March 26, 2023 – 1:00 – 3:00 PM
At a time of increasing antisemitism, heightened racial tensions, and growing xenophobia, art (and food!) has the transformative power to break down barriers. In this spirit, we encourage you to join us for an interactive workshop and potluck vegetarian lunch, where local artist and award-winning community builder Paula Gerstenblatt will help you turn your photos and mementos into a beautiful collage!
March 16, 2023 – 7:00pm – 9:00 PM
Do you find yourself humming to the tune of “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” at random moments of the day? Were your summers defined by Cat’s Cradle and color war and mandatory swim? Then you’ll want to be sure to join us in person or online for this educational and entertaining discussion about Maine Jewish Summer Camps, featuring voices from Camps Lown, Naomi, Micah, Center Day, and Kennebec!
Brandeis professor and author Jonathan Krasner will open the event with a panoramic historical perspective. Our very own veteran ABC, CBS, and CNN producer, writer, director, and media consultant Jo Dondis will then moderate a panel of cross-generational campers who will share their multi-faceted camp experiences. A camp-themed reception, complete with historical photos, elevated “campy” comfort foods (adult Rice Krispie Treats and Bug Juice Cocktail, anyone?), and mingling will conclude a fun-filled and nostalgic evening. Camp attire encouraged!
Co-sponsored by Documenting Maine Jewry, the Center for Small Town Jewish Life, and the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine.
March 14 2023 – 10 am -11:30 AM
Bookworms take note: the Portland Hadassah Book Group has combined forces witht he Maine Jewish Museum! The NEW Portland Hadassah X MJM Book Group will meet at the Museum from 10 – 11;30 AM on the second Tuesday of the month (except April, when we will meet on a Wednesday) through May, For our next meeting on March 14, we will be discussing Objects of Love and Regret by Richard Rabinowitz, Join fellow bibliophiles for lively discourse and warm camaraderie!
March 9 2023 – 6:00 – 8:30 PM
In conjunction with our Exhibition, “A Father’s Kaddish: The Celebration of (a) Life in the Aftermath of Death,” we are proud to be partnering with the Maine Jewish Film Festival and the Parsonage Gallery on this screening of the documentary film, A Father’s Kaddish. The film is approximately 30 minutes long, after which there will be an interactive discussion on grieving and Jewish grief rituals. Personal input welcome; q&a encouraged; compassion, empathy, and understanding guaranteed.
A panoramic overview of 3000 years of Jewish learning, this course — brought to the Maine Jewish Museum by Chabad of Maine — introduces you to the works that earned us the title “The People of The Book.”
You will experience the different genres that shape Jewish life, including Tanach, Midrash, Talmud, Halachah, Philosophy, Kabbalah, Musar, and Chasidism, and meet the influential personalities who drove thirty centuries of Jewish scholarship.
Whether you’re encountering these texts for the first time or are a seasoned scholar, this course will inform and enrich all your Jewish learning.
Starting January 29, 2023
6 Sundays (1/29. 2/5, 2/12, 2/19. 2/26, 3/5)
11:00 A.M – 12:30 PM
March 2 2023 – 5:00 pm – 7:00 PM
Mingle with artists and art lovers, enjoy wine and cheese with museum mavens and curious minds, and celebrate with us as we unveil our newest exhibitions!
February 16, 2023 – 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
They’re baaaaaack! “The Maine Jewish Museum is thrilled to once again host the inimitable DaPonte String Quartet after a two-year pandemic hiatus. The February “Winter Lights Concert” features the Bach Goldberg Variations.
Please join us for this exciting and enjoyable program. For tickets, go to www.dapontequartet.org.
Thursday January 26, 2023 at 4pm
January 26 2023 7:00 – 8:00 PM
The Maine Jewish Museum is proud to be collaborating with Hole in the Head Review to host quarterly poetry readings at the Museum.
With Rabbi Dr. Laibl Wolf LL.B M.ED.PSYCH.D.DIV.
January 22, 2023 – 3:30pm-4:45pm
Location: Italian Heritage Center – 40 Westland Ave, Portland, ME 04102
Jewish meditation focuses on training a strong psycho-spirtual framework that allows for ‘changing the mind’, ‘taming the heart’ and ‘swimming gracefully in a world of change.’
Three meditative exercises, based on inspiration, contemplation, and introspection, will be explained and practiced.
