Please Note: This two-day program will place on the following dates and times in-person at the Museum. Registrants are expected to attend both days:
- Day 1 (July 21, 2026): 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Day 2 (July 22, 2026): 9:30 AM - 3:00 PM
This program is exclusively for current Holocaust educators.
This two-day professional development workshop is geared towards teachers new to Holocaust education. Participants will gain experience in pedagogical approaches to examining primary sources, understanding myths and misconceptions students may bring to the classroom, and engaging with this material in a sophisticated and complex way. The conference is an exciting opportunity to network with other teachers and learn from these cutting-edge scholars in the field:
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Paul Salmons, worldwide leading consultant in Holocaust education, exhibit development, and difficult histories
Educator Scholarship: This one-time scholarship is available to current educators. To apply for a scholarship to cover the cost of admission to the program, please email: education@mjhnyc.org
Participation in this program is CTLE credit eligible.
Please Note: Participants must be current Holocaust educators.
This full-day professional development program begins with a two-hour workshop exploring the many forms of resistance during the Holocaust, moving beyond narrow definitions focused only on armed struggle. Educators will examine armed and unarmed resistance by Jewish and non-Jewish individuals, from preserving cultural and spiritual life to acts of direct confrontation. The session will also distinguish between adult and youth resistance, highlighting the unique roles and risks across age groups. Through case studies and discussion, participants will deepen their understanding of resistance as a complex response to oppression and consider ways to integrate these perspectives into their teaching.
Following the workshop and lunch, participants will attend the Broadway production of Operation Mincemeat. After the performance, cast members and representatives from our Speakers Bureau will join a talkback connecting themes from the workshop, lived experiences, and the show.
Participation in this program is CTLE credit eligible only for the workshop in the morning (2 hours).
This talk with Laima Vincė will present the brief creative life of the Lithuanian Jewish poet Matilda Olkinaitė who was killed in the Shoah in the summer of 1941. Matilda and her family were murdered by local collaborators in the early days of the Nazi German occupation of Lithuania. Her diary and notebook of poems survived through a series of small miracles and the perseverance of people who did allow her voice to be lost forever.
Olkinaitė was born June 6, 1922 in Lithuania. By age nine she was publishing her poems in popular interwar children’s magazines. In the autumn of 1939, Matilda began her studies in French literature at the University in Kaunas. There she fell in love with a Lithuanian student, and the story of her first love becomes the theme of her diary. In 1940, she transferred to the Department of Humanities at Vilnius University, where Lithuania’s most famous poets and literary figures became her professors and mentors. After the Soviet Russian occupation of Lithuania in 1940, Matilda became an unpublished poet by choice.
Matilda’s poems were forgotten until 2017, when Lithuanian-American writer Laima Vincė translated her diary and poems from Lithuanian into English. Laima Vincė has published Matilda Olkinaitė’s poems in a bilingual Lithuanian and English poetry book titled The Cerulean Bird: Matilda Olkinaite . Together with editor Mindaugas Kvietkauskas, she published Matilda’s diary and poems, along with surviving photographs and documents, in the book The Unlocked Diary. Vincė’s historical fiction novel, That Unspoken Word, retells Matilda’s story, weaving in her diary excerpt and poems.
Matilda’s unique and visionary poems will be read in English translation along with excerpts from her diary (written between 1940 and 1941) and That Unspoken Word.
Step into the layered history of Białystok, Poland, once one of the most vibrant Jewish centers in Eastern Europe. On this live, interactive Jewish Heritage journey, we’ll explore the streets, stories, and surviving landmarks of a city where Jewish life shaped the culture, industry, language, and spirit of daily life for centuries. Together, we’ll uncover the legacy of Białystok’s synagogues, marketplaces, textile factories, and intellectual life, while learning about the generations of Jewish families who helped build this remarkable city. Along the way, we’ll reflect on the resilience of the community through moments of creativity, hardship, resistance, and remembrance, including the story of the Białystok Ghetto Uprising during World War II. Through powerful storytelling, historic sites, and the atmosphere of modern-day Białystok, this tour offers a meaningful and deeply human connection to a city whose Jewish heritage continues to echo through its streets today.Co-presented with Wowzitude.
