Two Are Better Than One

May 15, 2025 | Third Thursday Thoughts
Dawn LaRochelle, Executive Director

In my house, the dinner table isn’t just where we eat. It’s where epic tales unfold, where exaggeration is the main seasoning, and where my husband somehow turns a trip to the grocery store into a heroic saga involving rogue shopping carts and a dramatic showdown in the produce aisle. Sure, we come for the food — I mean, I was a restaurateur and caterer for a decade, after all — but the storytelling? That’s what keeps forks in hand and elbows on the table long after dessert.

Museums, too, are about more than just the art on the walls or artifacts behind glass; they’re about the stories that breathe life into them. Museums bridge past, present, and future, translating history into stories that resonate with visitors right here, right now. When we step into a museum, we’re not just observing objects, we’re stepping into narratives that connect us to different times, places, and people.

So, when MJM was offered the opportunity to take on Documenting Maine Jewry, the largest online repository of Maine’s Jewish history, there was only one answer: an emphatic, enthusiastic YES! Thanks to the peerless dedication of its founder and creator, Harris Gleckman, Documenting Maine Jewry has illuminated Maine’s Jewish history and presented it to the world for almost two decades. Now, the Museum has the honor and responsibility of carrying on DMJ’s mission: to celebrate the people and stories that connect us to one another and to the place we call home.

The DMJ mission underpins the Maine Jewish Museum’s efforts to create a new permanent exhibition on Maine’s Jewish history focused on (what else?!) storytelling. This process involves reimagining our displays to be inviting, interactive, and informative for all those seeking an orientation to Jewish life in Maine. We owe our visitors a powerful Core Exhibition about Maine Jewish life, and our acquisition of Documenting Maine Jewry is framing this endeavor.

We are also working to redesign and modernize Documenting Maine Jewry’s website, MaineJews.org, to safeguard its large and growing collection while integrating it with the Museum website and providing a smoother user experience. We will continue DMJ’s effort to collect oral histories and personal narratives that capture the rich variety of Jewish life in Maine, and we will craft Museum exhibitions and digital stories that place individual experiences within their communal contexts.

These are but two of the many exciting projects ahead of us, which we are undertaking with the assistance of our new Historian in Residence, Rabbi Dr. David Freidenreich. David is the Pulver Family Professor of Jewish Studies at Colby College, where he serves as the Chair of the Jewish Studies Department, a member of the religious studies department, and Associate Director of the Center for Small Town Jewish Life. We could not be more thrilled to welcome him aboard. In the upcoming months, we look forward to growing our team even more.

In the meantime, we encourage you to spread the word with our recent Press Release. Growth is always more meaningful when shared, and we are proud to be growing together with Documenting Maine Jewry. As the Hebrew saying goes, טובים השנים מן האחד (two are better than one) … especially when the two become one!

Warmly,

Dawn

Dawn LaRochelle
Executive Director

Help celebrate Harris Gleckman’s visionary and dedicated leadership of Documenting Maine Jewry! Support the Campaign to Honor Harris Gleckman via our Online Donation Page.