a small part of the synagogue and it is a small museum compared to The Holocaust Centre of Toronto and it does not seem to be of primary importance. The synagogue is a place for anyone to come and they seem to encourage people to explore them through videos, joining one of the many "shuls" or reading many of their materials. The audience seems to be anyone who would be interested in Judaica whether they were Jewish or not. If someone was dong research on anything Jewish this would be a great place to go. The overall goal of Beth Tzedecs Museum is to: build an affirmative Judaism, to bring the miracle of the Bible into our daily lives, to plant love of our tradition in our hearts, to inspire respect for religious life in our community and to promote a religious fellowship among all its citizens. They are a "full service" synagogue which means they educate people and help them find a place to feel comfortable. Their complete mission is to teach people more about who they are as Jews and what they do. Most of the people who may attend the synagogue would be Jews in the neighborhood or people who have heard about the museum. The museum would probably look different to people who were not Jews because they would not have the history. As an example, a Jewish person looking at the Esther scrolls would know more about them and understand their history. They may be more deeply touched by what they saw than the non-Jewish person. To the non-Jew these artifacts would be beautiful objects but they would not have a relationship with them. When visiting the Beth Tzedec website most of the information on it is about the various classes and educational opportunities that an individual would have if they wanted to know more. They talk about services and special events and there is only one short page of information about the museum. In terms of the Holocaust they have a short section that says they have links to books and media presentations but they do not have something set aside for this purpose. A visitor to the website can find short videos about the holocaust that are very interesting and educational to watch. There is a wealth of information in written form on the website as well. Because this museum is in a Jewish neighborhood the audience is probably mostly Jews. Because it is a synagogue non-Jews may be uncomfortable going in because they do not understand what the synagogue is or whether they are welcome. Visiting the website, a non-Jewish person would find a section about how to enter the synagogue. It seems like this synagogue could be an extension of their museum because it of all the educational components available. They also have many different ways that people can get involved with their organization. As the world changes people will be involved with religion more and it seems that some have chosen Judaism as one way to worship. This may draw non-Jews but they would definitely be looking to understand Judaism. THE HOLOCAUST EDUCATION AND MEMORIAL CENTER OF TORONTO The Holocaust Centre is located on the Sherman Campus which is the home of several community services. It is adjacent to the Don Valley Ravine on Bathurst which is north of Shepherd. This is a very different are of the city than where the Beth Tzetec and it is an area that the whole community frequents because of the services provided. The full area will be developed by 2011 but some of the buildings it already houses include Bathurst Jewish Community Centre (BJCC), The Koffler Centre and the Leah Posluns Theatre and the The Lipa Green Building for Jewish Community Services (Horowitz 2007); The Holocaust Centre is located inside the Lipa Green Building. The Holocaust Centre was created solely to teach about the Holocaust and there are many regular and special events that are provided for educational purposes. As an individual walks into the museum they are faced with every aspect of the Holocaust. The first area they go to gives an audio-visual presentation that introduces them to the experiences of European Jews before, during and after World War II ("More About"). It is located in a modern building that is not affiliated with religion. The major focus for this museum education and part of what they do is to outreach to schools across Toronto; they see 25,000 students each year. Their mission is to educate anyone they can about what happened so that these atrocities will not happen again. Students and other visitors are exposed to the emotions and feelings of the Holocaust and they are immersed in what happened though the lives of concentration camp survivors that tell their stories. On their website there is information about these programs and a short clip of survivors talking about why it is important to remember. After the first presentation visitors take a guided tour of the museum to see Holocaust artifacts and to reflect on what they see. Part of the education is to relate what happened to current day events so that students and other visitors get a change to think about what they do on a day to day basis in terms of their interaction with others. The model for this museum, according to Gopnik would the "the museum as machine" because it is "a place where you [go] to be transformed in another way" (33). Gopnik makes the point to say that these types of museums make people think about what they are seeing and its effect on the world around them. The Holocaust Centre is