Step into the streets of Amsterdam and explore the city through the story of Anne Frank, whose words continue to inspire generations around the world. On this live, interactive Jewish heritage walking tour, we’ll journey through the neighborhoods, canals, and historic corners that shaped Anne’s life during her years in Amsterdam, while reflecting on the vibrant Jewish community that once flourished throughout the city. As we walk through places connected to her daily life and wartime experiences, we’ll discuss the history surrounding her family, the growing dangers faced by Dutch Jews during the Nazi occupation, and the extraordinary impact of her diary, first published on June 25, 1947. Along the way, we’ll also uncover stories of resilience, resistance, remembrance, and the enduring spirit of Amsterdam’s Jewish heritage. Timed alongside the anniversary of the diary’s publication, this moving journey offers a powerful opportunity to connect with history through the streets where Anne Frank’s story began and where her voice still resonates today. Co-presented with Wowzitude.
Experience the energy, music, and spirit of one of the world’s most celebrated Jewish cultural events as we explore Kraków during the annual Jewish Culture Festival. On this live, interactive Jewish Heritage tour, we’ll journey through the historic streets of Kazimierz, the city’s centuries-old Jewish quarter, where synagogues, courtyards, cafés, and public squares come alive with concerts, storytelling, art, and tradition. Along the way, we’ll uncover the remarkable history of Jewish life in Kraków, reflect on the devastation of the Holocaust, and explore how the Jewish Culture Festival has become a powerful symbol of remembrance, revival, and connection since its founding in 1988. Through the sights and atmosphere of the festival itself, we’ll discover how music, food, language, and community continue to breathe life back into the neighborhood and create meaningful conversations between past and present. This special journey offers a moving and uplifting look at how a city honors Jewish heritage not only through memory, but through celebration. Co-presented with Wowzitude.
Join the Museum of Jewish Heritage, Warren Klein, the director and curator of the Herbert & Eileen Bernard Museum at Temple Emanu-El in New York, and David Matlow, owner of the world’s largest private collection of Herzl memorabilia, for a conversation about the life and lasting legacy of Theodor Herzl. Their conversation will highlight objects from Matlow’s collection and explore the All About Herzl exhibition, hosted at the Herbert & Eileen Bernard Museum.
J’Accuse! is a blistering documentary that is recalibrating the dialogue between the Jewish people and Lithuania by demanding that the Lithuanian government stop telling Holocaust lies. Made on a shoestring budget of less than $30,000, this painful, angry film has won over 120 Best Documentary Awards and film festival selections across the world and has become one of the key weapons in the ongoing fight for Holocaust truth.
Research Assistance at the Peter and Mary Kalikow Jewish Genealogy Research Center
The Peter and Mary Kalikow Jewish Genealogy Research Center is the physical presence of JewishGen, the genealogical research division of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.
Our professional genealogists, who are experts in family history research, are here to guide and assist you, whether you are just starting your search or digging deeper into your family tree. With unlimited access to JewishGen’s powerful online tools and many other essential resources, the Kalikow Center is your personalized launchpad for discovery.
Here, your family’s past comes to life. Genealogical research—especially Jewish family history—can be a fascinating but complex journey, filled with hidden details, unfamiliar languages, and elusive records. That’s where we come in.
Come with questions. Leave with stories. Your history is waiting—let the Kalikow Jewish Genealogy Research Center help you discover it.
The center is open on:
Wednesdays at 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Thursdays at 12:00 – 4:00 pm & 4:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Sundays 10:00 am – 12:30 pm & 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
We encourage you to make a reservation. Walk-ins are also welcome on a first-come, first-served basis.
Museum admission is required to visit the center.
Free for Museum members.
One ticket per appointment. For additional guests, please book another spot here or visit the Museum Admissions Desk.
Please feel free to complete this optional form to help us better prepare for your visit.
Museum Members
Visitors have access to all exhibitions at the Museum at any time during opening hours. Click here to see all exhibitions on view.
To reserve free admission, please select your ticket type below and Add to Cart. You may visit at any time between 4-8PM on the day of your reservation.
COVID-19 Safety Guidelines: Please review our Health and Safety page before planning your visit for more information on COVID safety requirements and our visitation guidelines.
