The Modern Jewish Museum was opened in 2008 in San Francisco, a city that, at the dawn of its formation, was actively upset by Jewish immigrants and became the New Jerusalem for their vast and strong diaspora. The author of the new building of the museum was an American architect of Polish-Jewish origin, Daniel Libeskind, who became famous for his extraordinary works, among which was the construction of the Jewish Museum in Berlin. For San Francisco, he designed something special, albeit consonant with his previous projects, which have a pronounced author’s style. Unlike many other museums that focus on the long-suffering history of the Jewish people, the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco is exactly the opposite direction towards a brighter future and full of optimism, as reflected in its informal name “Museum of Life.”
The modern Jewish Museum is housed in a neoclassical power plant built at the beginning of the 20th century. A century later, this building was meticulously reconstructed and supplemented with the traditional Libeskind crystal volumes of blue steel. These angular shapes are actually Hebrew letters such as Chet and Yod, which combine to form the life-affirming motto L’Chaim (To Life). However, it is possible to read this inscription in the outlines of the building only by seeing it from above. The premises of the museum are inscribed in these giant letters, so that symbolism, in a sense, envelops the visitors, but by no means ends there. In the reliefs of the lobby, the word “pardes” is hardly guessed, which translates as “the garden of Eden” and has a special meaning for the Jewish people associated with the comprehension of the Torah. The auditorium on the first tier features a ceiling decorated with an abstract pattern, in the outlines of which the map of Israel is easily guessed. Daniel Libeskind made every effort to make the architecture and interiors of the Modern Jewish Museum speak volumes without words.
The museum complex includes galleries and exhibition halls, an educational center and various auditoriums. Within its walls you can get acquainted with outstanding representatives of the Jewish nation, who have made an invaluable contribution to the development of our world. The modern Jewish museum presents all the best and brightest that is associated with the Jewish people and cordially invites everyone to get acquainted with its content, framed in an amazing architectural frame created by Daniel Libeskind.
