The Jewish Museum of Maryland invites you and your students to experience the rich vitality of Jewish heritage by visiting our Museum and participating in our school programs. Discover the variety and liveliness of Jewish culture, past and present.

The Jewish Museum offers a variety of programs and tours for school groups, camps, youth groups, college and university students, and after-school programs. We provide both on-site field trip opportunities as well as outreach services. A listing of current school programs is provided below.

School groups are accepted Sunday - Friday, starting at 9:00am. Please review this webpage for additional information.

Table of Contents

 


Students examining various Jewish ritual objects

To make reservations for a school program, to confer with JMM education staff, or to get more information, please phone:

Deborah Cardin
Education Director
410.732.6400, x36

or e-mail to

dcardin@jewishmuseummd.org

Lauren Silberman

Education and Program Coordinator

410.732.6400, x29

or e-mail to

lsilberman@jewishmuseummd.org

 

Student Group Admission Fees:

$2 per student

$3 per teacher/chaperone

$1 per student, additional for art projects

We are able to offer limited free admission and transportation subsidies to schools participating in the Introduction to Judaism program thanks to generous grant support from the Jewish Chautauqua Society.

Teacher's Mailing List

To be included in our teacher's mailing list, please e-mail Lauren Silberman, Education and Program Coordinator, at lsilberman@jewishmuseummd.org with your name, school, address, phone, e-mail, and subject and grade you teach. Thanks!

Download our current school programs brochure here.

 

School Programs

Educational Standards at the Museum

The Museum's educational programs are aligned with the Maryland State Voluntary Curriculum in the areas of social studies and English language arts for students and teachers in grades K-12 . To meet the specific curricular needs of Hebrew day and congregational schools, the Museum works with the Center for Jewish Education. All educational programs promote an experiential approach to learning that take into account different learning styles, student backgrounds, and abilities.

UPDATED FOR 2007: Maryland's Voluntary State Curriculum Standards

Download the above document to learn how all of our programs align with Maryland's Voluntary State Curriculum Standards in Social Studies from 3rd - 8th grades. Check back for High School, Language Arts, and more!

Programmatic Themes

JMM educational programs and resources relate to the following themes:

  • 17 th - 21 st century American history
  • Jewish - American Experience
  • World religions and multiculturalism
  • Immigration history
  • Maryland history
  • Baltimore neighborhoods
  • Women's studies
  • Holocaust studies
  • African American and Jewish Relations

Exhibitions

•  Voices of Lombard Street: A Century of Change in East Baltimore

•  Judy Chicago: Jewish Identity (closing December 2007)

•  Ours to Fight For: American Jews in the Second World War (Sunday, February 24 - July 27, 2008)

The following programs take place in our historic synagogues:

Introduction to Judaism

Adaptable for different grade levels; 90 minutes

This program is designed to give non-Jewish students an overview of Jewish history, religion, and culture through an exploration of the historic Lloyd Street Synagogue.

Can be combined with The Immigrant Experience program.

We are able to offer limited free admission and transportation subsidies to schools participating in this program thanks to generous grant support from the Maryland State Department of Education, the Marion I. and Henry J. Knott Foundation, and the Jewish Chautauqua Society.

Introduction to Judaism: Judaism Revealed Pre-Visit Curricular Material

Introduction to Judaism: Bar/Bat Mitzvah Pre-visit Curricular Material

Coming soon: Hebrew Alef-Bet Sheet

Coming soon: Jewish Ritual Objects Scavenger Hunt

 

The Immigrant Experience: a Tour of Two Historic Synagogues

Adaptable for different grade levels; 90 minutes

Through a dynamic tour focusing on the different immigrant groups that built and worshipped in our synagogues, students learn about an exciting period in American Jewish history and the impact of immigration on the development of Baltimore 's Jewish community. Can be combined with the Introduction to Judaism program.

Immigrant Experience Pre-visit Curricular Material

 

Golden Land

Pre-K through 3 rd grade; 20 minutes

An interactive introduction to immigration for younger students. Explore East Baltimore in the early 20th century through the eyes of two children who lived there. Visit their home, learn about the neighborhood, dress up in period clothing, and practice "sewing" vests in a garment factory. Can be combined with other programs and tours.

Golden Land Immigration Activity Book

The following program(s) take place in conjunction with our current exhibition(s):

Voices of Lombard Street: A Century of Change in East Baltimore

3rd - 12th grade; 45 minutes

Chronicling the neighborhood surrounding the JMM from 1900 to today, this immersive exhibition will introduce students to the hustle and bustle of Corned Beef Row, life in tenement houses, and a medley of immigrant voices.

