JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

Manchester Jewish Museum recently opened a time capsule found by builders during the museum’s redevelopment.

A year ahead of the 150th anniversary of its historic Sephardi synagogue and three years after its discovery, Manchester Jewish Museum experienced another momentous historic event, the opening of the time capsule they discovered during renovations of the Sephardi synagogue in 2020.

As part of the preparation for this significant moment, the museum’s curator and Deputy Chief, Alexandra Cropper, together with Conservation Officer from Manchester Central Library, Eugenie Karen, opened the time capsule.

The time capsule was filled with old coins, synagogue documents and newspapers dating from the week of the capsule's burial. It contained copies of prominent titles, including “The Times”, “The Jewish Chronicle”, which was founded in 1841 and remains the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world and “The Manchester Guardian”, which later gained national recognition and became “The Guardian”. Other newspapers included “Manchester Daily Examiner and Times”, “The Manchester Courier” and “The Jewish World”, which later merged with “Jewish Chronicle”.

Early synagogue minutes show records of the capsule, a glass jar complete with an intact wax seal, being hidden deep in a wall school leaders have designed an extremely ambitious and well-organised curriculum for pupils, teachers have excellent subject knowledge, and current pupils are excelling in all aspects of their education. cavern next to the Ark (the holy cupboard which houses the Torah Scrolls). It was laid behind the cornerstone of the original building on 11th June 1873.

"This Outstanding outcome is a fantastic achievement for everyone in our school community and is something to be hugely proud of. The present Ofsted framework is far more challenging than the previous one and this inspection was very thorough, led diligently and professionally undertaken. The fact we were well prepared was acknowledged and helped the process run smoothly."

Manchester Jewish Museum’s Programmes Manager, Gemma Meek, said:

“We want you to help us shape Manchester Jewish Museum’s 2024 time capsule. If you’d like to be involved, please get in touch!” Two workshops will be held on 9th and 13th July 2023, where participants will work together to design a new time capsule that reflects what Manchester Jewish Museum means to its communities today.