Presented in Partnership with Chabad of Maine
January 12 2023 – 5 -7 PM
Mingle with artists and art lovers, enjoy wine and cheese with museum mavens and curious minds, and celebrate with us as we unveil our newest exhibitions!
Steve Marcus will be giving an Artists Talk immediately before the opening, at 4:00 pm
January 7 2023 – 6:30pm -9:00pm
Show off your mad trivia skills on your own or in team of up to eight while enjoying pizza, craft beer (generously donated by mast Landing), and fun with friends — all while supporting MJM’s mission-driven exhibitions and programming.
And to add to the excitement, there will be awesome prizes for the top three trivia winners, as well as a 50/50 raffle!
December 25, 2022 – 12:00pm – 4:00pm
Online Event
Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine
If your tradition on December 25th includes Chinese food and a movie – or if you would like it to – come join us at the JCA for the afternoon!
We’ll have a delicious Chinese buffet lunch catered by Maine Jewish Museum Director Dawn LaRochelle (who was a restaurateur and caterer in Western Massachusetts for over a decade), snacks, games, activities, Hanukkah-themed gifts for everyone, and movies. Come for a meal or to hang out and enjoy the afternoon together!
November 27, December 4, December 11, and December 18, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Have your holiday shopping “wrapped up” and support MJM’s mission-driven exhibitions and programming. Bring your gifts to the Museum or buy your gifts at the Museum — we’ll take care of the rest!
December 13 2022 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Bookworms take note: the Portland Hadassah Book Group has combined forces with the Maine Jewish Museum! The NEW Portland Hadassah X MJM Book Group will meet at the Museum from 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM on the second Tuesday of the month through May. For our next meeting on December 13, we will be discussing Danielle Shiva’s The Cellist.
December 1, 2022 7:00PM-8:30PM
(No Intermission)
MJM is thrilled to be bringing back the DaPonte String Quartet for the first time since the pandemic! In this first of four planned concerts at the Museum, they will be presenting a new program, “Duo and Trio,” featuring the Beethoven C minor Trio, the Ernö Dohnányi Serenade, and the Mozart Duo in B flat.
Thursday November 17, 2022 at 7pm
November 10 2022 2-4pm
Join local artist and scientific illustrator Gretchen Halpert of the Scientific Illustration Distance Program (SIDP) for this FREE two-part program! From 2 – 2:30 PM, Halpert will discuss her MJM exhibit against the backdrop of her career at the juxtaposition of art, science, and teaching. Then, from 2:30 – 4 PM, , Halpert will provide instruction to artists and budding artists ages 12+ on traditional drawing exercises, helping them hone their observation skills as they capture elements of the natural world on paper. Specimens and drawing materials will be provided; you are also welcome to bring your own.
November 8 2022 – 10 am -11:30 am
Bookworms take note: the Portland Hadassah Book Group is combining forces with the Maine Jewish Museum! The NEW Portland Hadassah X MJM Book Group will meet on the second Tuesday of the month from September – May,10 – 11:30 AM, at the Museum.
October 27 2022 7-9pm
The Maine Jewish Museum is proud to be collaborating with Hole in the Head Review to the first of quarterly poetry readings at the Museum.
Two acclaimed Maine poets, Linda Aldrich and Richard Forester, will be the featured readers.
COFFEE, CAKE, AND CONVERSATION
October 6 2022 4-5:30 PM
COLLAGE ACROSS CULTURES
October 13 2022 – 4 – 5:30 PM
POTLUCK AND PARTING THOUGHTS
October 20th 2022 4-5:30 PM
At a time of heightened racial tensions and deep socio-political divisions, American Blacks and Jews are being threatened, harassed, and even murdered in alarming numbers. It is more important than ever for the Black and Jewish communities to build mutual support networks and form a united front to fight the perils around us. Unfortunately, however, Black-Jewish ties have not been tended to in recent decades, leading to an undeniable and undeniably worrisome erosion of relations.
October 17 2022 7-8:15 PM
Violins of Hope is a concert project featuring a private collection of violins, violas, and cellos housed in Israel. All of the instruments were owned by Jewish people during the Holocaust and were collected following World War II. The PSO-MJM Violins of Hope Maine will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the resistance of the Terezin prisoners. PSO string players will perform on these special instruments, a 60-piece collection, during Verdi’s Requiem concert. Tickets required,Tickets required.
