Norman E. Alexander Lecture In Jewish Studies: Jewish Museum Practices: A Modern Cultural Innovation

Jewish museums, a relatively recent phenomenon, have become a mainstay of Jewish life and also serve as strategic points of entry for others into Jewish history and creativity. As a consequence, these museums now figure in an array of new cultural practices. Visitors to Jewish museums come not only to observe, but also to engage and at times to intervene with these institutions. In addition, visitors take the museum home with them, incorporating its practices of collecting, curating, and displaying into their lives. Speaker: Jeffrey Shandler, Distinguished Professor, Department of Jewish Studies, Rutgers University