The Contemporary Jewish Museum Announces New Public Program, Shabbat at the Jewseum

Thursday, July 13, 2023 (San Francisco, CA) — The Contemporary Jewish Museum (The CJM) is pleased to announce Shabbat at the Jewseum, a new public program for visitors of all ages. The quarterly program invites visitors into The CJM on Shabbat (Saturday) afternoon to immerse themselves in Jewish ideas of rest and rejuvenation and to engage with the ritual of Shabbat through an afternoon of activations at The Museum. Timed to the first Shabbat at the Jewseum, The CJM will also present a new installation in its Zim Zoom Family Room, a space dedicated to activities for children and families.

Shabbat at the Jewseum will include live music, a learning corner, interactive gallery walks, and hands-on craft making activities, all stemming from the diverse traditions and hallmarks of Shabbat across the Jewish experience. The programs will offer creative activities that enhance well-being, and which aim to create a space for communal joy, all through the lens of Jewish practices of ritual and belonging. The program, which is included free with the price of admission, offers visitors a chance to experience The Museum in a new light, and to engage more deeply with what it means to be Jewish today. In addition, Wise Sons at The CJM will be offering a Shabbat special schnitzel sandwich and will stay open until 4pm for guests to purchase Wise Sons snacks and meals. Each installment of Shabbat at the Jewseum is timed to a Jewish holiday, and will explore themes and present activities related to that ritual moment.

As a part of Shabbat at the Jewseum, The Museum is partnering with Jewish organizations throughout the Bay Area, and The CJM is excited to announce programmatic partnerships with a number of local organizations, including: New Lehrhaus, which will lead a Conversation Corner at each program; Jewtina, which will lead an activity weaving together Latinx and Jewish traditions; Keshet; Honeymoon Israel; and OneTable.

This fall, The CJM will also present a new experience for children and families in the Zim Zoom Family Room called What Makes Me. The room, which is a dedicated space for creativity and connection, will feature a new hands-on installation that invites visitors to explore and consider their identity. Using colored yarn, visitors will be able to draw visual maps of their self-expression, their heritage, and what fuels their connections. What Makes Me offers the chance for visitors to share their dreams, passions, and centers of belonging that are unique to them.

The Shabbat at the Jewseum schedule is as follows:

Shabbat and the Days of Awe
Saturday, September 23, 1-4pm 
Free with Museum admission

Welcome Shabbat with meaningful moments of sensory relaxation, conversation, and creative activities as we approach the High Holidays. Quietly activate your senses with an ASMR workshop with artist Ari Bird, taking place in conjunction with Mika Rottenberg: Spaghetti Blockchain, and explore the story of the Sabbath Queen and her connections to a poem from a 16^th-century mystic from Salonica, Greece.

In addition to Shabbat and the Days of Awe, The CJM will be hosting a separately-ticketed conversation and cooking demonstration in collaboration with Congregation Emanu-El with chef Adeena Sussman, timed to the inaugural Shabbat at the Jewseum.

Separate ticket required:
Foods of the Shabbat Table with Adeena Sussman and Rabbi Sydney Mintz
Saturday, September 23, 1-2pm 

Admission: $40; each ticket includes the talk, Museum admission, and a copy of the newly-released Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals from my Table to Yours by Adeena Sussman

Save the Date:

Shabbat and Hannukah
Saturday, December 9, 1-4pm
Free with Museum admission

Delve into the light-filled rituals of Shabbat and Hannukah with activations throughout The Museum.

Shabbat and Purim 
Saturday, March 23, 1-4pm
Free with Museum admission

Dressing for Shabbat and costuming for Purim collide in this festive and fun-filled Shabbat at the Jewseum.