Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History — Attraction in Philadelphia

Well organized compendium of Jewish life in America in a beautiful, newly constructed, purpose built structure. The exhibits lead chronologically from the 4th floor beginning in the mid-1600s through the Civil War, and processing down in the logical epochs including post-Civil War through WWII, and post-war to present. The structure and scope by design compresses obviously unequal periods in duration and significance roughly into thirds. The result while encyclopedic paradoxically means shorter shrift given to pivotal developments (e.g. periods of mass migration, the foundation of Israel) and an overweighting of the superficial (e.g. suburbanization and camp). This macro, time-based view leaves much to be explored both thematically and culturally. All of this is said from a point of constructive criticism of course as few Jewish museums have achieved this balanced, American-centric portrayal without an overriding focus on a particular historical event. I hope over time that the museum will morph into depth of issues, themes and currents. Regardless, this is an important institution that has great promise and is worth a...

Echoing previous reviews, this is a fantastic museum in a fantastic building with a fantastic collection.

The museum is broken down (and up) into 4 floors that neatly separates the history of Jews and Jewish Culture in America into eras, which helps make everything more digestible. You could easily spend an entire day here, there is a fair amount, almost to an overwhelming degree, of information. What I later learned is that because this museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian museums, they have access to those collections; this is extremely evident, with so many artifacts throughout the exhibits.

Also appreciative of the large amount of exhibits devoted to kids and young children. They have a play area, filled with books and some toys to keep kids occupied, and there are several interactive areas that allow for dress up, exploration, etc.

While there are many museums I might recommend to first time visiting friends and family, if they are staying for a few days, it is certainly worth visiting if you...

Great establishment and even greater staff! The museum is a great place if you're looking to host any sort of event! My team and I had reserved the museum to host a couple of events this past Christmas season and they were a pleasure to work with! They have a great theater room for live performances and a great fifth floor ball room that has a balcony with an amazing view of Independence Mall! If you're just looking to learn more about the Jewish people and their history, this is a great place to do that as well! I regret not having as much time as I would've liked to check all of the displays, but from looking at the ones I did, they're filled with a lot of rich history and some pretty cool artifacts that are tied back to the Jewish people. This museum is definitely worth stopping by and spending a good amount of time here if you're interested in Jewish history. Would definitely recommend this museum to both people looking to host an event in the city and people looking to learn more about...