Jewish Holidays

Stroll through a replica of an old-fashioned shtetl—a village—to explore the Jewish holiday cycle. Weave your way in and out of storefronts and homes, peer through windows and visit “outdoor” displays. Investigate a shofar-maker’s workbench. Sit in a beautifully decorated sukkah, and “shop” for the perfect lulav and etrog. Press olive oil for Chanukah and become a news correspondent in a real newsroom in order to publicize the miracle of Chanukah. Retell the Purim story with puppets, and search for information on a large, interactive Passover Seder plate with plenty to lift up, look under, and flip open. Play a virtual reality bow-and-arrow game for Lag B’Omer, and try writing your name in Hebrew like a Torah scribe (an easy to follow chart shows you exactly what to do).
Chanukah Newsroom — As part of the holiday exhibits, visitors will learn about the miracle of Chanukah. One aspect of observing Chanukah is to publicize the miracle—this is why we light menorahs near a window. Children will get to do this in the museum by becoming television newscasters! Video monitors will feature a news anchor reporting on the “breaking news” of the Maccabees revolt against the Syrians. He will then cut to field anchors for reports. Museum visitors will then be prompted, with easy-to-follow instructions, to record their own 60-second reports, which they can make up or read from a monitor. These segments will then be integrated into the “newscast.”