$13.5M museum dedicated to Jewish Heritage
to open tuesday

BEACHWOOD, Ohio — The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, a $13.5 million facility illuminating the achievements, history, and traditions of the Jewish community will hold its grand opening here Tuesday.

The museum will feature thousands of artifacts and archival texts and photographs along with film, interactive computers, special effects, and other state-of-the-art technology to tell the personal stories of Ohio Jews.

“This museum will give both Jews and non-Jews a deeper understanding of the compelling Jewish story — its religious values, its history of both oppression and accomplishment, and its remarkable power of survival,” said Milton Maltz, who, with his wife, Tamar, donated $8 million toward the project.

The museum is at 2929 Richmond Rd., Beachwood. More information is available by calling 216-593-0575 or online at www.MaltzJewishMuseum.org

BEACHWOOD, Ohio — Harry Gips and his three sisters escaped at night from the Czestochowa ghetto in Poland during World War II.

“We hid like animals in the woods during the day. At night, we sneaked into barns and stole food from animals to survive. Four months before the war ended, one of my sisters was caught and shot. My other sister saw the shooting and she has never been all right since then.”

Gips’ story is one of many being told at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage: An American Story, which opens on Tuesday. Together, the stories of individuals and families give insight into Jewish history and life in Cleveland, America and the world. They also tell the universal story of the immigrant experience.

“We believe it is as much an American story as a Jewish story. We happen to be of the Jewish faith, so we see the experience through Jewish eyes,” said Milton Maltz, one of the museum’s founders.

“What we’re hoping is people will be immersed into this thing and see themselves and their own ancestors, who were also immigrants. I believe this will help build bridges of understanding in the general community.”

Maltz and his wife, Tamar, envisioned the museum after the leaders of their synagogue, Temple-Tifereth Israel, asked them to fund a facility to house the temple’s collection of Judaic artifacts. But instead of “creating visible space,” Milton Maltz said he and his wife decided to tell the colorful story of Jewish history and culture.

Because the Maltzes believe history is as much about lives as it is about events, they decided to highlight the achievements and traditions of the first Jewish immigrants who came to Cleveland in 1839, using personal stories and oral histories.

Those stories are told through film, computer interactives and dramatic exhibits that feature documents, images, art and artifacts.

“This museum will enable visitors to better understand and appreciate their own histories because they will see the similarities between the experiences of Jewish immigrants and their ancestors,” Tamar Maltz said. “It’s a place for people of all faiths and all backgrounds.”

Visitors to the 24,000-square-foot museum will start their journey into a better understanding of Jewish life by viewing a brief film narrated by Peter Strauss. The film sets the stage for what to expect when going through the museum and answers the questions: “Who are the Jews?” and “Where are the Jews?”

The lobby features a timeline of Jewish, American and world history, an inlaid mosaic zodiac replica and a store.

One permanent exhibit tells the story of Jewish entertainers, from the Marx Brothers to Seinfeld, in a 1920s-style nickelodeon theater. Visitors can also explore the modern state of Israel and learn about the ties between Israel and Cleveland.

One of the interactive exhibits gives visitors an opportunity to take the same immigration test given to U.S. immigrants as they arrived at Ellis Island during the European immigration boom. Visitors can experience what life was like for a small band of Jewish immigrants from the tiny village of Unslaben, Bavaria, who set out for Cleveland in 1837.

Museum guests can also explore the growth and evolution of Cleveland’s Jewish community and learn about some of the contributions of its members, including those who served in the military, owned businesses, played sports and created Superman.

Other exhibits tell the story of growing racism and anti-Semitism in the 1930s and the experiences of Holocaust survivors, like Gips. An adult-size and child-size Ku Klux Klan robe stand side by side in a glass case as a stark reminder of what that experience was like. A sign at the entrance of the Holocaust exhibit warns that “adult supervision is advised.”

“That is a difficult one, but it’s part of the story,” Milton Maltz said. “When you experience the exhibits about racism, anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, it tells you what hate can do. And it forces you to ask if we are past that stage in America — that certainly is our goal.”

Full of history

In addition to the permanent exhibits, the museum includes the Temple-Tifereth Israel Gallery, which has about 170 Judaic relics, many of which were recovered and brought to Cleveland after the Holocaust.

That collection — property of the temple’s Museum of Religious Art — includes Hanukkah lamps, Seder plates, textiles dating from the 18th century, Israeli stamps, sculptures, paintings and lithographs.

A flexible 2,300-square-foot space in the museum will be available to other community organizations and groups to showcase artists and for traveling and special exhibits.

The first special exhibit will be The Jewish Journey: Frederic Brenner’s Photographic Odyssey, which opens Nov. 12. It is a chronicle of about 115 images that depict the global diversity of modern Jewish life.

The Maltzes will also offer educational and public programs for adults, families and children. Teacher workshops and docent-led tours for school groups will be available.

The building itself is faced with Jerusalem limestone that was quarried in Israel. It is on the campus of the Temple-Tifereth and its school, and is surrounded by walls that double as visual and sound barriers and the backdrop to a contemplative landscaped courtyard at the museum’s entry.

In the next year, a memorial garden will be completed to honor Jewish war veterans and Holocaust survivors.

The Maltz Museum is a partnership of the Maltz Family Foundation, the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland, the Temple-Tifereth Israel and Western Reserve Historical Society.

General admission is $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and college students. Children under 12 are admitted free.

Tuesday’s grand opening begins at 10 a.m. The free opening-day celebration will feature the Yiddishe Cup Klezmer Band; the Cleveland Pops Orchestra; actress Valerie Harper; Daniel Schorr, veteran reporter and commentator; and, U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress.