The implications of the Intended Audience in Jewish Museaums Essay

The implications of the Intended Audience in Jewish Museaums - Essay Example This is the case with the two museums chosen for this report: The Beth Tzedec Reuben and Helen Dennis Museum and the Holocaust Centre of Toronto. The Beth Tzedecs Museum is important because it holds information for "all things Jewish" and The Holocaust Centre of Toronto is important because they educate the community about the Holocaust. The Beth Tzedecs Museum opened its doors in 1965 with the acquisition of Dr. Cecil Roths extensive Judaica collection. Dr. Roth was a prominent Jewish historian and his full collection contained over a thousand artifacts. Some were ceremonial objects, rare Esther scrolls, Chanukah lamps and more. Since their beginning they have acquired 1,800 artifacts that represent "Jewish art and history from ancient times to the present." (Beth Tzedec Website). This museum is housed inside a synagogue and it is open to the public. The museum is located in an old conservative synagogue in the Lawrence neighborhood in Toronto. The museums purpose is to be one component of the entire synagogue so that people can browse and learn about Jewish history. The museum and synagogue seem to be very welcoming to anyone who wants to learn about Judaica. Gopnik would call this museum a mausoleum type because it is "a place where you go to see old things and where you go to find yourself" (32). It is a reposit ory of ancient and current artifacts that are maintained for the world to see and talk about. This museum is small and it seems to be a small part of the synagogue and it is a small museum compared to The Holocaust Centre of Toronto and it does not seem to be of primary importance. The synagogue is a place for anyone to come and they seem to encourage people to explore them through videos, joining one of the many "shuls" or reading many of their materials. The audience seems to be anyone who would be