Palestine Museum — Attraction in Woodbridge

In a nondescript Woodbridge, Connecticut office building lies an unexpected cultural treasure. The Palestine Museum US occupies 6,500 square feet of unremarkable corporate space, but step inside and you're transported far from vanilla Connecticut suburbia.

Founded in 2018 by Palestinian American businessman Faisal Saleh with $500,000 of his own money, this is the first Palestinian museum in the Americas. Saleh, who made his fortune in employee benefits consulting, deliberately bought rather than rented the building—protecting the institution from potential political pressure. "For a Palestinian museum to exist," he explains, "you have to have a hardened space."

While Saleh maintains the museum's cultural focus, his recent involvement organizing Gaza memorial events demonstrates how Palestinian cultural preservation intersects with contemporary realities. The museum emphasizes artistic achievement and historical documentation over political advocacy.

The crown jewel is a suspended installation of forty-plus keffiyehs knotted into a "bridge" spanning the central gallery. Traditional black-and-white checkered Palestinian headscarves hang from the ceiling in an intricate web, creating literal and metaphorical connections. Visitors walk beneath this canopy of cultural symbols.

The collection punches above its weight. Works by internationally renowned artist Samia Halaby—whose pieces hang in the Guggenheim—share space with emerging voices like 18-year-old Gaza artist Malak Mattar. A striking mixed-media piece features a figure in traditional Palestinian thobe surrounded by white doves and red poppies.

Historical documentation forms the backbone. Corridors display photographs from the 1900s: Palestinian village life, Jerusalem's architecture, families in traditional dress. These are visual evidence of cultural continuity, carefully preserved and professionally presented.

The "Home Away From Home: Little Palestine by the Bay" exhibition showcases photographer Najib Joe Hakim's Bay Area Palestinian portraits, with audio testimonials accessible via QR codes. Professional mannequins display traditional thobes—embroidered dresses whose geometric patterns tell regional stories.

Most moving are roughly 200 drawings by Gazan children, their colorful crayon sketches depicting flowers to family scenes—normalcy rendered extraordinary by circumstance.

The museum maintains strict policies (no food or drinks) and modest admission fees ($8 adults, $5 seniors/students, $20 family maximum, children 12 and under free). Despite its scale, it achieved international recognition, participating in the Venice Biennale and attracting visitors from 40 countries.

The suburban setting initially seems jarring, but works brilliantly. The disconnect between Connecticut strip-mall normalcy and Palestinian cultural preservation creates productive tension. This isn't Palestinian culture as exotic spectacle—it's Palestinian culture as American reality, nestled among accountants' offices.

Before 2018, no dedicated Palestinian museums existed in the Western Hemisphere. Saleh's institution asserts Palestinian existence through art, history, and culture—a particularly resonant mission given current events. At its best, the Palestine Museum US demonstrates how cultural institutions can preserve identity while fostering cross-community...

Beautiful, beautiful space with rich history and current work depicting the Palestinian culture. It includes artwork and books by various Palestinian artists and writers (many of which are available for purchase). It also holds Palestinian coins from before 1948, different thobes from different areas, the every changing map of Palestine and a corner dedicated to Gaza children's drawings that were removed from DC museums because they might "hurt sentiments". I brought my family here to continue to remind us that Palestinian culture is rich and varied and despite the dehumanization, it's deserving of the respect and space that all...

Palestine Museum is a beautiful and fascinating museum that explores the rich history of Palestine. Visitors are often amazed by the depth and complexity of Palestine's cultural and historical legacy on display. However, it is concerning that many countries have attempted to reshape or obscure this history for their own political purposes. The museum serves as an important counterpoint, preserving and highlighting Palestine's vibrant past in the face of these efforts to change the narrative. Overall, the museum provides an enlightening and thought-provoking look into the remarkable history of the...