Manchester Jewish Museum — Attraction in Manchester

We can not recommend a visit to the Manchester Jewish Museum enough! We visited on a Saturday, and arrived in time to have some lunch before going around and we were so glad we did. The cafe they have there is small but serves incredible food and our education in Jewish traditions started here. Given that we visited during Passover, the menu was tailored to this and it was great to experience. If you are planning to visit we suggest you get lunch there before going around, it felt like such a good introduction before we went around. (The food was so good we ended up buying a cook book to take home.)

The cafe and shop are in their new extension which is incredibly well done and seems to compliment the original synagogue perfectly.

Once we headed up to the first exhibition we were greeted by this incredible volunteer who was possibly the highlight of our visit. Annoyingly we can't remember her name, but she had short red hair and mentioned that she was currently studying a PhD. She gave a great overview of what we were about to look at and then answered all of our questions in such amazing depth that she really helped bring the exhibits to life for us. We can not thank her enough for her time and knowledge, she completely transformed our experience.

The exhibits themselves were brilliantly laid out, with great themes in each case and had a connecting thread that allowed you to move from one to the next seamlessly.

After we had been given more information than we could ever fit in our heads, we moved on the actual synagogue which was a wonderful example of how original architectural features can be preserved in order to tell a story. Again, we were met by volunteers in there, who were brilliant at answering our questions and providing extra context to what we could see around us and making sense of it all.

Overall, we could not recommend this enough, and consider it a must-visit if you find yourself in Manchester for the weekend. We ended up spending over 3 hours in there in total, but only realised this once we had left as we were so engrossed the whole time we were there. The volunteers really make this place the incredible experience that it is, and we can only thank them for their thoughtful approach and...

I will say everyone was so educated and truly kind hearted, I was fortunate to had a beautiful dialogue with a Lady that had a degree in history and was able to speak and exchange a couple of historical facts that truly marked the friendship between the UK and the Jewish community and also the gratitude by deeds done in Manchester for the hole of the Manchester city... By the building of hospitals and so forth... The hardships of starting over with nothing and the ones that grew and allow Manchester to be seen has a Beehive. Even exchange some little stories and had a beautiful smile on the end. Unfortunately this museum does not show the magnificent work of what gratitude and success in many fields the Jewish community has done trough the ages. And also should be better explained the rituals and true concept of this religion. I would definitely advise to buy the book and also hopefully this historian great lady be ones guide... To explain the long and respectful friendship that combined this two great people, the ones that allowed Jews to stay and the Jews that made Manchester a home and made it better from even before world wars... Has a European citizen and one that comes from Lisbon and knows a bit of history I am truly grateful for at least to have crossed paths with this lady and the kindness of also a Jewish Lady that worked with underprivileged groups like myself. True kindness and hope one day like I did in the past also be allowed to write by my own hand after choosing a word to answer two questions... History shines by deeds and by deeds we make the hole shine by good morals and understanding the final goal. To give back the chance to live again and to belong somewhere and make this ground more them it was before. Honestly even so it is a beautiful place, for me that has able to visit before the award, i missed the bridges the citation of certain true stories that combined children and adults... What does a parent for ones children, what does one due to fit in, what way and mark exists that shows gratitude and success... One should definitely buy the book ... And take a bit a sit down a read and understand beyond what we see and ear... Blessings to all that have received me...

What a lovely place to visit! On arrival, we ate lunch at the Cafe. There was only one gentleman working and despite this, he made us lunch quickly and it was amazing! My husband had the special - a stew with matzoh balls and mushrooms which he says was delicious. I had the dafina stew, which I could happily eat every day. My 5 year old had a bagel with cream cheese and chopped dill. The chef made this exactly to my child's order, which I felt was very sweet! At the end, we shared a lemon + date scone and a coconut + chocolate chip muffin - both amazing. The Cafe staff, desk staff, and what I assume was a security staff member were all extremely friendly and helpful! They even gave my child an explorer's backpack, which contained activity sheets, a dreidel game, and a magnifying glass (this was the highlight for my child!)

The museum is in a beautiful, lovingly preserved sephardic synagogue. They give a detailed history of jewish migration to Manchester, what attracted people to the area, how communities were formed here, and what life was like. The best part is that you can hear peoples' experiences in their own voices using the little phones throughout the museum. Interviewees are diverse with a range of experiences - you'll find stories that are poignant, sad, sweet, and funny.

The gift shop is small, mainly books but these are thoughtfully chosen. My child was thrilled to add two new dreidels to his growing collection. I highly recommend a visit if you're...