Jewish Museum of Florida facts for kids
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| Established | 1936 |
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| Location | 301 Washington Avenue Miami Beach, Florida, United States |
| Type | Jewish Heritage Museum |
The Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU is a special museum in Miami Beach, Florida. It is part of Florida International University. This museum helps keep the history, culture, and art of Jewish people in Florida alive.
The museum is located in two old buildings that used to be synagogues (Jewish places of worship). These buildings are at 301 and 311 Washington Avenue. The main building at 301 Washington Avenue was built in 1936. It is a very important building and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has cool Art Deco designs, a shiny copper dome, a marble bimah (a raised platform for reading the Torah), and 80 beautiful stained glass windows.
The building next door, at 311 Washington Avenue, was Miami Beach's very first synagogue. The museum bought it in 2005 and fixed it up in 2007. Now, it's an extra part of the museum!
What You Can See at the Museum
The main exhibit at the museum is called MOSAIC: Jewish Life in Florida. This exhibit started as a traveling show. It has more than 500 photos and items that show what Jewish life in Florida has been like since 1763.
The museum also has new exhibits that change throughout the year. They create their own shows and host exhibits that travel from other places. The museum also holds fun cultural and educational events. It has a special area called the Collections & Research Center. Here, you can learn even more about Florida Jewish history since 1763. The museum shares Jewish history, values, and important topics with everyone, both Jewish and non-Jewish people.
The Museum's History
The museum is in Miami Beach's first synagogue, which was originally called Congregation Beth Jacob. It was designed by an architect named H. Frasser Rose and built in 1929 at 311 Washington Avenue. This spot was chosen because, at that time, many Jewish families lived in the south part of the city. This was due to rules about where they could live.
Building this synagogue was very important for the small Jewish community. They had first settled in Miami Beach around 1913. The synagogue showed that Jewish people were accepted and were a lasting part of the city's population.
Before this, Jewish people were not allowed to build a synagogue in Miami Beach. They had to travel across Biscayne Bay to attend religious services in Miami. Later, a bridge called the County Causeway (now the MacArthur Causeway) was built in 1920. When Orthodox Jews, who do not travel on Shabbat (the Sabbath) and high holidays, joined the group, they held services in different places. For example, they met in the Royal Apartments at 221 Collins Avenue. In 1924, a woman named Malvina Weiss Leibman started teaching Sunday School classes in an empty lot.
From 1926, while the Beth Jacob synagogue was being built, services were held on the roof of the David Court Apartments. Many rabbis led the congregation over the years. Rabbi Moses Mescheloff served the congregation from 1937 to 1954.
Almost every Jewish person who lived in Miami Beach between 1927 and 1932 was a member of this synagogue. It quickly became the main religious and social center for the Jewish community. It also became a cultural center. A Hebrew school was started, and a mikvah (a special ritual bath for women) was built in 1944.
The first building was officially opened on February 17, 1929. In 1936, the congregation grew too big for its first building. So, they built a second, larger synagogue next door at 301 Washington Avenue. This new building was designed by Henry Hohauser. The original building was then used for the religious school and social events.
The front of the main building has a sign that says "Beth Jacob Social Hall, 5689-1929." At the very top, there are stone tablets that look like the Ten Commandments. Inside, the main hall is two stories tall. In 1946, more rooms were added for offices, meetings, and classrooms.
Towards the end of the 1900s, the Beth Jacob Congregation became smaller. Many of its older members passed away. There were hardly enough members left to have a minyan (the ten men needed for some religious services). In 2005, the congregation closed down. The Jewish Museum of Florida needed more space. So, it bought the original synagogue building. This made sure that the building, which holds so much Jewish history, would be saved. It would continue to tell the story of Florida's Jewish people.
The museum finished fixing up the 311 building in 2007. The upstairs area, which used to be the women's balcony, now has offices. The other side of the second floor, where classrooms used to be, is now the Collections and Research area. The main level, which was once the synagogue's worship area, is now a large gallery. It is about 2,400 square feet (223 square meters). This space is used for new exhibits, public events, and special gatherings.
The museum's director, Susan Gladstone, was featured in a 2018 movie called The Last Resort. This movie was about Jewish life in South Beach during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.
Museum Collections
The museum has a huge collection of more than 100,000 items. These include old objects, photos, documents, and religious items. All of these things help tell the story of Jewish heritage in Florida.