Pre-Visit Curricular Material for Voices of Lombard Street

Pre-Visit Curricular Material Images

Voices of Lombard Street materials available thanks to Judy and Jerry Macks in memory of the Macks, Kravetz, Goldstein, and Wagenheim Families – “Their voices are part of the story.”

 

Coming February 24, 2008:

Ours to Fight For: American Jews in the Second World War

Learn more at the Ours to Fight For website.

The following program takes place in our Anne Adalman Goodwin Library:

Archival Exploration

5 th - 12 th grades; 45 minutes

Teachers can take advantage of the rich primary sources that are housed in our archives to enrich lesson plans. Students analyze authentic historical documents, photographs, oral history interviews and more, as they learn about a variety of topics such as early Maryland Jewish history, immigration history, and Jewish life cycle events.

Can be combined with other programs and tours.

The following programs can take place either on-site at the Museum or off-site in your classroom:

The Leo V. Berger Immigrant's Trunk

4 th -8 th grade; 60 minutes

Discover the lives of actual Jewish immigrants to Baltimore at the turn of the twentieth century through dramatic living history performances. Professional actors interpret the lives of Ida Rehr - a Ukranian immigrant who worked in the garment industry - and Saul Bernstein - a Lithuanian peddler who became a professional artist.

Additionally, teachers can rent a trunk based on the lives of Ida or Saul. Each trunk contains reproduced photographs, documents, letters, and objects from the Museum's collection that students explore. A curricular guide within the trunk provides teachers with instructions for classroom facilitation.

The cost for the living history program is $100. The cost of a three-week rental is $60 per trunk, which includes one-way shipping to your school. There is an additional $20 fee for a staff facilitator. Each school is responsible for the cost of return shipping.

The Museum is able to offer program subsidies to all schools in the Maryland Public School System as well as Archdiocese affiliated schools thanks to the generous support of the Maryland State Department of Education, the Leo V. Berger Fund, and the Marion I. and Henry J. Knott Foundation.

The Leo V. Berger Immigrant's Trunk - Ida Pre-Preformance Materials

The Leo V. Berger Immigrant's Trunk - Saul Pre-Performance Materials

The Leo V. Berger Immigrant's Trunk - Ida Trunk Rental

The Leo V. Berger Immigrant's Trunk - Saul Trunk Rental

Maryland Jewish Life History Kits

Available for use in the classroom or at the Museum, history kits include lesson plans for hands-on learning, reproduced primary sources, bibliographies, and glossaries.

 

Paving Our Way: Early Maryland Jewish History, 1632-1845

4 th - 8 th grades

Explore the roots of Maryland 's Jewish community through reproduced primary sources, art projects, games, role plays, and more. This comprehensive curriculum includes sections on Everyday Life, the Toleration Act of 1649, and the Jew Bill of 1826. Students learn about life in colonial and federal era Maryland through the lens of its first Jewish settlers.

Paving Our Way Curricular Materials

Are We There Yet? Game Board

Are We There Yet? Game Cards

Lives Lost, Lives Found: Baltimore 's German Jewish Refugees, 1933-1945

4 th -12 th grades

Students learn how the Holocaust reverberated in Maryland , as they explore the experiences of the refugees who settled here in the 1930s and 40s. Activities include photograph exploration, creative writing, and examining the evolution of U.S. immigration policies.

Lives Lost, Lives Found Curricular Materials

Lives Lost, Lives Found: Images for Lesson Plan I

Lives Lost, Lives Found: Images for Lesson Plan III

Learn more about Holocaust resources available through the Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore by clicking here.

Interested in having a Holocaust survivor speak to your students? Learn more by contacting Lauren Silberman, Education and Program Coordinator, at 410.732.6400 x29 or e-mailing lsilberman@jewishmuseummd.org.

Historical Neighborhoods: Park Heights Avenue

What are the building blocks of a neighborhood? Students investigate the diverse community of Upper Park Heights Avenue using maps, photos, oral histories, and more. Whether they live in this neighborhood or elsewhere, students are encouraged to make connections with their own communities.

Historical Neighborhoods: Park Heights Avenue Curricular Materials

Free to rent from either the Museum or the Center for Jewish Education. There is a $20 fee for a staff facilitator.

Supplementary Programs:

  • Art projects that give students hands-on opportunities to learn more about Jewish arts, culture, and festivals.
  • Creative writing workshops led by young adult author, Jonathon Scott Fuqua, which provide a forum for students to further interpret a wide-variety of themes.
  • First person testimony by a Holocaust survivor provided by the Baltimore Jewish Council.

