Jewdar

December 19, 2024 | Third Thursday Thoughts
Dawn LaRochelle, Executive Director

It’s a running joke in my family that wherever I go in the world, I manage to unearth a Jewish connection. A mezuzah while backpacking in Indonesia, a country that does not even recognize Judaism as a religion? Check! A pre-Inquisition mikveh in Andalusia? Check! A Judaic Studies Department at Nanjing University in China? Check! A Jewish Museum in Maine? Yup, I even ferreted that one out!

Then again, the Maine Jewish Museum may not be the best-kept secret in the state any more. Case in point: a chance encounter on my recent trip to Oaxaca, Mexico (I just got back on Monday). My knack for finding Jewishness in the most unexpected places extends to zeroing in on fellow landsmen. Jewdar is real, and mine is sharper than a shochet’s cleaver knife. So, when I correctly intuited that one of the two other couples on our Oaxacan culinary tour was Jewish, my husband just shook his head in amusement, not surprise. Par for the course for me! The surprise came later, when I told the couple – from Austin, Texas — that I was the Director of a Jewish Museum in Maine, and they delightedly exclaimed, “You mean the Maine Jewish Museum? We were there this past summer and absolutely LOVED it!” I mean, what are the odds?!

Or are the odds greater than one might think?

It is certainly our aim to illuminate the vibrancy and complexity of Maine’s evolving Jewish community for a state, national, and global audience. Our 2024 Annual Report is a testament to this effort. From our storied contemporary art exhibitions to our expanding historic displays to our wide-ranging cultural and educational programming, we are living up to our moniker as “The Little Museum That Could.” And based on our growing mailing list, our reach is, indeed, extending far beyond Jewish Portland.

Perhaps this is why we were invited to help usher in Jewish Heritage Night with the Mariners on December 31 (a limited number of discounted tickets  — $19/ticket; face value is $37/ticket — are available, so  grab them while you still can). And why the Haifa Museums’ Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art is sending their highly-acclaimed Japanese Sushi Girls exhibition on tour to MJM for the first time outside of Israel (Japanese Sushi Girls artist/photographer Hedva Rokach will also be traveling to MJM and giving an Artist Talk followed by a sushi dinner sponsored by Yosaku on Wednesday, January 15 at 5:00 PM – click here to register). And why Portland Ovations and the Portland Symphony Orchestra are partnering with us on major and majorly exciting youth workshops through our Delet Program.

While we could not be prouder of our many accomplishments, it is you – our friends and supporters – who deserve the lion’s share of the credit. As an itty-bitty nonprofit with Big Goals and a commitment to free admission so we are accessible to all, your donations are what keep the lights on and keep us chugging up the metaphorical mountain. With 2024 drawing to a close (where did the time go?!), we hope you will consider a year-end gift to our Annual Appeal in honor of outgoing Board President Steve Brinn and  MJM Volunteer of the Year Tom Berman. Thanks to the generosity of incoming Board President Bob Hirshon and the Wein-Hirshon Foundation, a $25,000 Matching Grant is in place for all first-time and increased donations to the Annual Appeal, making your contribution doubly impactful. Matching funds will be used to offset the cost of our Historic Exhibitions Refresh, an ambitious 3-to-5-year undertaking to create a powerful new Core Exhibition about Maine Jewish life and why it is such an important thread in the tapestry of a healthy democracy. After all, we may be well-known enough to bump into MJM visitors in Oaxaca, but we don’t want to rest on our laurels!

May your holiday be filled with love and light, and may 2025 bring lasting peace.

Warmly,

Dawn

Dawn LaRochelle
Executive Director