September 22, 2022 2-4pm
Paula Gerstenblatt will be at the Maine Jewish Museum to visit with guests and and answer questions about her exhibit
September 13 2022 – 7-8:30pm
Internationally-renowned photographer Judy Glickman will discuss her exhibit on display at MJM, including her decision to depart from black-and-white film and explore digital color photography.
September 11 1-3 PM
Local artist Joan Busing, whose work expands on the legacy of the Abstract Expressionists of the 1980s, will discuss her exhibit on display at MJM. She will also give a live demonstration of her monoprint technique, in which she paints an image on Plexiglass using layers of thin color applied in gestural strokes and playful geometric patterns and transfers it to paper using a press, creating a unique, irreproducible print. Free admission. Q&A to follow discussion and demo.
September 1 5-7 PM
Mingle with artists and art lovers, enjoy wine and cheese with museum mavens and curious minds, and celebrate with us as we unveil our newest exhibitions!
August 21 2022 4-5pm
In conjunction with the current MJM pop-up exhibit, “Witness to War: Ukrainian Photographers React,” we will hear about Ukraine from the vantage point of Ukrainians directly impacted by the Russian invasion.
Watch the WMTW/Channel 8 News Portland interview of Oleg Opalnyk at the Maine Jewish Museum
Thursday, August 4 2022 at 7:30pm
(Etz Chaim Synagogue)
August 3 2022 (rain date August 10) 1-3 PM
In conjucunction with the current MJM exhibit “a flower expected everywhere […] (Emily Dickinson),” artist Juliet Karelsen will lead a workshop inviting you to experiment with creating cynanotypes — the centuries-old process of placing objects on paper or fabric treated with chemicals that are sensitive to sunlight, turning the prints a deep cyan blue. The workshop will focus on using local flora and fauna and offer the option of making prints with Jewish-themed objects, as well. Bringing objects from home to create your prints is encouraged, but not required. Artists of all ages and abilities are welcome, and admission is free!
June 30 2022 – 4pm
New York Maine New York
Robert Solotaire
Spiegel Gallery
“Our father spent his life dedicated to the art and the practice of painting. It’s hard to think of dad without a paint brush in his hand, or standing in front of his easel, or without his camera walking down the street looking for new subject matter. But he was also a loving father, a beloved man about town, an avid reader, and clipper of the news (with strong opinions about what he was reading), a veteran gardener, a music lover, and a voracious traveler. He truly lived a full life, enjoying the world around him and the people he met, and his art reflected that.
Friday, June 17th 2022, 1pm – 4pm
and Friday, June 24th 2022 1pm – 4pm
Smith Galtney
Jody Sataloff History and Art Pavillion
Dream Sequence considers the way pictures speak to each other and tell infinite stories through association and suggestion. Galtney’s images are rooted in narratively direct traditions such as autobiography and documentary, but through variation and juxtaposition – random and otherwise – the pictures become cryptic, dreamlike fragments. Whatever story they tell is ultimately up to the viewer.
June 26th 2022 – 3pm
Dr. Michael Cohen
Tulane University
We are planning a gala event on Sunday, June 26th 2022 at 3:00 pm to celebrate with a free Garden Reception followed by a short program inside the sanctuary. We will have a video tribute to the first 100 years and a few remarks will be presented by two or three members with long standing connections to Etz Chaim Synagogue.
A keynote address will be delivered by Professor Dr. Michael Cohen of Tulane University. Dr. Cohen is a Professor in the Department of Jewish Studies, is an author of several books about the Jewish experience and has personal connections to Etz Chaim and the Portland Jewish community.
Sunday, June 12th 2022, 11am – 4pm
Chat with Missy Asen about her vibrant and joyful botanical paintings!
Missy Asen is a native Mainer who grew up in Cape Elizabeth. Since she picked up her first crayon, she has found joy in her craft. Missy graduated with a BFA from Ohio Wesleyan University. She maintains studios in Falmouth, Maine, and Sarasota, Florida.
Missy has exhibited at Cygnet Gallery, Thos. Moser Gallery, the Clown Gallery in Stonington, Terrazzo Studio and Gallery, Art and Soul in Kennebunkport, Jameson Gallery, and the Island Gallery at Diamond Cove. She has also exhibited in many galleries in Florida. Her work is included in numerous corporate and private collections. And now, you can see her work and meet her in person at the Maine Jewish Museum!
Missy and the MJM staff look forward to greeting you at the Museum this Sunday!
