Our First Love Letter to You: Jewish Music

At a time when we’ve never felt more apart, I am reminded of a quote I read some time ago: that the greatest compassion comes from patience, alertness, courage and kindness.

These values anchor everything we do at the Jewish Museum of Australia and, in this time of COVID-19, feel ever more essential. As does the power of community; the sharing of stories; and preservation of culture.

So while our doors are closed, we’re working to find new ways to engage with you and embrace the virtual realm across all aspects of what we do.

This week, we launched the first of our Love Letters to inspire hope and resilience. In partnership with the Festival of Jewish Arts & Music, we’ve curated a song list to transport and bind us together. Be sure to listen here and look out for our next volumes on film, literature, podcasts and more.

We also staged our Monday short courses via Zoom, with over 60 participants joining in. I loved hearing one of our students report ‘it was a relief to get in and get away from all my concerns for a while.’ Stay tuned for the launch of our Autumn series plus a number of one-off lectures to be delivered digitally next week.

Finally, I invite you to explore our collection while at home; we’re incredibly proud to have so many treasures preserved and presented online. You can click through here and view our regular #collectionfishing posts on Instagram.

Our hope is that, during these dark days, we can lift your spirits through illuminating Jewish life. Until we meet again, I look forward to reaching you here.

Jessica Bram
Director & CEO, Jewish Museum of Australia