Jewish Museum London

The Jewish Museum (www.jewishmuseum.org.uk) in Camden Town will reopen in March 2010 after a £10 million transformation creating a landmark museum that celebrates Jewish life and cultural diversity and engages with people of all backgrounds and faiths to explore Jewish heritage and identity as part of the wider story of Britain.

Amongst the new exhibits will be a Medieval mikveh (a Jewish ritual bath) dating from the 13th century on public display for the first time since it was excavated in 2001; a rare banner from the London Jewish Baker’s Union; films of contemporary Jewish people ranging from a smoked salmon producer to a marathon-running grandmother; the smell of chicken soup as part of a display on immigrant home life and a gallery dedicated to the testimony of British-born Holocaust survivor Leon Greenman OBE.

Displayed across four permanent galleries and one special exhibition space, the huge variety of objects, films, photography, testimonials and literature on display will paint a rich and nuanced history of British Jewish life. The new museum will also house a 100-seat auditorium, an education suite, a café and a giftshop.