May 19 2022- 7:00 pm
Join us in welcoming photographer, Smith Galtney. His photography has been shown at the University of Southern Maine, SPEEDWELL projects, Cove Street Arts, the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, and Engine. In this talk he will be discussing his process, inspirations and relationship to photography.
May 5 – 7pm
and May 7 – 7pm
Opera in the Pines presents the Maine premiere of The Diary of Anne Frank, by Grigory Frid. Based on the original text of the famous diary Anne kept as she hid with her family between 1942 and 1944, this monodramatic opera in 21 scenes will proudly feature an all-female creative team, including Rachel Policar (National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene) in the title role of Anne Frank, and pianist Tina Davis (Artist Faculty in Piano at the University of Southern Maine). Join us May 5th 2022 and 7th 2022 at 7 PM, at Maine Jewish Museum, 267 Congress Street, Portland, Maine.
May 4 2022 – 4pm
In this artist talk at 4pm on May 3rd 2022, M. Annenberg will trace the decline of news coverage in the American mainstream press from the 1990’s to the present. Are our oceans acidifying? Are the glaciers melting? Will we breach 1.5 degrees of warming this decade? Is there a climate emergency? If so, why don’t we all know it, beyond a reasonable doubt. M. Annenberg is a Conceptual artist. Her paintings, sculptures, installations and videos focus on under reported stories in American media, concentrating on scientific studies and global warming.
March 27 2022 – 2 pm
Shalom House is a non-profit mental health agency that provides housing and services to adults from all backgrounds who are living with severe mental illness. This year we celebrate our 50th Anniversary of providing Home, Health & Hope with a special exhibition in honor of Nancy Davidson, Curator of the Maine Jewish Museum. Nancy was one of the founding members of Shalom House. She, along with Rabbi Sky, represented the Jewish community in a group of ecumenical leaders looking to create the first halfway house in Maine for those leaving psychiatric institutions during the early 1970s.
For over 28 years the Art Program at Shalom has been an important part of the mental health services we provide. This exhibition features works by Heidi Stubbs and Jack Sullivan, two of the many talented artists in our studio.
Image: Scarborough Marsh, Acrylic on Canvas, Heidi Stubbs
March 20 2022 – 4 pm
Stories we tell each other are all we have. There would be no past without stories of kings and wars and love and ancestors. There would be no future without stories of hope and aspiration and lessons learned.
Image: Lilith the Astronomer,Rebecca Goodale, 2022, Ink on handmade Japanese paper, Circle book with cotton braids
November 17 2021 – 7 pm
Jews have been living in Maine for 200 years, practicing in up to 30 active synagogues built to anchor Jewish communities across the state. Half of those synagogues no longer exist. Veteran ABC, CBS and CNN producer, writer, director, and media consultant Jo Dondis will bring together voices of these lost synagogues who will help tell the story of the impressive span of Maine’s Jewish community life throughout the state.
July 19, 2021 – August 21, 2021
We are pleased to announce our collaborative exhibition with the Portland Public Library, Critters: Mythical Real & Imagined. This exhibit was curated in part by our very own Curator in Residence, Nancy Davidson, and partially sponsored by the Maine Jewish Museum.
June 16 2021 – 7 pm
Tonee Harbert’s work considers human intervention on the landscape. This developing series from Tonee’s year-long residency at the Roswell Art Center in New Mexico invokes history and interpretation by looking at what remains from scenarios that once held meaning or utility. Harbert grew up in Oregon, and has lived most of his life in Maine. His photography has been exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery, Portland Museum of Art, Farnsworth Art Museum, Danforth Museum of Art, ICA at Maine College of Art, and the Center for Maine Contemporary Art. He’s been awarded a New England Emmy award, and his work has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, and in books and motion pictures. He is currently based in Roswell, NM.
May 26 2021 – 7 pm
Presented by the JCA’s Community Relations Council
From the Charlottesville violence to the Capitol insurrection to the shootings in Atlanta targeting the Asian American community, hate crimes and domestic extremism are at record levels — and we’re facing a dangerous and dire threat of white supremacy.
April 25 2021 – 3 pm
Little Known Heroes Who Saved Lives
Co-sponsored by the Maine Jewish Museum (MJM) and the Michael Klahr Holocaustand Human Rights Center of Maine (HHRC)
All images copyright of the artist, unless otherwise noted; reproduction not allowed without express permission
Photo Credits. Website by WEBFIX STUDIO.