Creative Writing and Art Workshops are generously sponsored: In Loving Memory of Eleanor Coppel Bromberg to commemorate her 25th yahrzeit by her sister, Mollee Coppel Kruger, and daughters, Beverly Bromberg Speiser and Phyllis Bromberg Gil.

Homeschool Programs


Please contact the Museum about setting up a program with your homeschool group. We are happy to work with your group to set up a tour as befits your curriculum. For more information, please call 410.732.6400 x29 or e-mail
lsilberman@jewishmuseummd.org.

Upcoming Homeschool Days Programs

All programs cost $8 per family, unless noted otherwise. Pre-registration required for all programs.

Matzah Baking!
Thursday, April 10, 2008

1:00 - 2:00 pm or 3:00 - 4:00 pm


Open to homeschool families of all backgrounds and all ages! During the festival of Passover, Jews eat matzah to remember the Israelite's escape from slavery in Egypt. Come down to the JMM between 1 - 2pm or 3 - 4pm on Thursday, April 10th and make your own matzah!

Admission Cost: FREE!

From Air-Mail to V-Mail: Communication During WWII
Monday, May 19, 2008
10:00 - 12:00 pm


Pilot during WWII Tour our new exhibition, Ours to Fight For: American Jews in the Second World War, which was created and circulated by the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.

Celebrate the achievements of the men and women who served America during WWII, both on and off the battlefield. Learn what the war meant to the Jews of the "Greatest Generation," a story told in their own words, through their own objects, letters, and photographs.

Then, explore methods of communication during WWII, including letters, v-mail, and telegrams. Discover why some letters were censored, map where soldiers came from, and develop a timeline. Create your own v-mail.

Admission Cost: $8 per family

Designed for ages 10 and up.

Teacher Training

The museum offers teacher training in a wide variety of subject areas, including Holocaust education practices and immigration studies. Previous partners have included MSDE, the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Baltimore City Public School System, the Center for Jewish Education, and the Baltimore Jewish Council. For more information, please contact 410.732.6400 x36.

Teacher training is made possible through the generous support of Gerald and Judy Macks.

About School Programs

 

How to Schedule Your School Visit:

Call 410-743-6400 ext. 29 or email lsilberman@jewishmuseummd.org to book your visit .

A packet of pre-visit materials, along with a confirmation letter and directions will be sent to you in advance of your visit.

 

Dates and Times:   

School programs are offered year-round

Sunday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.   

Length of Visit:   

Tours generally last 90 minutes but can be tailored to meet your needs.

Group Size:   

With groups larger than 30, teachers are asked to divide their students into smaller groups of no more than 25-30.

Chaperones:     

Chaperones are required in a ratio of 1 adult per 10 students

The role of chaperones is to encourage students to ask questions, make personal observations, and provide supervision.

Fees:

The admission fee is $2 per student; $3 per accompanying adult (including teachers). Supplemental $2 per student fee for archival exploration programs, art projects, writing workshops, and other special programs.

Accessibility:     

The Museum entrance, galleries, and restrooms are fully accessible. With advance notice, the Museum is happy to provide additional assistance for groups in need of special accommodations such as sign language interpreters. It is necessary to climb stairs to enter the main sanctuaries of both historic synagogues.

 

Food Service:   

The Museum can provide space for eating bagged lunches if arrangements are made in advance of the visit. Please note that there is no food service on site at the Museum, nor is there refrigerated storage for lunches.

Visit Other Museums:

The Museum can help you create a field trip package that includes a visit to other nearby museums and historic sites. The Jonestown neighborhood, where the Museum is located, is home to several historic sites including the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, the Star Spangled Banner Flag House, the Carroll Mansion , and the Shot Tower. The Museum can help you plan a multi-site visit. Please inquire about this option when making your reservation. Note that you will be responsible for paying separate admission fees for each stop on your itinerary.

We are happy to work with you to design a special program. Teachers are welcome to visit the Museum, any time during open hours (Sun, Tues, Weds, Thurs 12:00-4:00 p.m.) at no charge, with an advanced reservation.

The Jewish Museum of Maryland is a Star Attraction along Baltimore's Heritage Walk. Visit www.heritagewalk.org for more information.

 

Special Thanks

The Jewish Museum of Maryland would like to thank The Leo V. Berger Fund, Bank of America Foundation, Lowell Glazer, the Jewish Chautauqua Society, Phillip Klein, the Marion I. and Henry J. Knott Foundation, Gerald and Judy Macks, the Maryland State Department of Education, the Children of Harvey and Lyn Meyerhoff, Henry and Marjorie Silbermann, Julius Zulver, and the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Fund for the Enrichment of Jewish Education, a program of THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore for their generous support of the Museum's educational programs.