Sign in at the top right corner of this page. If you do not already have an online account with us, please create an account using your member email. Your Member discounts will be reflected in your cart at checkout.
Not a member? Join today or email membership@mjhnyc.org for assistance.
We provide free admission to Holocaust Survivors, active members of the military, first responders, and NYC DOE K-12 students. If this applies to you, please contact us at 646-437-4202 to schedule your visit.
We also accept the Sightseeing Pass and the Go City Pass, please bring your pass to the Museum for free admission.
Groups of 15 or more must book through the Group Tours page.
Bessarabia has a unique history within the Pale of Settlement, shaped by its time under the Ottoman and Russian Empires and a Jewish presence dating back to the 15th–16th centuries. Most genealogical records, such as vital records, revision lists, and burial records, begin in the 19th century, with additional 20th-century materials including deportation records and memorial sources. Many of these have been translated and made available through JewishGen, along with Yizkor books and personal memoirs. In this webinar, Yefim Kogan will share how to research Jewish history and genealogy in Bessarabia.
About the Speaker:
Yefim Abram Kogan is the Leader and Coordinator of the JewishGen Bessarabia Division. Born in Kishinev, Moldova, he emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1989 and has since conducted extensive genealogical and historical research. He holds a Master of Jewish Liberal Studies from Hebrew College in Boston, focusing on Eastern European Jewish history. In 2011, he founded the JewishGen Bessarabia SIG and developed its website, along with several KehilaLinks sites. His major projects include the Bessarabia Revision List, with over 300,000 records, and the Bessarabia Cemetery Project, documenting more than 90 cemeteries and 75,000 burial records. He is a frequent speaker at Jewish genealogical societies and IAJGS conferences and, in 2025, published Jewish Families in Shtetl Kaushany, Bessarabia with JewishGen Press.
This intensive training examines the mass murder of Jews in Eastern Europe between 1941 and 1944, focusing on the period in which mass shootings preceded—and then continued alongside—the implementation of killing centers.
The session begins with a historical overview of mass shootings in Eastern Europe, emphasizing their scale, public nature, and central role in the genocide. Participants are introduced to the Holocaust by bullets as a critical phase in the evolution of Nazi killing policies, one that both preceded and overlapped with the operation of extermination camps.
Educators are then introduced to Yahad – In Unum’s investigative methodology, which combines archival research, eyewitness testimony, and field-based analysis to reconstruct crimes at the local level. Participants explore how this methodology is translated into classroom-ready educational resources, including primary documents, maps, and testimony excerpts.
At the core of the program is a guided micro-historical case study from one specific location in Ukraine. Working with a curated set of archival records and eyewitness testimonies, participants reconstruct how the Holocaust unfolded in that locality.
This case study illustrates how global policies and decisions developed earlier in the Nazi regime were translated into concrete actions during 1941–1942, shaping the destruction of individual communities. Educators examine how evidence is identified, cross-referenced, and evaluated, and how historians establish what happened, when, and how.
Educator Scholarship: This one-time scholarship is available to current educators, retired educators, and students currently enrolled at an academic institution. To apply for a scholarship to cover the cost of admission to the program, please email: education@mjhnyc.org
Participation in this program is CTLE credit eligible.
We’re hosting the biggest Jewish mah jongg festival ever — and you’re invited!
Whether you are a complete beginner to the game, a seasoned expert player, or someone who just wants to learn some history and have some fun, you’ll enjoy this one-of-a-kind celebration of all things mah jongg. It’s all presented in partnership with Kveller and two of the country’s most respected teachers — Dara Collins and Donna Kassman, the founders of Modern Mahjong.
If you would like to attend Day 2 of the Festival, on Monday, June 29th, which will include a tournament of intermediate and advanced players, please register here.
Keep the fun going at Day 2 of the New York Jewish Mah Jongg Festival!
Join a tournament of intermediate and advanced players that will award mah jongg-themed prizes.
Tickets to Day 2, which ends at 1:00 p.m., will include snacks but not a full lunch.
Torn from her home, alone, and unsure of where she was headed, Hanna left Germany on a transport bound for England at just 7 years old.
