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Culture and Continuity through the Centuries CLAL Leads Tour of Jewish Museum

By Judy Epstein, Director of Public Relations

How have the Jewish people survived through the centuries? What constitutes the essence of Jewish identity?

These were the questions posed to the members of a CLAL New York Torah Study Group, during a tour of Manhattan's Jewish Museum that concluded their year-long study of Pirkei Avot, a classic compilation of rabbinic wisdom.

Judy Siegel, a member of the group and former Director of Education for the Museum, and Rabbi Daniel Brenner, a CLAL Senior Teaching Fellow, led the tour of the Museum's newly refurbished permanent exhibit, "Culture and Continuity: The Jewish Journey." The tour covered the time period of the Mishnah (1st-5th centuries, C.E), when the Jews were recreating Jewish life after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. The exhibit offered an array of early art and artifacts which helped tell the story of what happened to the Jewish people before, during and after they were forced to flee their land.

"We wanted to provide a larger context for the story," said Rabbi Brenner. "By seeing and decoding the whole picture, we were better able to understand the transition, which still speaks to Jews today."

The exhibit offered three catalysts that help explain the ability of the Jewish people to survive in Diaspora: the constant questioning and reinterpretation of Jewish traditions, the interaction of Jews and Judaism with other cultures, and the impact of historical events that have transformed Jewish life.

The tour began in a representation of an early 20th century cafe, symbolizing the central meeting place for Jewish social life in the modern era. It concluded in the Shabbat room-the one space in the Museum with a window overlooking the trees of Central Park.

"The window reminds us of what is essential and timeless," said Rabbi Brenner. "Nothing speaks to the Jewish experience better than the metaphor of sitting in a museum, but gazing at the wider world."

The Torah Study Group is one of seven CLAL classes taught in the New York area. Through its leadership development and community building programs, CLAL has taught volunteer leadership and professionals in over 100 cities in North America.