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).
Daniela Gerson and her wife, Talia Inlender, met at a picnic in Los Angeles, not knowing that 75 years earlier, their grandparents had left homes only blocks away from each other in a small Polish town, and fled east to Ukraine. The Gersons and the Inlenders would go on parallel odysseys of 5,000 miles to survive the Holocaust—one that would, after a deceitful loyalty test from Stalin, put them on cattle cars to a Soviet Gulag, years in limbo in Central Asia, and would end, after a decade on the run, with new lives built on secrets and lies.
For years, Daniela and Talia simply accepted this painful shared history as a sign that they were b’shert, meant to be. Their families’ refugee past fueled their work: Daniela as an immigration journalist; Talia an immigration attorney. But as Daniela uncovered more, she realized that their grandparents shared this escape path in the Soviet Union with most Polish Jews who survived; a group—sometimes collectively called “the Wanderers”—that is almost entirely absent from popular understanding of World War II. And unlike most Holocaust sagas that focus on the exceptionality of the Nazi genocide, theirs was also a universal story of refugees making impossible decisions when forced to seek safety, protect their children, and find new homes. A story that, to the dismay of the world, remains relevant each time a political upheaval wreaks havoc on individual lives.
Part genealogical detective story, part gripping history, part contemporary reporting on war-torn territories, The Wanderers chronicles Daniela’s journey to unearth this past with her wife, and reveal its echoes in still-contested lands from Ukraine to Israel. The Wanderers is a groundbreaking narrative history, and a meditation on how a home left behind and a desperate journey to survive reverberates across borders and through generations.
Gerson will be in conversation about her book with journalist Diane Cole.
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
Mishpachah Festival
Sunday, May 31, 2026
The Hebrew word Mishpachah means family – we invite you to join ours! This day-long festival celebrates and explores Jewish genealogy, heritage, and immigration along with, the Museum’s Jewish Genealogical Research Division and other partners, who are celebrating their 40th anniversary. Engage with your family’s genealogy using the Peter and Mary Kalikow Jewish Genealogy Center’s new user interface, learn about historical immigration, and reflect on how we tell our individual and collective stories.
Please select 1 ticket for your entire party.
Appointments are free. A suggested donation will help us preserve Jewish history.
Be sure to arrive on time for your appointment.
Join the Museum of Jewish Heritage for a screening of Hester Street and a discussion with author Dr. Julia Wagner and filmmaker and Columbia professor Ira Deutchman.
Joan Micklin Silver's groundbreaking debut feature film, Hester Street (1975), vividly portrays the immigrant experience through the eyes of Gitl (Carol Kane), a young, Orthodox Jewish woman who arrives in New York City from Eastern Europe at the end of the nineteenth century. Reunited with her already-assimilated husband, Gitl finds they now have little in common and she is forced to adjust to a new way of life in the Lower East Side. Hester Street defied expectations on its release, and shines today as a triumph of independent, feminist filmmaking that changed the face of Jewish American cinema.
Marking the film's 50th anniversary, Dr. Julia Wagner's landmark BFI Film Classics book about Hester Street is the first to focus exclusively on Micklin Silver's film. Wagner will introduce the film and following the screening, she will be in conversation with Ira Deutchman about Joan Micklin Silver’s legacy and the importance and impact of Hester Street.
Signed copies of Hester Street will be available to purchase after the screening.
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.
In this exclusive program for members, take a closer look at The Common Circles Experience in a curator-led tour of the exhibition.
Led by curators Marla Felton and Sue Spiegel, this guided experience begins with We Are New York! Bridging, Belonging & Building Community, where members engage with art, photography, and interactive installations that challenge first impressions and reveal the many layers that shape who we are.
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.
Have questions or need assistance? Contact membership@mjhnyc.org or (646) 437-4334.
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.
The Hebrew word Mishpachah means family – we invite you to join ours! This day-long festival will celebrate and explore Jewish genealogy, heritage, and immigration with JewishGen, the Museum’s Jewish Genealogical Research Division and other partners. Engage with your family’s genealogy, learn about historical immigration, and reflect on how we tell our individual and collective stories.