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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2010
The Philadelphia Inquirer irer
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WWW. WW WWW.PHILLY.COM W.PH W. PHIL PH IL
Silk wedding slippers, 1779, worn by Belle Simon of Lancaster, Pa.
Supe Superman, Supe perm rman rm an,, DC C Comics omic om icss ic #1,, 19 #1 1938 1938, 38, 38 created crea cr eate tedd by te Jerry Jerr Je rryy Si rr Sieg Siegel egel eg el andd Jo Joe Shuster
Bett Be Betty ttyy Bo tt Boop Boop, op,, op 1930 19 1930s 30ss ca 30 cart cartoon rtoo rt oonn st oo star crea cr created eate tedd by FFleischer te leis le isch is ch Studios
Deerskin Torah scroll from Morocco, 1737, gift to the Jews of Savannah, Ga.
FOUR FO URTH UR TH FL FLOO OOR OO R
THIR TH IRD IR D F L OO OOR R 1911 Cigarette card
Confederate $2 bill with Judah Benjamin’s portrait
Stamp, c. 1933
Rebecca Gratz, 19th century Philadelphia philanthropist
Being
Jewish America in
Model of Touro Synagogue in Newport, R.I. Trade card image from Levi Strauss & Co., mid 19th century
New museum offers 4 floors of perspectives
Chronicling lives more than religion
By Peter Dobrin
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INQUIRER CULTURE WRITER
f there’s an ethnicity not in need of a museum to bear witness to its exquisitely realized ambition, it’s that of the American Jew. In science, Jews lay claim to Einstein; in music, Bernstein. It’s hard to think of a group that in the last century has more clearly led media and entertainment, finance and commerce. American Jews might be the most spectacular overachievers in our young country’s history, and it’s never been much of a secret. The assumption for many who tracked development of the new home of the National Museum of American Jewish History was that it would be a vanity project. The unfortunate timing — fund-raising took place in a severe recession, as Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme sent spasms through Jewish philanthropy — only gilded the sense of folly. But in its opening state, at least, the new $150 million Jewish MuseSee EXHIBITS on H6
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg on trial, 1951
Millions of immigrants came to America, among them 2.5 million Jews.
American Expeditionary Forces in France, 1918. Some 250,000 Jews served in WWI and 550,000 in WWII. Yiddish typewriter used at Philadelphia’s Jewish World newspaper, 1920-1935
By David O’Reilly
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INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
idway through a tour last week of the National Museum of American Jewish History, deputy curator Josh Perelman paused. “Does the word ‘God’ appear anywhere in the museum?’ ” he mused, repeating the question just posed to him. “Hmmm,” he said, and stroked his chin. “Well, it certainly appears in some of the documents on display. But does it appear in the exhibition texts?” Glancing across the museum’s atrium to its four exhibit floors, he mentally scanned the collection. Down there, in a case, sat the piano of songwriter Irving Berlin. Over there was a monitor showing scenes from Seinfeld, and a metal bunk from a Jewish summer camp. Up there was the Civil War uniform of a Jewish soldier, an exhibit on the 1951 Rosenberg spy trial, and a 19th-century Maryland law giving legal protection to Jews. But God? “Hmmm,” Perelman said again. See JUDAISM on H5
FIRS FI RST RS T F L OO OOR R
Big-screen videos and artifacts highlight 18 notable American Jews.
Inside:
■ Architecture critic Inga Saffron on the building. H8. ■ Training the docents. H10. ■ Mall visitors face choices. H11.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shared a close personal friendship.
SECO SE COND CO ND FL FLOO OOR OO R
■ What about the Sabbath? H11.
Leisure tim in Miami B e ea
Article about Steven Spielberg at age 16, 1963
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Sammy Davis Jr., entertainer Piano on which Irving Berlin composed “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” c. 1908 Storyboard illustration from “Yentl” starring Barbra Streisand Gangster Meyer Lansky, 1958 CYNTHIA GREER and CHARLES FOX / Staff
For credit information on illustration sources, see page 7.
Movies
Art
Steven Rea: The story of a hiker’s ordeal has been years coming to the screen. H2
Edward J. Sozanski: Work by Leonard Baskin, who had no use for abstraction. H18
Dining
Craig LaBan: Argan Moroccan’s authentic flavors. H13
Rick Nichols: Seeking, finding savory meat sauce. H13
Chick Wit
Lisa Scottoline: I want Angelina Jolie to play me on TV. H16
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