created in such a way as to encourage tolerance and help students and other visitors go deep within themselves and look at what they see. There are testimonials on the website that attest to the fact that after they have been through the exhibits, they go back to their school rooms and are often friendlier to each other. One of the exhibits to be seen is the "Hall of Memories" that keeps the memory alive of those who died. Every exhibit is there to expose the "evil" that created the Holocaust. The website is full of information about every aspect of this tragedy and it is enough information to make people want to go to the museum. The audience here is not only Jewish but it is people from all over the world who are interested in the Holocaust. It should be noted that the Centre also goes beyond just teaching about this event in Jewish history to talking about moral and civic situations that are happening in the present. Pascale Bos states, "The Holocaust is an important motif in the art and literature by American-Jewish authors of Eastern Europe background" (219). On the website a visitor can find a short audio and visual presentation for survivors telling their stories. As one woman states, "survivors wont be around forever" and this is why it is important to teach each generation so they will teach their children so that no generation will be able to forget. She says that this education must happen so that "Never again! Has a meaning in this world today and forever" (Video clip on Holocaust Centre Website). Beyond education of the public and school children the museum offers curriculum guides for teachers and political as well as community organizations that people can become involved in so that they will understand more deeply what this project is doing and how it is working. The audience for the Holocaust Center is primarily school children and their teachers. This is the group that they market to but they also stress that all are welcomed to attend. The Holocaust is something that must be of interest to an individual for them to get to the museum because it was such a heinous crime against humanity. Jewish parents would want to take their children to help them understand. As Bos describes it, this is "an audience which is either not Jewish or, if it is Jewish, does not have a personal, familial connection to the Holocaust" (220). The most important theme that is spread throughout the museum and through its website is that the Holocaust must not be forgotten and that people must turn their eyes also to the atrocities that are happening around the world and try to help people who are going through these situations. Irvin Cotler stated in a UN Commemorative address, he states that there are many reasons why the Holocaust must be remembered: 1. Because each individual is a person and they must understand that everyone on the planet is one person. In other words, what we do to one person, we do to everyone. 2. The danger of state sanctioned hate where words are allowed to hurt and teach people to hate and hurt others because of who they are instead of understanding that everyone has something to contribute. 3. The danger of silence, the consequences of indifference and the duty to protect. These are important words because they show us that in the world these types of things can still happen and in some areas of the world they continue to happen. When people are aware of these types of situations they can take precautions and help others to stop this type of crime. In a sense, helping people to understand the Holocaust will also create an understanding at the deepest levels and create an "adopted memory" that helps them identify more strongly with the experience. According to Pascale this is a way of "bridging the gap between the experience of survivors and those who were not there" (221). In the future the UJA organization is creating a larger museum that will be called the Newberger Holocaust Education Centre that will show "state of the art" interactive and multi-media programs that will give people a vicarious experience in different areas of the Holocaust (The Education Centre). This centre will: Be synonymous with excellence and innovations in social, recreational, Fitness, health and wellness, communal, educational and cultural services and Programs about the Holocaust. Both museums written about here are very important to the communities where they are located. They are very important to history and as was thought in the beginning the Holocaust museum brings in a wider audience because they are open to all denominations and they target a wider area. The synagogue will bring in more Jewish people because it is more strictly about Judaism and worshipping Jewish history. 4. Works Cited Bennett, Tony. "Chapter I: The Formation of the Museum" in the Birth of the Museum: History, Theory, Politics, pp. 17-58. NY: Routledge, 1995. Bos, Pascale. "Adopted Memory" in The Holocaust, Past Memory: Figures of Displacement in Contemporary Literature, Arts and Politics edited by Marie-Aude Baronien, Stephen and Yolande Jansen, pp. 97-108. Amsterdam: Editions Rodopi, 2007. Cotler, Irvin. "Remembering the Holocaust: What Have We Learned? What Must We Do?" UN Holocaust Commemoration Keynote Address. UN Watch. 31 January 2007. 26 June 2009. . The Beth Tzedec Reuben and Helen Dennis Museum. 06 June 2009. < http://www.beth-tzedec.org/museum>. Read More