She would come to learn that she was part of an epic rescue effort that would save nearly 10,000 Jewish children from Hitler’s Nazi regime. Hanna’s parents, Markus and Amalie however, would not make it to safety.
In the film i was 8814, Hanna sits down at 92 years old to personally narrate her story in breathtaking detail. She recounts the childhood experience of seeing Hitler parade through her hometown, the heartbreaking journey of discovering her parent’s fate, facing the bitter truth, and turning her vengeful hatred to forgiveness.
Following the screening, there will be a talkback with directors David Peters and Kathi Peters.
This professional development program is aimed at educators located in the NY Tri-State area who are currently engaged with Holocaust education. It is being hosted in partnership with TOLI, an organization dedicated to empowering teachers to make Holocaust education relevant for today's students. TOLI programs are recognized for their distinctive approach—one that reaches teachers on a personal level, fostering self-reflection, critical inquiry, and a deeper awareness of their own roles and responsibilities as educators. Rather than treating teachers as passive recipients of information, teachers are engaged as active participants in a transformative learning process. This session would be appropriate for educators who have several years of experience teaching about World War II and the Holocaust.
Please note: This program is exclusively for current Holocaust educators.
Participation in this program is CTLE credit eligible. This program has a one-time tax-deductible fee of $36.00. The Educator Scholarship to cover the fee is available to those eligible. See below for details.
Educator Scholarship: This one-time scholarship for this program is available to current Holocaust educators. To apply for a scholarship to cover the cost of admission to the program, please email: education@mjhnyc.org
In 1669, the Carolina colony issued the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina, which offered freedom of worship to “Jews, heathens, and other dissenters,” ushering in an era that would see Jews settle in cities and towns throughout what would become the Confederate States. Shari Rabin’s The Jewish South tells their stories, and those of their descendants and coreligionists who followed, providing the first narrative history of southern Jews.
Rabin will be in conversation about her book with Hasia Diner.
Curator-Led Tour: The Common Circles Experience: New York
Join us for a curator-led tour of The Common Circles Experience: New York, a two-part immersive exhibition exploring identity, community, and Holocaust history through innovative, interactive design.
Led by curators Marla Felton and Sue Spiegel, this guided experience begins with We Are New York! Bridging, Belonging & Building Community, where visitors engage with art, photography, and interactive installations that challenge first impressions and reveal the many layers that shape who we are. Through visual storytelling, participants are invited to reflect on how we see one another—and how easily both people and history can be reduced to a single story.
In the second section, Voices Against Hate: Lessons from the Holocaust, visitors engage in life-like conversations with Holocaust survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch and Jewish American liberator Alan Moskin through USC Shoah Foundation’s Dimensions in Testimony. This powerful technology allows visitors to ask questions and hear firsthand testimony, fostering a deeper understanding of antisemitism, Jewish life, and the enduring impact of Holocaust history.
Tours are approximately 1.5 hours. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Registration is required. $15.00 per person.
To commemorate America's 250th birthday, L'Chaim America! features professional actors performing true stories of gratitude and possibility in American Jewish life. Be inspired by a Black storyteller recounting how Ashkenazi activists helped elect LA's first Black mayor. Consider complex questions through a writer's Native American and Jewish heritages. Have a seat at an Iranian refugee family's Thanksgiving. Discover hidden Jews in Wyoming's windswept "cowboy country," and celebrate as a Salvadoran immigrant reclaims his Judaism and lives the American dream. Enjoy these plus other original stories and songs. Join us to honor the America in our hearts. Made possible in part with support by the National Endowment for the Arts.
To commemorate America's 250th birthday, L'Chaim America! features professional actors performing true stories of gratitude and possibility in American Jewish life. Be inspired by a Black storyteller recounting how Ashkenazi activists helped elect LA's first Black mayor. Consider complex questions through a writer's Native American and Jewish heritages. Have a seat at an Iranian refugee family's Thanksgiving. Discover hidden Jews in Wyoming's windswept "cowboy country," and celebrate as a Salvadoran immigrant reclaims his Judaism and lives the American dream. Enjoy these plus other original stories and songs. Join us to honor the America in our hearts. Made possible in part with support by the National Endowment for the Arts.